Well after two weeks of various family members being sick, we all finally got together for my birthday. I decided to go with a cake I saw on Pinterest. And while I was a teeny bit disappointed in how close two of the colors were to each other, I say “Bravo!” to myself for not only making my first 4 layered cake but also for making my own icing!
And there you have it. :) I had a wonderful time with family and yummy food.
Directions for cake:
2 boxes of white cake mix (I used the 4 egg whites option)
Add in gel coloring (I used Wilton’s Violet)
Buttercream recipe as follows, from Glorious Treats:
American Buttercream Frosting1 cup (2 sticks) butter (salted, or unsalted)
1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (best quality available)
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream, half and half or milk.*Optional- As mentioned above, I like a cream cheese version of this frosting best. The cream cheese adds to the creamy texture, and cuts down on the sweetness just a bit. If desired, for a very light cream cheese flavor add 1/2 block (4 oz). cream cheese, leaving the other ingredients (as listed above) the same. For a more traditional cream cheese flavor, reduce the butter to 1/2 cup, and add 1 block (8 oz.) of cream cheese. If using a full block of cream cheese, you can reduce the cream or milk to 1 tablespoon total.
Directions-
* In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter (on medium speed) until completely smooth (30 seconds to a minute). (If you are adding cream cheese, add it now, then beat until smooth)
* Add salt (if needed).
* One cup at time, add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating after each addition.
* Add vanilla, or other flavorings and beat to combine.
* Add about 1 tablespoon of cream, and continue beating.
* Add the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar, one at a time.
* Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons cream until desired consistency is reached. If you want to pipe the frosting on cupcakes, the frosting should be nice and thick. Continue to beat another minute or so. The frosting should now be smooth and fluffy.
I did go with the cream cheese option. I also made a thicker frosting even though I was just icing the cake (no piping involved). I was really shooting for a white frosting so I also added in a bit of Wilton’s White Icing Coloring. Made a world of difference (to me anyway, lol).
