The Perfect Buttercream Frosting Recipe

You can’t have a cake or cupcakes without really good homemade frosting. A boxed cake mix can be fancied up and made better, but you can’t do anything about yucky store bought frosting. In my opinion, frosting makes the cake!

 
I’ve always made homemade frosting for my cupcakes and cakes and there has always been a small problem.  When I add the wet ingredients, the frosting breaks down a little bit.  FRUSTRATING!

So guess what!  I found the perfect way to make buttercream frosting without it breaking down or separating!

THERE IS A SECRET!

And here it is:  Add the wet ingredients to the butter before  adding the powdered sugar!!  YES, it works!!  I haven’t tried it with fruit yet, but I am assuming that it would work great adding strawberries, blueberries or raspberries too!  Adding wet ingredients to your frosting after the sugar has been added makes the sugar dissolve quickly.  Sugar is a wet ingredient because it turns into a liquid when mixed with other liquids.  Making the frosting this way, helps the sugar stay more solid so it won’t separate.  Does that make sense?  Hopefully!

The Perfect Buttercream Frosting:

-2 sticks of unsalted butter- softened
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-3 tablespoons milk
-about 2 cups powdered sugar
-pinch of salt (only if you use unsalted butter, do not add this pinch of salt if you are using salted butter)

Start out by beating the butter until smooth with a whisk attachment on your beater or stand mixer.  With the mixer still going on medium, add the vanilla and milk and whisk until smooth and incorporated.  Add a pinch of salt while the wet ingredients are mixing.  Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the powdered sugar a little at a time until smooth.  Add powdered sugar until you have reached the desired consistency.  Two cups is perfect for me.

 This should make enough frosting for as much cake or cupcakes that come from a box mix with a little left over for graham crackers!