Just a simple basic recipe today.
Do you sometimes forget how to make something? I did earlier today when I forgot how to make a simple basic buttercream icing for my Mum’s Mother’s Day cake. So I’ve decided to post my go to recipe for it on here, in case I ever need to remind myself again, and can’t, for the live of me, remember which bloody book it’s in. Did I mention I have over three hundred cookbooks? Also, just because I am on a weight loss regime, it doesn’t mean I can’t still bake for my loved ones.
For the cake in the picture I used my recipe for vanilla buttermilk cake, and some good apricot jam. Mum loved it, some of it has now gone to her friend, some to my aunt and uncle, and the rest is in a box in the kitchen.
Basic Vanilla Buttercream – adapted from Bake by Rachel Allen – makes enough to fill a 20cm two layer cake
100g butter, softened (see the note below if you forget to get the butter out the night before)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste/extract
200g icing sugar
1 tbsp milk
Simply place the butter in a mixing bowl with the vanilla and, using an electric hand mixer, beat it until creamy. Or use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Gradually sift in the icing sugar and beat in on a low speed, you don’t need a volcanic cloud of icing sugar all over your kitchen.
Finally, on the highest speed, beat in the milk until light and fluffy. Its now ready to use.
Note: If you ever forget to get the butter out the night before, just weigh out the amount you need, place in a microwave safe bowl, give it about 20 seconds, then give it another twenty seconds or so. And voila, room temperature butter. These timings worked in my 700 wattage microwave, obviously adjust them to your microwave if a different wattage.
Do you like these individual component recipe posts? Shall I keep doing them?
Jack Knight Cooks 