Growing up we had a family friend named Catherine who moonlighted as a special occasion cake decorator. And when I say moonlighted, I mean just that: she would spend many late nights putting the finishing touches on wedding cakes, cupcake towers and custom gingerbread houses. This was all, of course, after her three small children were tucked away in bed. Even then, I knew she was super woman. Forming a perfect buttercream rosette with one hand while signing a school permission slip with the other? Yeah, that’s pretty super.
Memories of those early days watching (and eating!) Catherine’s work came flooding back when I came across home cook Whitney Froehlich’s icing recipe on Just A Pinch entitled “The Absolute Best Buttercream Frosting… Ever!” That title is a bold statement, one that just begged for a taste-test. And thanks to my “training” with Catherine, I felt more than qualified to take on the challenge!
What the Kitchen Crew and I found in Whitney’s recipe is a creamy, flavorful, oh-so-buttery icing that is as easy to pipe onto a cake as it is to eat straight from the bowl.
“For years I have searched and searched and searched…and even did some more searching to find a frosting that was identical or almost identical to the frosting you taste from a bakery,” says Whitney. “And I finally found one! You have to try it.”
The icing isn’t only boldly named, it’s boldly flavored as well. Incorporating five different flavor extracts – vanilla, butter, almond, orange and lemon – each bite of cake offers a unique taste sensation that takes some time to figure out.
“Is that lemon I taste?”
“No, it’s definitely almond icing.”
“Nope, I taste orange!”
Guess what, you’re all right!
“I was tired of the same ole’ ‘butter, powdered sugar and vanilla’ type frosting,” chuckles Whitney in reference to her antidote to everyday icing. “This frosting can actually be a little expensive because it calls for 5 different extracts, but it’s so well worth it… especially if you’re really wanting that ‘wow factor.'”
And “wow” it does. We love piping it on to a freshly cooled classic yellow cake, but we also cannot wait to pair it up with our favorite fluffy lemon cake recipe. And can you imagine how the orange and almond flavors would pop on a dark chocolate cake?! Get creative and give it a try. This unique icing may just become the new classic…. and the best buttercream ever.