BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Tastes good with the vanilla chiffon cake.  

BASIC BUTTERCREAM(Ratio is 1:3;butter to sugar)( I have tried different ratios but 1:3 is what worked for me)

1. Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup softened
2. Confectioners sugar - 1 and 1/2 cup
3. 1/8 tsp salt
4. 1 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD

1. If the butter is not soft, I soften it by heating in the microwave for 2 minutes on power 2.(For a 900 watts oven).Part of the butter might melt a bit , but that's ok.
   
   
   
   
2. Add in the confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time and beat.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

LEMON BUTTERCREAM RECIPE

1. Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup softened
2. Confections sugar - 1 and 1/2 cups
3. 1/8 tsp salt
4.  2 tsp lemon grind with 2 tsp lemon juice or 2 Tbsp frozen grated lemon or 1/8 tsp lemon essence

METHOD

• Beat the butter  till soft
• add sugar and salt gradually while beating until all the sugar is incorporated.
• Add the frozen grated lemon

NOTES

• I like to add lemon juice but some don't like its tartness , if so add the lemon essence.
• If I need to make a cake with icing, I usually make the frosting on day 1, then followed by cake on day 2, and the fancy frosting the cake part on day 3.I do everything in the morning .
• The butter can be softened by keeping in the microwave 1 minute at power 2.Continue doing this until the butter is softened. Be careful to keep this in 1-minute intervals.
• Planning everything and doing everything step by step always helps.
• The lemon rind can be taken from the lemon and kept in the freezer a few day ahead.
• To take the lemon rind, keep the lemons in a ziplock bag and freeze them. When completely frozen take them out and using a fine grater, grate it till the white skin is seen. Don't grate the white skin.
• After taking the lemon rind the lemons can be thawed and the juice can be extracted. We get more juice from frozen and thawed lemons.

PINK BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1. Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup softened
2. Confectioners sugar - 1 and 1/4 cups
3. 1/8 tsp salt
4. 2 tsp lemon rind
5. 1 Tbsp Mixed fruit jam
6.  1/8 lemon essence
7. 2 and 1/2 Tbsp hot water

NOTES

• The jam is added after the whole buttercream is whipped up along with the hot water. The hot water is added along with each 1/2 cup of sugar.

NATURAL COLORED ICING - PINK , YELLOW , GREEN, VIOLET

For pink buttercream icing I added  jam. Had been thinking of using vegetable and fruit purees , but couldn't tell what the taste would be like and so was reluctant. But recently for my daughter's birthday cake , I wanted green and I tried using spinach puree. VOILA!!! No aftertaste at all. So went ahead and experimented with turmeric , beetroot and purple cabbage  too.

• GREEN  COLOR BUTTERCREAM

• Blanched handful of baby spinach with a little water, pureed it and sieved it , add it to the lemon buttercream , till I got the desired color. No aftertaste at all. I used lemon buttercream

• PINK COLOR BUTTERCREAM
  

• Grated beetroot , boiled it in water and added the sieved water to the lemon buttercream.

• YELLOW COLOR BUTTERCREAM
  
• Added turmeric a pinch at a time , until I got the desired color. ( I tasted after each addition  , had to be little careful but there was no after taste whatsoever.)

• VIOLET BUTTERCREAM
  
• Added sieved blueberry puree , till the desired color is achieved. 

So here goes:

1. violet - blueberry or blackberry puree.
2. pink  -  beetroot , strawberry or jam.
3. green - spinach puree.
4. yellow - turmeric.
5. violet - purple cabbage boiled in water and sieved
6. Teal - Purple cabbage boiled in water , sieved and add a pinch of soda powder

NOTES

• All the purees are sieved
• I like to use it in lemon flavored buttercream so that there won't be any aftertaste.
• The jam is added after the whole buttercream including the lukewarm water is added and whipped up.

ORANGE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1. Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup softened
2. Confections sugar - 1 and 1/2 cups
3. 1/8 tsp salt
4.  2 tbsp orange rind  with 2 Tbsp orange juice or 2 Tbsp grated frozen orange
5. 1/2 cup milk cooked with 1 Tbsp cornflour and 1/8 tsp salt , to  pudding like consistency 

METHOD

1. The same method as the basic buttercream icing.
2. Finally, add the orange rind. Add 1 tbsp. first .Taste and see , if required add the second Tbsp.

NOTES

• The orange rind adds nice color and flavor to the frosting.
• To grate the rind, freeze the oranges the day before , grate the outer skin of the oranges until the white is seen.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The juice can be squeezed from these zested oranges.
  
• More juice is obtained from frozen and thawed oranges.

SWEET POTATO BUTTERCREAM

1. 1/2 cup red sweeet potato cubed
2. 1/4 cup butter (next time 1/2 cup)
3. 1/3 cup sugar, powdered (measure it first and then powder it)
4. salt (start with 1/8 tsp)
5. 1/8 tsp orange essence
6. 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Method 

• Boil the sweet potato with 1/4 cup water till all the water evaporates. Let it cool. When its cool to handle, mash it using a fork and add it to the mixing bowl. 
• Then using the cake mixer, mix it thoroughly and add cubed butter as you mix. 
• When all the butter has been added, add the salt and powdered sugar. 
• Mix well again using the cake mixer and check for taste. Add more orange essence, lemon juice per taste. 
• Does the sweet potato taste pop up? Yes. We have been used to the buttercream taste. A slight change in taste will be detected but no one will know its sweet potato unless you tell them so. Masking the aftertaste is important and orange essence and lemon juice does a great job at that.