by Jen L.
A lot of you will pass out when you read this next sentence. I am not a fan of traditional buttercream icing. I know, it's practically a sin. How could I be this southern and not like something with "butter" in the title? In my defense, if I mess with the traditional recipe a bit, I usually end up with something pretty delicious.
My family just returned from three -- count 'em, three -- weeks away visiting family. I couldn't wait to get back to my kitchen. I'd already planned to do some baking today, but my son hurried the process along. Around 9:30 a.m., he came to me and requested a vanilla cake with pink icing. Off to the kitchen I went.
I chose my traditional vanilla cake with pudding in the mix recipe and a bundt pan as my baking vessel. While that baked, my son and I got to work on the icing. Buttercream is easy. It's basically just butter and confectioner's sugar. My kitchen is a little more bare than usual, so I used one stick of unsalted and one stick of salted butter. It tasted fine in the finished product. To make this version, I used a 6-ounce container of fresh raspberries. We pureed them in the food processor, then I squished the pulp through a strainer to get rid of the seeds. (If you know about my texture issues, you won't be surprised that seeing nothing but seeds in the strainer almost made me hurl. Ahem.) My son tasted it halfway through the mixing process and declared, "It needs vanilla." He was so right. Next time, I may even sneak a little almond extract in there. The result is a very creamy, slightly tart icing that is the most beautiful shade of pink.
Here's the recipe, if you'd like to give it a try! I think it would be divine on a chocolate cake.
RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM ICING
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks at room temperature)
- 1 cup fresh (or thawed from frozen) raspberries
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
In a food processor, puree raspberries until fairly liquified. If desired, strain to eliminate the seeds. Place butter, half the sugar, and raspberry puree into a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until well-blended. Add the other half of the sugar and the vanilla extract. Increase speed to medium. Mix until very well-blended and slightly fluffy. The icing will have a different consistency due to the fruit juices. It will spread normally, though. Frost cooled cake and devour.
It's a little melty because SOMEONE couldn't wait for it to cool all the way!
In a food processor, puree raspberries until fairly liquified. If desired, strain to eliminate the seeds. Place butter, half the sugar, and raspberry puree into a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until well-blended.
Posted by: i found it here | December 04, 2012 at 02:09 AM