Cupcakes Recipes

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FROSTING RECIPES 
 - For the icing, use:

   

Classic Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients

(Double Batch of the Classic Vanilla Buttercream)

Unsalted butter. Add about ½ tsp. salt if you’d like to cut the sweetness

Make wet the pepper towel, for cover the machine went you blender

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter

8 cups (2 lb.) powdered sugar (no need to sift)

2 tsp. vanilla (use clear imitation if you like a whiter frosting)

1/3 c. milk

Pinch of salt if you’d like to cut the sweetness

Directions:

Cream the softened butter until smooth.  Blend in the vanilla.  Add half of the powdered sugar and most of the milk.  Beat at medium speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated.  Add remaining powdered sugar and milk and mix at medium speed another 3 to 4 minutes scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.  The texture will become very smooth.

This recipe can be doubled or halved.

You can be frozen in air tight container for at least three months.  Thaw on countertop.

This is a crusting recipe, which works well with the Roller and Viva Paper towel smoothing methods.  However, humidity may make it less likely to crust, in which case you can use the hot knife method for smoothing.

(Yields approximately 8-9 cups of frosting).

·        Basic Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

3 sticks butter, softened

2 lbs. powdered sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Whipping cream or 1/2 and 1/2 – enough to thin frosting to desired consistency

Directions:

Beat butter in mixer on medium high for 2-3 minutes or until pale and creamy.  Reduce speed to medium and add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time.  Beat well after each addition increasing speed to high after all sugar is added.

Add vanilla and food coloring if desired.  Beat until buttercream is smooth.  You can be refrigerated for several days if covered.  If refrigerating, bring to room temperature before using and beat on low until smooth.

·        Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, very soft

6-8 C powdered sugar

1/2 C fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions:

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of sugar, then the juice and the zest. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (I added 6 cups total). Use and store at room temperature. (Don’t refrigerate and it will last in a covered container for about three days.)

·         Pink Lemonade Cupcakes for the icing, use:

Ingredients
1 lb. unsalted butter (softened)
2 stick salted butter (softened
1 small pkg. lemon instant pudding mix
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup powdered sugar ( or more to suit your taste)

Pink food coloring

·        Sprinkles Strawberry Icing

 (Makes enough for 1 dozen cupcakes).

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold

Pinch of coarse salt

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not over mix or frosting will incorporate too much air.

Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

·        Comfort Frosting

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups sugar

6 Tablespoons water

 1-1/2 Tablespoon white corn syrup

 2 large egg whites (1/4 cup )

1/4 teaspoon orange extract

Directions:

Mix sugar, water, and corn syrup in a saucepan. Boil slowly, without stirring until syrup spins a

6-8" thread (242degrees). Keep saucepan covered for the first 3 minutes to keep crystals from forming on sides of pan.

While syrup is cooking, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff enough to hold to a point.

With mixer beating, pour hot syrup very slowly in a thin stream into stiffly beaten egg whites. Add orange extract. Continue to beat until frosting holds its shape. Spread on top and sides of cake.

·        Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients

3 sticks unsalted butter  (120z, 339g) AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
5 egg whites ( 3/4 cup, 168g)
1/2 tsp  (2g, 1/8oz)  cream of tartar
1 cup   ( 205 g)   granulated sugar
2 TBSP (21g)  vanilla extract

Directions:

Place the egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar in a heat proof bowl (I use my kitchen aid mixing bowl). Put this over a pot of simmering water, whisking by hand until a candy thermometer attached to the side of the bowl registers 140 degrees.

Transfer this to your mixer and put in the whisk attachment. Whip on medium high speed until it reaches stiff peak stage this could take about 10 min. The bottom of the bowl will cool off. The mixture will become fluffy and glossy.

While the meringue is beating, cut the butter into tbsp sized pieces.

When the meringue is ready, put the paddle attachment on the mixer and add the butter a few pieces at a time while beating on low speed.

Add vanilla

The mixture may look like it is separating after you add the butter. Don’t worry, just continue beating on medium-high speed and it will become smooth again.

You can use immediately ….refrigerate in an airtight container for 5 days or freeze for 1 month. If frozen, bring to room temp and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until it is smooth again…..3 to 5 minutes

·        Simple Vanilla Glaze

There are so many variations of this recipe floating around—but they are all very similar.  This particular recipe is based on a Vanilla Glaze recipe featured in Shelly Kaldunski’s book, “Cupcakes”

Ingredients

1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted

2T milk

1tsp vanilla extract (use clear imitation vanilla if you need a true white glaze)

This makes a glaze with a thin consistency. 

Directions:

This glaze is a bit on the sheer side.  If you want a more opaque look, you have a few options– you can double dip your cupcakes into the glaze, frost a thin coat of buttercream beneath the glaze, or you can follow the thicker, spreadable variation below….

If you prefer a thicker, frosting-like consistency, try this variation….

1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted

1Tablespoon, plus 1 tsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

* This is one of the sugar coatings that we used in the Glazed Cupcake video.  I use a little spatula to spread the glaze, rather than dipping the cupcake.

****One more thing re: thinner consistency glazes–I usually do not level my cupcakes when glazing—but if you do, you’ll want to make sure that you frost over any holes that you have in your cupcake with buttercream before dipping.  If you do not do this, your glaze will seep down into your cupcake–and the hole will return.

Also, always cover your bowls of glaze with a damp paper towel when not in use to prevent the sugar from crusting over or crystallizing.