When you think of cakes especially your birthday cakes from childhood days,what is that one thing that makes you nostalgic and pops up instantly in your thoughts and something that made your every b'day extra special ?
In my case,though my parents were not that much into celebrating our B'days by throwing party something but I have a few low key celebration moments to cherish and it was the unique B'day cakes that made my day sweet and special and what made them unique, well, the icing on the cake !!
When I was a kid, all I wanted was to finger lick the icing,that creamy texture made it irresistible and unstoppable...
When I grew up,it turned into a fantasy...it was as if the cake turned into a gorgeous looking bride embellished in white.....
As time went by and I started experimenting with store bought icings ,I realized ,it was an edible cake makeover.......
However,when I made the fresh homely icing,I realized it makes the cake tad extra special with a personal lovely touch that as they say, has the power to touch many lives around in a special tender sweet way....
Though I love baking ,I don't do it often as I lack the right company to savor them and so ,if I bake that entire cake, I can and I'll devour it within a few hours or a day max (No kidding!!).So,you see,it can be dangerous for me especially since my body acts like a magnet that attracts fats/calories instantly and possess the magical tendency to blow up like a balloon in no time.Yeah, I am strange in every way my dear friend!!!
So,I need to be cautious and bake occasionally and because of that I may not have all the baking ingredients at home readily available every time.That exactly what happened, when I wanted to bake a cake for my friend and coat it with a lovely glob of icing.
Moreover ,I like to use homemade things mostly that are freshly made with no preservatives added.So , I've been trying to make homemade buttercream icing as well.I've tried different versions so far but this one is my go to butter cream icing .
So, this is how I make homemade buttercream icing,
Buttercream Icing
(Stiff consistency)
Yields 1- 1 1/2 cup
Ingredients
3/4-1 cup unsalted butter,softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whole milk
A big pinch of salt
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whole milk
A big pinch of salt
Method:
In a large bowl, cream together butter,sugar and vanilla until well blended and creamy. Add in the
milk & salt (adjust (more or less milk) to thin it out if desired)
and salt is to balance the sweetness, and continue beating until light and
fluffy. Keep icing covered until ready to use or keep it refrigerated for later.
NOTE:
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1.If you are trying for the first time,first start creaming the butter alone until light and fluffy.Then add sugar (powdered sugar) little by little ,making sure the sweetness you desire is reached ,beat on medium speed until well blended.Then rest process.
2.For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency )instead of butter use 1/2 cup shortening ,add 1/2 teaspoon no color butter flavor to change the shortening taste and /or 1 teaspoon of CLEAR vanilla extract .To thin it for icing cakes ,you can use milk,water or even light corn syrup.
3.While beating the butter & sugar,beat at medium to high speed for couple of minutes to ensure maximum peak/well blended.
4.To make it more stiffer for making rose petals etc use 1--3 teaspoon of Meringue powder (which is made up of egg white and corn starch).It makes the frosting stiff and stable.
Now that my homemade buttercream icing is ready .We can use this icing for frosting the cake ,decorating the cake ,making cake pops etc in multitude ways.However,that depends upon the consistency of an icing .Yep,there are basically three types of icing consistencies which are used for different purposes in decorating the cake :
- Stiff consistency - The recipe above,place the icing in a cup and put a knife/spatula down into the center,when it stands stiff,the stiff consistency has reached which can be used to make rose petals especially.
- Medium consistency - Add 1 teaspoon of water/milk for each cup of stiff icing and mix well.Place it in a cup and put the knife or spatula all the way down into the center and the spatula will slightly lean ,that means medium consistency has reached.It is used to make designs like borders,shells,rosettes etc.
- Thin consistency - Add 2 teaspoon of water/milk for each cup of stiff icing and mix well.Place it in a cup,do the spatula test like above and the spatula will just fall to the side completely.This is the icing used for icing the cake or for writing etc.
No wonder ,why they emphasize the saying,"Icing on a cake"........ It is whipping whimsical ! :D
Eat,love,live DELICIOUSLY,
