American Buttercream Frosting (...and a Wedding!)

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!  I'm currently writing this preemptively dreading returning to work tomorrow.  The days after long weekends are just.the.worst.  At the same time, I am super content and reflective about how great a weekend it was... not to mention the freedoms we have and who made it all possible.  Thank you vets - past, present and future!

It was a very exciting weekend for me, for sure... I had my first wedding order.  A friend (hiiii, Amy) asked me a while ago if I would consider making cupcakes and a small cake for her friends wedding.  After a small panic attack from the pressure of baking for such an important occasion, I happily accepted and began the planning process.  The wedding was this Sunday and after three and a half heart attacks while transporting them to the location (I was 100% sure someone was going to rear-end me on the way there and ruin everything) I am super happy with the way everything turned out.  Big shout out to my mom and amazing husband for their support and encouragement and to Amy and Sara for giving me a shot!  You guys are pretty awesome.

I figured this would be a wonderful opportunity to share with you one of my favorite American buttercream recipes.  Considering the name of this blog, it's only fitting.  And probably should have been my first recipe?  Hmm.  Anyway, it's important to note that I use different recipes depending on the intent - whipped frostings, Italian buttercreams, Swiss Meringue Buttercreams, and French buttercreams certainly have their places and I even prefer them at times.  I could write an entire post on the different uses, benefits and flavors of each type, but I will save that for another day. 

This recipe is a great all-purpose, medium consistency, crusting buttercream that holds it's shape to pipe on cupcakes, cookies and cakes. It's the recipe my mom always used on cakes growing up and each time I make it I'm transported my six year-old self in her kitchen licking the beater.  I don't love using shortening, but I use a small amount and it does help the frosting hold it's shape a bit better than all-butter recipes.  This usually makes just enough to frost 24 cupcakes or an 8-inch layer cake, but I love frosting and having extra to add decorations and details so I generally double the recipe and freeze whatever's leftover (if anything).  Have I mentioned I like frosting?

American Buttercream Frosting:
1 stick butter, softened to room temperature (soft, but not melted)
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 pound bag of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
dash of salt

Blend the butter and shortening together in the bowl of your mixer until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is blended.  Add the vanilla, milk, salt, and about half of the powdered sugar.  Mix on low speed until blended.  Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy.  If your frosting is too runny, add some more powdered sugar.  If it's too stiff, add a touch more milk or cream.

A few tips: 

• Room temperature butter is super important.  Do not try to mix cold butter! If you are in a pinch, slice your butter into small pieces (about tablespoon size) and leave on the counter.  This increases the surface area and the butter comes to room temperature much faster.
• Use a clear vanilla extract and a bit more shortening to butter ratio if you want a brighter, more pure white.  The butter does make it slightly off-white.  This recipe also is very easy to color with a bit of gel food coloring.
• This frosting is super forgiving! Add more liquid if too stiff or more sugar if too runny.  It's foolproof.
• Experiment with flavors.  This is a great base recipe and super versatile.  Add some lemon, orange or coconut extract for different flavor combinations.  Add some cocoa and make a chocolate buttercream.  Be creative!

Rose Cake - Kentucky Derby Weekend!

It was certainly an eventful weekend for festive folks like us.  The Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo in one weekend?  And they are both holidays that revolve largely around food and drink.  Yes and yes, please!

We get very into Derby Day for two Pennsylvania yanks.  We like the tradition, the pageantry, and the competition of who can pick the winning horses throughout the day.  Hubs and I hosted a party to mark the occasion and I knew right away I wanted to make a red Rose cake as the most literal interpretation of the "Run for the Roses".  This style of cake decorating has been everywhere around the web as of late, and I made it once before successfully for Mother's Day so I was pretty comfortable with the technique.  There is something very impressive and classic about the presentation, and it is surprisingly easy to do.

You can use a Wilton 1M or 2D tip.  Start in the middle of where you want your first rose, and pipe in an outward circle.  All you have to do is repeat until your cake is covered!  If you want a more in-depth tutorial on how to make your own rose cake, i am baker has a great one you can find here.

 

We also enjoyed some traditional Benedictine sandwiches and these Pecan Pie Truffles with a healthy dose of bourbon as our spin on Derby Pies.  Everything was delicious and Greg picked the winning horse... all in all a great day! 

 



Red Velvet Cake Balls

One thing that stinks about being an adult: lack of birthday parties. 

You may still get together with friends, have some wine, go out to eat, etc.  But I'm talking about old school birthday parties with elaborate themes, every single one of your friends, cake, ice cream, candy, soda and party favors.  Before you cared about counting calories or where on your thighs those snacks would end up.  Where you'd run around with your friends for a few hours and be sent home buzzing around like a maniac from the crazy extreme sugar high.  I was at a few with ponies.  Oh yes.  Those were the days.

I had the same college roommate all four years of school (hiiiiii, Di!).  We had known each other from high school, and decided to room together when we found out we were attending the same college.  She lovessss her some red velvet cake, so her mom made her one every year for her birthday.  Ever since we graduated, in an attempt to relive the glory days and/or sugar highs of childhood, I make her red velvet cupcakes.  I wanted to switch it up this year and try red velvet in a different form.  These cake balls have all the flavors of red velvet cake, with the cake and frosting rolled together and then dipped in dark chocolate.  I gave these babies a nice neon chocolate drizzle in homage to our 90's upbringing and finished them with some confetti-colored birthday sprinkles.

I'm bringing the candy-induced sugar coma back for birthdays, baby.

Red Velvet Cake Balls:
Makes around 60 cake balls

1 box of Red Velvet cake mix + ingredients required on the box to make it
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups of powdered sugar
chocolate candy melting wafers (milk, dark or white - I used dark)
colored chocolate melting wafers for drizzle, optional
sprinkles for decoration, optional

Bake the red velvet cake in a 9x13 pan according to package directions.  Set aside to cool completely.

While cake is cooling, make the frosting.  In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth.  Add the sugar on low speed and beat until incorporated.  Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Once the cake has cooled, crumble with your hands into a large bowl.  Take 1 3/4 cups of the cream cheese frosting and spoon in the bowl with the cake crumbles.  Freeze any remaining frosting for later use (resist the urge to promptly devour over the kitchen sink with a spoon).  Mix the frosting and the cake crumbles using your hands until thoroughly mixed and uniform.  If too dry, add a few more spoonfuls of frosting, but be sure it's not too wet or it will be difficult to roll.  Using your hands, roll into one-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to make them easier to dip. 

When ready, melt the chocolate candy melting wafers in 30 second increments in the microwave.  Stir until smooth.  Dip each cake ball in the chocolate and place back on the wax paper-lined cookie sheet.  Drizzle with colored chocolate and sprinkles, if desired.  Store in the refrigerator.

They're like a party in your mouth.

Homemade Marshmallow Fondant

You know how I remember a wedding?  Cake.  The answer is always cake.  I won't comment on the flowers, decorations, or color scheme selected by the bride and groom because I know how much work goes in to a wedding and how much time is spent making these decisions.  Even if it's not my style, I love that it expresses their personalities and can appreciate the uniqueness of every individual wedding.  But there better be some good cake or I will judge you on a deep and personal level. 

This was our wedding cake.  And it was goooo-ood.

I've been to some weddings where I swear they served me a roughly 1/4 inch slice.  Um, no.  Or where they intricately decorated a cake with Styrofoam and had sheet cakes in the back. What? It's still just as hard to make sugar flowers for a block of foam... I don't get it.  I've also been to some weddings where the gummy fondant was rolled at least a half an inch thick and once it was peeled back, there was hardly even any cake underneath it. Icky.

However, it's hard to beat the clean, unblemished look that fondant gives a cake. When I started to make more cakes at home and trying to increase my decorating repertoire, I knew homemade
fondant was something I wanted to try.  I scoured the web and there are tons of recipes - some had crazy ingredients like glycerin and xanthan gum.  Finally, I came across a few that used good old-fashioned marshmallows and decided to go for it.  My sister-in-law had her second baby shower coming up for her husband's side of the family, and I was asked to make the cake.  It was a jungle theme, so I used the plain white fondant to cover the cake and then colored the remainder to make a few jungle related cut-outs.  I used the extra to mold a little monkey on top, and I think it worked pretty well.

The best part is, it tasted great!  I put a thin layer of peanut butter buttercream on the cake for the fondant to adhere to, and that was the main flavor that came through.  It's a little delicate and I