Fluffy Frosting

Here's the recipe I use: A brick, a stick, a box and a spoon.

1 brick of cream cheese (8 oz) - Philly works the best
1 stick unsalted butter (4 oz)
1 box powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon of vanilla

Combine butter and cream cheese in mixer. Mix at fairly high speed until they are combined. Add vanilla and mix. Slowly add powdered sugar until the whole box has gone in. Continue mixing at high speed for 4-5 more minutes to incorporate more air (fluffier icing). You can add food coloring after the sugar is all mixed in.

Kymster

I remember finding a great recipe for Cool Whip frosting somewhere. You might even find it on the lid of the Cool Whip or on the web. It is fluffy and very yummy!

I like this frosting because it always stays smooth and soft to the tastbuds- it never gets that "crust" and it's very yummy too.
I use it for most of my cakes.

Gail's no crust buttercream
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Mix at lowest speed until very fluid:
1 C melted butter
2 C crisco

(if chocolate is desired mix in 5 - 1 ounce squares of melted unsweetend chocolate and 1 teaspoon chocolate extract)

Add the following,and mix at lowest speed, scraping bowl constantly:
1 teaspoon vanilla or, 1 teaspoon almond extract
2 boxes powdered sugar, sifted if any clumps.

Keep mixing, be patient. You can make this a day ahead. Cover tightly. rebeat it before using.

The key to grocery store looking cupcakes is using the big wilton decorator tube. It usually comes with 4 or 5 big tips on it. Micheals craft store should carry it(that's where I got mine ), and maybe richards crafts. Maybe walmart. These decorator tubes are EASY to use, and give that swirl to the top. Start at the outside edge , moving more inward upon each rotation, fishing in the center of the cupcake. Sprinkle on candies immediately after frosting- before the frosting is dry.

* one thing i like to do with frosting cupcakes, is put a darker color in one side of the tube and a lighter tint of the same color in the other side. The frosting comes out two toned- very cool effect. Looks pretty with dark blue and light blue.

* make a to- die- for cupcake by adding an extra 1/4-1/2 cup of oil to the cake mix batter. Oh, so bad for you.. but OH so moist.

My favorite chocolate black russian cake
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(might not be the bomb for a kid but the adults do seem to like it alot)

1 Box dark choc cake mix
1 3 oz box instant choc pudding
1/2 c oil + 1 T
1 T coaco
3/4 c cooled brewed coffee
4 eggs
1/2 c cream de coaco
1/4 c kalhua
Any alcohol will bake out but the flavor will still be there)
add choc chips if desired (toss them in flour before FOLDING into batter- it will keep them from sinking)

personally, I find frosting too icky-gooey-sweet for my taste and I much prefer sweetened whipped cream - fortunately my kids prefer it too, and it's sooo much simpler than making frosting. I get a pint of heavy cream, pour into chilled bowl, add about 1 tsp vanilla extract and a couple Tbsp. of powdered sugar, and go at it with the whisk attachment of my immersion blender until it's the right consistency. spread a thin layer on the cakes/cupcakes, then load the rest into a pastry bag and pipe to your heart's content :-)

Google "Italian Buttercream". It will be a lot easier than me trying to explain it to you.

It's a bit complex, but light, fluffy, and not super sweet. It also has enough structure to hold up, unlike whipped cream. The powdered sugar buttercreams have a lot more sugar and are dense, and no bakery would use them. I have a degree in culinary arts, and have learned the ins and outs of commercial baking. However, the others are easier, and when there's a toddler, easy is good. Good luck!
~S.

Hi I.,
I am by no means an expert or anything but my trick is to use store bought frosting. Put it in a bowl, add a lil milk & beat with mixer. It will make it much more fluffy & thin it out a lil so it is easier to work with. I know the mom's here will probably have some wonderful reciepes for you but I have NEVER been able to master frosting, no matter the reciepe mine always sucks!!!
So this is my fix. I even saw one of the food network hosts doing the same, that's where I got the idea. They said store bought is usually TOO thick to use, makes the cake come apart, so this was what they did "in a pinch".
I recently had a cupcake cake for a party. Where you use the cupcakes to form a cake, then frost them together, to look like a whole cake. Ours was a Halloween Pumpkin, it was great!! We had teen's, so I didn't need plates & forks etc, they just grabbed a cupcake....
Good Luck, I'm sure your party will be great!!

go to smart-n-final and go to the freezer section, they have a frozen package of whipped topping but it is also already sweetened so you don't have to add any sugar like you would heavy cream. So you thaw it out, and whip it up. I can't remember the name of it, but I am sure that you will know it when you see it. It is in a carton like a quart of milk would come in.....good luck!

When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

I am actually making "sweet 16" cupcakes for my daughter right now!! I love to use "Pastry Pride" there is a buttercream or whipped cream frosting. I always get it at Smart and Final, in the back - freezer section, but I know there are other places to get it. You just mix it until it fluffs up. It is white (They also have a yummy chocolate) so you can make it any color you want! It is really easy! Good Luck

I.,
There is some stuff that wal mart sells in their crafts dept that adds to the stiffness of the frosting which would allow you to make them really high and fluffy. I can't for the life of me remember what it is called though-sorry.
W.

I like to mix whip cream with frosting. It makes it a little lighter and not so sugar sweet tasting. Hope this is useful. Good luck

Alton Brown did a whole show on cupcakes, including details on frosting. If you have 20 minutes, go to YouTube and search for good eats cupcakes. You be much amused and might learns something useful.
L.

Hi I.-
Alot of places use lard to fluff up the frosting. Personally, I have never been able to stomach cooking with it myself, so I make my own frosting.
There are two that I reccommed that are light and pretty.
One is a crusting cream cheese frosting
and the other is a cool whip frosting (with sour cream). It's not as sweet, but they both taste fantastic.
I am attaching the links below- I always just google a recipe when I want it.
Happy Cooking!
-E.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Crusting-Cream-Cheese-IcingFros...
I reccommed NOT adding the butter, but using a butter flavored shortening. Then, if it is too firm, add the butter in quarters. But not the whole thing until it is the consistency you want.

http://www.familyoven.com/offsite?r_id=165398&u=http:...
This one does not have sour cream, but is nice and fluffy

2/3 cup Sour Cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
MIX sour cream and powdered sugar in medium bowl until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping.
http://www.mamapedia.com/article/whip-cream-icing-recipe

Good luck and happy frosting!

I think the key is to use a piping bag (or ziploc bag with the corner cut off of it) to add the frosting rather than spreading it on.

The sweetened whipped cream idea sounds yummy and would certainly be light and fluffy!

Happy birthday to your 4 year old.

They have this new frosting in a can that already has the star tip on it. Its amazingly easy to use. They have it with the regular frosting in the baking aisle at Raley's. All you have to do is do a circle on the cupcake and it looks awesome. Then, of course, put some sprinkles on it! I did it for my roommate's son's birthday at school, and it worked amazingly!

Make whipped cream cream cheese frosting! Easy to find a recipe on-line, and it whips up like a dream. It will not make your cupcakes crumble at ALL. It's delish for kids of all ages! Enjoy!

Yes, definitely whip it for a few minutes and pipe it from a ziploc bag with the corner cut of. I cut about a quarter inch of the tip off which gives me a hole a about the size of a dime. Pipe in a spiral motion from the outside in. They will be beautiful!

my favorite frosting is Seven Minute Frosting. It's fantastic but does require a double boiler (which is one pot resting on top of another.

2 unbeaten egg whites
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp light corn syrup or 1/4 tsp crm of tarar
1/3 cup Cold water
Dash Salt
1 tsp vanilla

Place all ingredients (except vanilla) in top of double broiler (not on heat); beat for 1 minute with electric mixer. Place over, but not touch, boiling water and cook, beating constantly, till frosting forms stiff peaks, about 7 minutes. Remove from boiling water. Add vanilla and beat till spreading consistency, about 2 minutes. Frosts 2 dozen cupcakes.

Good-luck.

I use the recipe on the back of the powdered sugar box for buttercream frosting. It's just milk, vanilla, powdered sugar and butter. Use a handheld mixer and mix all the ingredients and add small amounts of milk until you get the desired consistency. It's delicious!

Use a buttercream frosting recipe and pipe it on with a number 17 (or 1m, they are the same) tip. Go to youtube and you can watch videos on how to pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Good luck!

The basic fluffy frosting is made with butter (some use shortening), milk, confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar with cornstarch), food coloring, and flavoring. You combine them in a mixer and beat until fluffy. For the exact proportions, look at the sugar manufacturer's website, then reduce the amount of sugar and add cornstarch to firm it up (so sweet it gave me a headache, and I like sweet). You can make pretty much any flavor, my favorite was adding cinnamon to chocolate for Mexican hot chocolate frosting. Orange juice, vanilla extract, lemon juice, any liquors (though not for children) can all be used. Adding heavy whipping cream in place of milk will add to the richness. It is extremely easy to make.