I love cake! But mostly I love cakes because they can be so pretty and yet relatively easy to do. There are so many recipes for different cakes and someday I will post a few that are extraordinarily good. But to serve the purpose of posting the frosting recipe for my Lil' Bo Peep who asked for it today, I'll just mention this for now: You can make a box cake mix taste like it's from scratch by doing these 3 things:
Add 1 more egg than the box calls for
Substitute milk for the water
Add softened butter instead of the oil
Yes, I know it adds calories. But you ARE making a cake right? It's an oxymoron to count calories in dessert. And if you are counting, the cake is nothing compared to the frosting. Call 911 because you're about to have a heart attack: BUTTERCREAM FROSTING 1/2 Cup butter softened 4 1/2 Cups Confectioners (powdered) Sugar 1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla 5-6 Tablespoons Milk In the bowl of a Kitchen Aid with whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer) put in the butter and turn mixer on. Slowly add powdered sugar 1/2 C at a time. Adding in the Vanilla and the Milk. Add more milk or powdered sugar until you get the consistency you want. TIPS:
For stack cakes, prepare them ahead, wrap in plastic wrap and then freeze them. It's easier to frost a frozen cake than a soft, flexible one.
For stacking cakes, the frosting should be a bit thicker in order to hold it all together.
Put a light crumb coat on first and then go back and frost the cake with a thicker layer of frosting.
To make the frosting smooth, run your butter knife or off-set spatula in hot water and then smooth a small section and repeat. If using a butter knife, use the smooth side.
I have a million ideas for cute and easy-to-decorate cakes on my pinterest board.
