Frosting Recipes

We were thinking about our pink frosting options for Valentine’s Day cake frosting.  On one hand, we’re cool with natural colorings like beet juice to pinkify a vanilla frosting.  But we decided on a grenadine frosting for both its color and flavor. Grenadine is a syrup traditionally made from pomegranate juice.  Not only does grenadine add a sweet, red tinge to cocktails, it can also be added to frosting recipes.

You can make your own grenadine by simmering pomegranate juice until it thickens and then adding granulated sugar.  This is a more pure alternative than many commercially available grenadine products that have high fructose corn syrup; some don’t even list pomegranate juice as an ingredient.

You may add 2 tablespoons of grenadine to a buttercream recipe, or add 2-3 tablespoons of grenadine to a cream cheese frosting recipe. It’s tastier and has a more natural look than many food colorings.

Here’s one cream cheese version of grenadine frosting from the Food Network served on rose petal cupcakes.  A perfect Valentine’s day treat!

Pink Cream Cheese Grenadine Cake Frosting Recipe

1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons grenadine

Put the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a mixer and, using the paddle attachment on high, beat until the two are incorporated. Add the sugar and beat one minute more. Add the vanilla and grenadine and beat until a uniform pink. Refrigerate until ready to use. Let come to room temperature before using.

Black forest cake originated in southern Germany in the early 20th century.  Traditionally, it was enjoyed in the summer, probably because the tender Schmidt cherries used in the recipe ripen in July.

The easiest part of making a black forest cake is the frosting recipe. It’s a flexible recipe so some substitutions aren’t a problem.

Easy Black Forest Cake Frosting Recipe

3 1/4 c heavy cream
3/4 c milk
2/3 c confectioner’s sugar
2 t vanilla sugar*
2 dozen brandy-soaked cherries (non-brandy-soaked is also fine)
3 c chocolate shavings

Whip together cream, milk, confectioner’s sugar and vanilla sugar until fluffy.  Cover each layer of a three layer cake with 1/4 of the cream and a dozen cherries. Cover the sides of the cake with remaining cream.  Decorate entire cake with chocolate shavings.
*optional but tasty. Visit Baking Bites to see how it’s made.

Traditional southern pecan pralines get their toasty sweetness from chopped pecans and brown sugar.  This classic candy was originally made by hand in a copper kettle.  The best pralines balance the taste of brown sugar and milk fat, along with a chewy and sometimes tooth-pulling crunch. Its vanilla and caramel undertones make this a much-loved treat.

We went searching for a pecan praline frosting recipe, one that is like a traditional praline, just in frosting form for cakes or cupcakes.  This recipe from Recipezaar is the best example of how this a favorite southern confection becomes the perfect frosting for a chocolate fudge cake. A bourbon glaze or whipped cream would be a nice compliment, as would a garnish of a pecan praline.

Pecan Praline Frosting Recipe

1/4 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/3 cup whipping cream

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

• Combine the butter, brown sugar and whipping cream in a 2 quart saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring often.
• Boil 1 min; remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla.
• Add the pecans and stir gently for 2-5 minutes, or until the frosting begins to cool and thicken slightly.
• Pour immediately over the cake.

(Do yourself a favor and don’t look at the nutrition facts for this recipe).

Full cake recipe for the accompanying New Orleans Double Chocolate Fudge Cake found here.

This Oreo Cookie Buttercream Frosting Recipe is sure to delight anyone who encounters it.  My Food Affair based her Oreo frosting recipe on a buttercream frosting recipe by Nick Malgieri, a world renowned pastry chef who happens to run the baking program at the culinary school I attended.  So it must be good, right?

Solid vegetable shortening can be substituted for a portion of the butter if you feel like the frosting is going to be too heavy.  However, this Oreo icing recipe looks delicious as is, so we probably wouldn’t mess with it.  It may be destined to top a dark chocolate cake or cupcakes, but if you’re feeling a bit wild, a banana cake would be scrumptious as well.

From myfoodaffair.blogspot.com
Oreo buttercream frosting (see note)
adapted from Nick Malgieri’s Perfect Cakes

2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
12 tbsp of unsalted butter, softened
6 oreo cookies, crushed
6 oreo cookies, halved for decoration (optional)

1. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot (approximately 160 degrees).

2. Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Dissolve the instant coffee in the liquor and beat into the buttercream.

Note:
This recipe barely made enough for 12 cupcakes. As you can see, there’s not a lot of frosting on the cupcakes. If you are a frosting person, you might want to double the recipe. Frosting is normally not my favorite part, so this was just enough for me.

Oreo buttercream frosting | My Food Affair.

A lot of hazelnut frosting recipes include nut liqueurs like Frangelico or hazelnut paste, both of which are tasty, but not always kid-friendly.  Another option when making a nut frosting like hazelnut is to use a hazelnut spread.  You may already know of Nutella, a cocoa-hazelnut spread that originated in Italy.    It makes a fabulous choco-hazelnut frosting, but the hazelnut flavor can be overwhelmed by the sweetness.   Another option, suggested by Iwaruna.com, is using a hazelnut praline spread.

Looking for hazelnut butter or hazelnut praline spread?  You’ll find it at specialty grocery stores near the peanut butter.

Hazelnut Praline Frosting Recipe From Iwaruna.com

Ingredients

* 1 cup hazelnut praline spread; this was the approximate amount from 1 jar of the Matíz brand, which weighed 9.8 ounces (280 grams).
* 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
* 1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
* a pinch of salt
* 6 ounces confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Method

1. Over low heat in a sauce pan, stir the hazelnut praline spread, butter, 1/2 cup of cream and salt until melted and free of lumps. Pour into a food processor.
2. Add the confectioner’s sugar to the food processor, then whirl until smooth. If you notice oil still separating out from the mixture, add more confectioner’s sugar. I also added another 1/4 cup of cream so that it wouldn’t be too stiff to spread, but add more if you want a softer frosting. It does firm up more as it cools.
3. Spread over layers of cake, or cupcakes.

Iwaruna.com » Hazelnut frosting made from praline spread.