The Icing on the Cake

Today I am going to give you three awesome icing recipes that will take you through decorating without ever having to question which icing to use for any flavor that you may want.
1. Basic Butter cream
2. Chocolate fudge
3. Cream cheese

With these three icings you can change these into a multitude of flavors with a little help of extracts.

Basic butter cream: Vanilla, Lemon, Orange, Hazelnut, Almond, Strawberry, Coconut
Chocolate Fudge: Fudge amaretto, Chocolate hazelnut, Mocha, Chocolate raspberry
Cream cheese: Lemon, strawberry, almond, orange, Irish cream,

The varieties are endless as you can see. This is just the list off the top of my head.

So this is all you need. But remember as I always say. Measurement is everything. If you want the perfect consistency every time. Measure, measure, measure! You can cook by a dash of this and a pinch of this. But baking is a science. You can't just throw what you want into a cake or an icing and expect it to be perfect. You have to be precise.
Each one of these recipes is enough to ice an 8 or 9 inch cake with a shell boarder top and bottom.

BUTTER CREAM

2 pounds of 10 x powder sugar
2 sticks of butter (room temperature)
1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1/2 ts. salt
4 tbs. milk
1 ts. vanilla
For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and add 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.

Directions:
*Mix together milk, extract and salt. Stir well so that the salt dissolves.
*In medium mixer bowl: Cream butter, then shortening until it is fluffy.
*Gradually in a stream add the milk mixture. Mix well until it is completely incorporated.
ON MEDIUM SPEED: Now start putting in the sugar, one scoop at a time. Be sure that it is well blended before you add the next. With your spatula keep turning it up from the bottom so that is is blended. DO NOT USE THE FROSTING SPEED ON YOUR MIXER. YOU WILL GET TOO MANY BUBBLES IN YOUR ICING.



Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

* 2 sticks butter, softened
* 2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
* 2 lbs powdered sugar
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1 1/2 ts vanilla



Directions:
*Mix together milk, extract and salt. Stir well so that the salt dissolves.
*In medium mixer bowl: Cream butter, then cream cheese until it is fluffy.
*Gradually in a stream add the milk mixture. Mix well until it is completely incorporated.
ON MEDIUM SPEED: Now start putting in the sugar, one scoop at a time. Be sure that it is well blended before you add the next. With your spatula keep turning it up from the bottom so that is is blended. DO NOT USE THE FROSTING SPEED ON YOUR MIXER. YOU WILL GET TOO MANY BUBBLES IN YOUR ICING.

NOTE: Do not use light cream cheese or butter substitute. If margarine is used, icing will be softer.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE ICING


Ingredients:

* 2 sticks of butter
* 1 cup of shortening
* 1 1/3 cup cocoa
* 2 lbs of powdered sugar
* 2/3 cup milk
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

*Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
*Add cocoa and heat just until mixture begins to boil, stirring constantly until smooth.
*Pour into mixer bowl.
*Cool
*Now add shortening and cream until smooth.
*Alternately add confectioners' sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. *Blend in vanilla.