Green Mama back again with some more cake making tips!
Today I will share my simple & easy homemade icing recipe along with some quick icing tips.
Before you say ‘yuck’ with some of these ingredients, let me say that a lot of the cakes/cupcakes that you purchase in the store have icing made of 100% shortening
(that’s the main ingredient for the filling of an Oreo too)!
With that said, here is my basic icing recipe:
- 1 stick salted butter at room temperature
- 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1lb (4 cups) powdered sugar
- 1T Dream Whip
- 2t vanilla
- 2t butter flavor
- 2-4T water, as needed
Mix butter, shortening, vanilla & butter flavor until combined. Mix in Dream Whip, then sugar 1 cup at a time. Mix for about 5 minutes, adding water 1T at a time, until light and creamy. This makes enough icing for 24 cupcakes.
TIP #1 – Flavoring your Icing
Personalize this icing by adding additional flavors to suit your taste. Some of my favorite extracts are: almond, citrus, banana, maple and cherry.
Also, check your refrigerator for flavored coffee creamers. Substitute this for the water in my recipe for a unique icing. This is great around the holidays with Egg Nog & Gingerbread flavored creamers.
Get yourself to your nearest chain craft store armed with your 40% or 50% off coupon. Head over to the cake decorating section and pick up a small box of disposable decorating bags and a 1M decorating tip (total cost before coupon is about $6). Following the directions on the back of the decorating bags, drop in tip #1M and fill bag 1/2 way with icing. You can make a traditional swirl by squeezing icing, starting at the outer edge of the cupcake, and swirling it in a circle motion back into the center.
For a step-by-step with photos, click here. They suggest making 2 layers of icing, but I find this is too much.
TIP #3 – Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
Another use for the decorator bags & tip #1M is making ice cream cone cupcakes. Fill cake cones 2/3 fill with batter and place cones in a cupcake pan to bake. Let cool and swirl the icing on as directed in Tip #2. Top with sprinkles and even a maraschino cherry!
Want more cupcake ideas? Check out the Cupcake Fun website for some really cute and easy cupcakes.
Green Mama, if you have a fabulous Christmas cookie recipe, please share it with us! I have been trying to find a good recipe for rolled cookies and icing for the past five years and I can find are decent ones!
Perfect timing for this post!! :) I have to make cupcakes tomorrow for a birthday party and I was really dreading the icing part but now I’m actually looking forward to it! & thanks for the tip about using the 50% off coupons. I was able to get 2 of the cupcake caddy’s for the price of 1 regular! Yippee!! :)
Leah – Yes, you still add the butter flavor + your own flavor. Just went to my local grocery store and they had tons of new flavorings-Target has lots too.
If you want to flavor your frosting with another extract, do you still add the butter flavoring?
Great stuff!When I started taking my Wilton class I was telling everyone I knew about how the icing we all eat and love is made from shortening an no one believed me! LOLI love that butter flavoring, too….it makes your whole house smell like yummy butter!:)And those cones look awesome..I’ll have to try that!
I made the cupcakes last week and my family LOVED them. Even my husband who isnt big on sweets!Thanks!nh
Wow!!! You really are spilling the beans on how to decorate cakes and cupcakes! Now I have more confidence that I too can create the looks you see in the bakery – but better because it’s homemade. Thanks!