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Not-So-Basic

Buttercream Decorating Ideas

Created exclusively for Craftsy by Lyndsay Sung & Jessie Oleson Moore

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Crusting Buttercream

How to Make the Prettiest Piped Flower Cupcakes

Delicious Ways to Flavor Homemade Buttercream

Recipe for Brown Sugar Buttercream

How to Make Glow-in-the-Dark Buttercream

Meet the Experts

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When you think of the word “crust,” you probably think more of pie than cake. But crust can also be an important term to assign to cakes—particularly pertaining to buttercream. A crusting buttercream is one that will set up firmly enough so that it can be touched lightly without making a mark. Although still relatively delicate, this crust can be a very helpful asset to decorators, making a nicely primed surface for all sorts of cake decoration, from decorative piping to fondant or gum paste adornment.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

In a nutshell, the buttercream will “crust” as a result of the sugar and liquid solidifying.

What is the purpose of crusting buttercream? To give a couple of examples:

CRUSTINGButtercream

By Jessie Oleson Moore

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AS A PRIMER

Crusting buttercream can be an asset as a “base” atop which additional adornment will be applied. Once it sets, you will have a firmer working surface, which will make your life a lot easier when applying delicate piping such as in the photo on the left. This firmer surface will also act as a wonderful backdrop for adhering fondant or gum paste decorations.

AS ARMOR

Cakes that are covered all over with a piped design as its primary icing, such as this one, can benefit from using a crusting buttercream. The icing is piped while the buttercream is still quite soft, but as it “sets” it will become firm, which makes the delicate shapes a bit sturdier. Additionally, cakes that are decorated or iced with a crusting buttercream are better able to withstand the elements, making it a decorator’s friend when it comes to hot weather cake decoration.

ARE THERE ANY DOWNSIDES TO CRUSTING BUTTERCREAM?

Here are some considerations that may be of interest:

• Many crusting buttercream recipes rely heavily on solid vegetable shortening. Some include all vegetable shortening (no butter), some include part butter and part vegetable shortening. The solid nature of shortening and the fact that it doesn’t melt as quickly makes it a good choice, texture-wise; however, many agree that the flavor benefits from the addition of at least some butter.

• Because confectioners’ sugar is vital to getting the texture right, crusting buttercreams tend to be very sweet.

• This type of buttercream does, as the name implies, “crust” and become firm, so making changes or wiping away part of the icing and having a re-do can be difficult.

Now that you’re educated on the ways of the crusting buttercream, let’s discuss how to make it for your next cake! Before offering the recipe, here are some notes and suggestions:

• Be sure you have your cake(s) baked, cooled, leveled and ready. Although a crusting buttercream won’t set up instantly, it is best to be used to ice a cake fairly soon after whipping up a batch.

• If you are not able to ice your cake directly after making the icing, it’s OK. Although it is best the same day made, the icing can be stored overnight at cool room temperature in an airtight container, or refrigerated for several days in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature before using to ice a cake.

• Be sure that you have enough time allotted to allow the buttercream to set before adding other decoration or icings.

Photo via Craftsy member Ditut

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• If you want a pure white crusting buttercream, strive to use butter without colorings added (read the label to see if it has any added) or consider using all shortening instead of part butter. Also, use clear vanilla extract instead of the regular brown-tinted extract, which will add a slight beige tint to the buttercream.

• If you’d like to impart a different flavor, you can use any number of different extracts instead of vanilla, but be aware that if they have a tint, it may impart a color to the buttercream.

• Adding coloring to the buttercream is fine, but keep in mind that you may want to reduce the amount of liquid you add to the mixture.

• When it comes to the milk in the recipe, you can also substitute water, lower-fat milk or even cream. Just be sure to add the liquid a little at a time to see the quantity that will give you a consistency that works for you. Keep in mind that the amount of liquid you add may vary depending on the season, as weather conditions (humidity and heat) can affect the texture.

Crusting Buttercream IcingThis recipe is adapted from what is often called the “Viva” method — named after a brand of paper towels, which, owing to their flat (non-quilted or textured) surface, works extremely well for flattening the surface of your crusting buttercream.

STEP 1:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, shortening and vanilla extract until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes on medium speed. Stop the mixer.

STEP 2:

Add about ¼ of the confectioners’ sugar. You need to add this gradually, or you might have a sugary snowstorm in your kitchen when you start to mix.

Mix on low speed until incorporated. Pause to scrape the sides of the bowl down with a rubber spatula and add another ¼ of the confectioners’ sugar. Continue mixing and pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl and add more confectioners’ sugar until you’ve added it all. This mixture will likely be quite thick.

STEP 3:

Add 1/8 cup of the milk and mix at low speed until incorporated. At this point, it’s up to you whether or not you’d like to add more — it’s a matter of your preference for the consistency.

STEP 4:

Ice your cake. Try to apply the icing as smoothly as possible.

STEP 5:

Let set for 20-30 minutes to form a “crust”.

STEP 6:

If you’d like a flat surface on your cake, once it has crusted, you can use a square of un-patterned paper towel (or, if you don’t have that, a sheet of

INGREDIENTS:

1 bag (2 pounds) sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, softened and cut into ½ inch cubes

1 ½ cups solid vegetable shortening

1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract

1/8 to ½ cup whole milk (to desired consistency)

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clean, white paper or parchment paper will do). Lay the paper on the area of the cake you want smoothed and using your hand, a spatula, a fondant smoother or even a clean and unused credit card, smooth the icing.

STEP 7:

Once smoothed, decorate in any way you’d like!

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Perfectly in season all year round, these buttercream rose topped cupcakes will prettify any dessert table, from a tea party to bridal shower to a wild rose wedding cake spread. If you’ve ever wondered how to pipe buttercream flowers, let’s start with piping a pretty petaled rose right on top of the nearest cupcake. No flower nail needed here!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• Start with a batch of cupcakes in any flavor (I used vanilla). • A batch of vanilla buttercream tinted pink (I used a tiny amount of

fuchsia gel color). • A piping bag fitted with a rose petal piping tip (I used #104).

HOW TO MAKEthe Prettiest Piped Flower Cupcakes

By Lyndsay Sung

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STEP 1:

Many cake decorators start by making a cone shape for the center of their rose. Instead, I like to pipe a tightly petaled mini rosette.

Start in the center of your cupcake to make a tight mini rosette. Hold the piping bag so the larger end is touching the center of the cupcake. Squeeze the piping bag and form a rainbow-like motion with the piping bag while turning the cupcake at the same time to create a ribbon rainbow-like shape. Yes, three things at once!

This is one of those techniques where practice makes perfect — try it a few times to get the hang of it! If you don’t like the results, you can scrape off the rose from your cupcake and start again.

STEP 2:

Pipe another rainbow, slightly overlapping the last one, going round until you’ve created a tight rosette.

Essentially you are piping more “rainbow” shapes and circling around the center rosette, like the petals of a rose. Pipe more petals around the rosette, creating a second row of petals.

The rose petal piping tip looks like a teardrop, with a skinny end and a larger opening end.

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STEP 3:

Continue building your rose - pipe another row of “rainbows,” building outward.

STEP 4:

Keep piping round and round until the entire top of the cupcake is covered in pink buttercream petals. You can also make smaller roses with less petals and finish your cupcakes with green buttercream piped leaves if you so desire.

Continue piping the remainder of your cupcakes with the buttercream rose effect.

So pretty! Keep on practicing to get the rose look that you like best.

Bird’s-eye view of the cupcake thus far. Remember, each petal must overlap slightly to resemble a rose.

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Delicious Ways to Flavor

For some, cake is merely a vehicle for buttercream. While we believe that it’s the balance of cake and buttercream that makes for a perfect taste experience, it’s hard to deny that there’s a lot to love about the sweet, spreadable stuff: It adds moisture, flavor and richness to cakes. Plus, it’s a fun and fundamental medium for cake decorating!

But even an inherently wonderful foodstuff such as buttercream can be improved by upgrading the ingredients and adding flavors. Here are some easy ways to indulge your sweet tooth by making buttercream even better.

Elements to Elevate

Vanilla buttercream is a fantastic canvas with which you can add flavor and texture. Here are just a few ways to transform simple vanilla buttercream into something truly special.

CHOCOLATE

Chocolate can add flavor to your buttercream in a number of ways. You could stir in melted chocolate (cooled—not super hot) to create a swirl effect, or you could add ganache for a portion of the butter. You could also stir in cocoa powder for a subtle chocolate flavor.

COCONUT

Creamy coconut adds a beautiful flavor to buttercream. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut cream to your buttercream, and stir in a little extra sugar if needed to attain a spreading consistency. For a coconut-filled flavor, stir in toasted coconut, or garnish your cake with coconut shreds.

BERRIES AND FIRM FRUITS

There are a number of ways to incorporate firm fruits to buttercream, but we love this method of reducing the juices of the fruits and using them, too. Here’s how you do it: add some sugar to the fruit and wait until it begins to release its juices. Drain the fruit, blot it dry, and cut into tiny pieces to add to the buttercream, reserving the juice. Reduce the juice with sugar until it becomes a syrup; let this come to room temperature and add it to the icing.

HOMEMADE BUTTERCREAM

By Jessie Oleson Moore

Upgrade Your Ingredients

Using quality ingredients is an easy way to upgrade the flavor of your buttercream. Here are some ingredients we think are worth upgrading.

BUTTER

All butters are not created equal. Lesser-quality butters actually have less butter and more air and water in them. Investing in European-style or cultured butters can bring a whole new world of flavor to your buttercream.

SUGAR

Making your own confectioners’ sugar is another fantastic way to make your icing special. Homemade confectioners’ sugar can also be made with infused or flavored sugars, adding an extra nuance to flavors.

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Note: For canned fruit, drain the fruit first. The step of adding sugar to release juices is not necessary. Do, however, reduce the juices with sugar to form a syrup to add.

CHEESE

Soft cheeses can be a great addition to buttercream—simply swap out a portion of the butter. We’re not just talking cream cheese here: You can also add soft homemade goat cheese or mascarpone. Cheese will not only add a nice tang, but a pleasing richness that will complement sweet cakes. The stronger the flavor of the cheese, the less you will need to get the flavor point across.

CITRUS FRUIT

Citrus can add a wonderful brightness to buttercream. Add a few teaspoons of citrus juice, along with the chopped zest, to your buttercream. You may have to add a little extra confectioners’ sugar to make the buttercream firm.

BANANAS OR SOFT FRUITS

No need to drain soft fruits that don’t release juices. Simply purée the fruit and add it to the buttercream in place of part of the butter for a wonderful flavor.

JAMS AND CURDS

Several tablespoons of the fruit curd can be added to the icing to give it a subtle fruit flavor. With stronger-flavored preserves, such as lemon curd, add a little at a time.

NUTS

Add finely chopped toasted nuts to the icing for a nice crunch and flavor.

Upgrade Your Ingredients

Continued…

EXTRACTS

You can even mix your vanilla extract with part almond or another extract to give your buttercream a fascinating and subtle flavor.

SALT

Wait...salt? In super-sweet buttercream? As Dorie Greenspan says, “Salt is pastry’s unsung hero...a pinch is enough to balance the sugar in a tart crust, underscore the flavor in any chocolate dessert, give caramel that certain je ne sais quoi.” Though it doesn’t regularly appear on many buttercream recipes, adding just the teensiest bit to buttercream can bring out every other flavor in the best possible way.

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To augment the flavor, add the same flavor extract as a complement (toasted almonds with almond extract, etc).

NUT BUTTERS

Nut butters such as peanut butter, almond butter or even Nutella, are fantastic additions to your buttercream. Stir in a couple of tablespoons to your recipe. Mix well to ensure the nut butter is evenly distributed.

PUDDING OR CUSTARD MIX

Pudding or custard mix will lend a wonderful, rich flavor to your icing. Stir in about 2 tablespoons for a buttercream that will set firm and take on the flavor of the mix. However, be sure to use this icing soon after making it so it doesn’t set before you’ve iced your cake.

HERBS AND SPICES

Add freshly ground spices a little at a time until your desired flavor has been reached.

Note: Freshly ground and toasted spices will be more flavorful than packaged.

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Go beyond chocolate and vanilla—get out your buttercream rut with a delightful brown sugar buttercream recipe you’ll come back to time and time again.

It’s difficult to say what is the absolute best part of this brown sugar buttercream recipe. After all, it has so many fantastic attributes that make it a valuable addition to your recipe box.

Is it the fact that it kind of tastes like chocolate chip cookies without the chips? Or is it the delightful little crunch that the granules of caramel-y brown sugar lends the otherwise velvety buttercream? Or is it the fact that it works so beautifully with just about any type of cake, be it sponge or foam, chocolate or vanilla?

Likely, it’s a little bit of all of the above. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that this recipe comes together in mere minutes, and tastes good with not only layer cakes but as a filling for whoopie pies or cookie sandwiches, or as a topping for brownies or blondies.

Recipe for:BROWN SUGAR BUTTERCREAM

By Jessie Oleson Moore

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Before we get started, let’s address some of the buttercream questions you might have:

CAN I USE DARK OR LIGHT BROWN SUGAR?

Yes; the taste of the buttercream with the dark brown sugar will be more assertive, so consider this when deciding what type of cake you’d like to pair it with. Use stronger cake flavors that can “stand up” to the flavor.

HOW CAN I SPICE IT UP?

Brown sugar loves spices. This recipe includes cinnamon, which amps up the comforting flavor of the brown sugar in this buttercream. You can add more if you like: up to 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, and/or 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg, tastes wonderful.

WHAT TYPES OF CAKES OR SWEETS DOES THIS WORK WITH?

It’s perfect with earthy cakes such as banana or carrot; however, it also works quite well with spice cookies, sugar cookies, snickerdoodles or gingerbread. A plain vanilla cake is a nice canvas, too. We wouldn’t turn you away if you put it on top of brownies, either.

Recipe for Brown Sugar ButtercreamSTEP 1:

Cream the butter until fluffy. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon; beat until it has become smooth in texture, yet fairly light and fluffy.

STEP 2:

Add three cups of the confectioners’ sugar, and mix on low speed so that you don’t have a snowstorm. Stir in the vanilla extract, salt and milk or

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4-6 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup of milk or half and half, plus more if needed

Note: This recipe yields a perfect amount of buttercream to ice a two-layer 9-inch cake or a 9x13-inch oblong cake. This recipe can be doubled.

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half and half. Stir until incorporated; scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to make sure there aren’t any unmixed portions on the bottom or sides of the bowl.

STEP 3:

Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar to your taste. If it becomes too stiff, add a bit more cream.

Store unused portions of the buttercream in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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Want a party trick that will really knock your friends’ socks off? All you’ve got to do is (1) pretend you’re in college again and buy some black lights, and (2) learn how to make glow-in-the-dark buttercream. Your cake decorating may never be the same.

This is a method originally dreamed up by blogger Recipe Snobs, and it’s fantastic for causing a stir. The icing looks like it has a candy coating or glaze—interesting, but an otherwise unremarkable buttercream

Glow-in-the-Dark ButtercreamHOW TO MAKE

By Jessie Oleson Moore

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technique. But then, when you turn out the regular lights and cue the black light, the buttercream will take on a ghostly glow. Amazing!

SO WHAT’S THE MAGIC TRICK?

Alas, no magic, but certainly science. The trick lies in tonic water. Turns out, the bitter quinine in the brew glows blue-white under a black light. So when the quinine-containing tonic water is used as an ingredient in buttercream, and then on a glaze to coat it, your confection will glow.

HOW DOES THIS SCIENCE EXPERIMENT TRANSLATE TO BUTTERCREAM?

This buttercream gets its glow in two ways, because the tonic water is used both in the buttercream itself and a viscous Jell-O and tonic water glaze to brush on top. For best results, use both the buttercream and the glaze.

IS IT DANGEROUS?

Not at all. Everything in this recipe is a food-safe item, so unless you have an allergy or aversion to tonic water or Jell-O, it’s 100 percent safe. And though tonic water is frequently used in cocktails, it doesn’t actually contain alcohol itself, so the buttercream is safe for kids, too.

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CAN I USE DIET TONIC WATER?

Yes, as long as it contains quinine, diet tonic water will work in this recipe, too.

CAN I TINT IT ANY COLOR?

We tried this experiment in green and white; the white definitely glowed brighter. Comments on the aforementioned Recipe Snobs post revealed that for most bakers, next to white, the color green was the most successful.

HOW CAN I USE THIS GLOW-IN-THE-DARK BUTTERCREAM?

Any way you wish. You can use it to top cupcakes or a layer cake, either simply spread or prettily piped. You can top a cookie with it and then coat it with chocolate, so it’s a hi-hat confection with a glow-in-the-dark secret. Basically, any method that will allow you to brush the liquid on top without ruining your confection will work.

How to Make Glow-in-the-Dark ButtercreamMakes enough to ice 24 cupcakes, one 2-layer 8" or 9" cake, or 24 cookies

STEP 1:

Start by preparing the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until light and very fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

STEP 2:

Stir in the vanilla extract, 5 tablespoons of tonic water, and 4 cups of the confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low speed until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary with a rubber spatula.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter, softened (or 1 cup shortening)

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

5 tablespoons tonic water

6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar

Food coloring, if desired

3 ounce package Jell-O (in the color and flavor desired)

1 cup boiling water

1 cup chilled tonic water

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STEP 3:

Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup at a time, until a spreading or piping consistency has been reached. Stir in the food coloring until combined, if using. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for the moment.

STEP 4:

Ice whatever you’d like to ice with the buttercream, and set it in the freezer for at least an hour, or even overnight, so the buttercream can get quite firm, even a bit hard. For this project, we tried both cupcakes with white buttercream and a cake with green buttercream.

STEP 5:

Once the buttercream is very firm to the touch, prepare the glaze. Place the Jell-O powder in a bowl that will allow you enough room to dip your cupcakes or cookies; otherwise, you can use a pastry brush to apply the glaze.

STEP 6:

Boil 1 cup of water, and then add it to the Jell-O mix. Whisk for about 1 minute, or until thoroughly combined. Add the chilled tonic water and continue whisking.

Basically, you’ll be preparing the Jell-O per the package instructions, but instead of 1 cup of boiling water and 1 cup of chilled water, you’re using boiling water and chilled tonic water.

STEP 7:

To help the Jell-O mixture cool, you can place it in an ice bath to hasten the process. Or, simply wait until it is cool to the touch but still liquid. You just don’t want the Jell-O to start setting.

STEP 8:

It’s time to brush or dip your buttercream-topped treats. Take several of the treats out at a time from the freezer. Either dip in the Jell-O mixture, so that only the buttercream gets dipped, or brush it on top of the buttercream.

Try to avoid the cake or pastry as much as possible, focusing on the icing. Let excess Jell-O drip off, and transfer back to a plate. Put each treat back in the freezer between dippings. For thorough coverage and the best results, you will want to dip each treat 6 times.

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STEP 9:

Once they’ve all been dipped six times, place them in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes so that the Jell-O glaze can set.

For best results, serve under a couple of black lights, and be sure to have the cake or cupcakes quite close to the light. Watch your friends’ faces light up as they see your treats glow.

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MEET THE EXPERTS

JESSIE OLESON MOORE

Jessie Oleson Moore is a writer, illustrator and professional seeker of sweetness who runs CakeSpy, an award-winning dessert website. Her first book, CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life came out in October 2011, and her second book, The Secret Lives of Baked Goods, was released in May 2013.

LYNDSAY SUNG

Lyndsay Sung is a self-taught baker, caker and maker from Vancouver, BC. She runs her own tiny cake business, which she writes, photographs and blogs about extensively via her Coco Cake Land blog. Lyndsay contributes to several design blogs including Poppytalk, Handmade Charlotte and You Are My Fave.