Family Recipe Friday: Happy 8th Blogiversary to ME!

December 1, 2017, marks eight years of family history blogging for me.  The picture above is a close-up of the birthday cake from a picture I posted a few months back of my brother's 8th birthday.  The cake is homemade.

Growing up, my mother never got store-bought cakes for family birthdays.  She always made our cakes, albeit from a cake mix (usually Betty Crocker).  NEVER frosting from a can or a mix, though!  Here is the recipe she used, as best as I can remember (and adapted from Betty Crocker):

Birthday Cake Buttercream Frosting

• 4 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) of softened margarine (or butter, salted or unsalted.  We always had margarine growing up)
• 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla or other flavoring
• 1-2 tablespoons of milk

In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in 2 teaspoons of the vanilla or other flavoring, and 1 tablespoon of the milk.

Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. You can also add more vanilla or other flavoring to taste. 

Frosts 13x9-inch cake generously, or fills and frosts an 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake.

You can also add food coloring (with the milk), or for chocolate frosting, 3 oounces of unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled (with the vanilla).


© Amanda Pape - 2017 - click here to e-mail me.