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.

So I’m thinking to myself, “I wonder if anyone’s made a red wine cake frosting.”  You have port wine at dessert, perhaps accompanied by some cookies.  Why can’t you mix your wine with your cake?

Naturally, you would think that a red wine cake frosting would combine well with a cream cheese frosting or a ricotta cake – a new take on the wine and cheese plate, perhaps.

But this red wine chocolate cake frosting recipe surprised us and knocked our socks off.   Twin Tables developed the recipe for Red Wine Rosemary Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Red Wine Chocolate Frosting.  The red wine and dark chocolate is a lovely combination, and made even more sophisticated by the addition of fresh herbs.

Here’s the fabulous frosting recipe.  Cake recipe and full instructions after the jump.

Red Wine Chocolate Frosting Recipe By Twin Tables

2 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
6 tablespoons dark chocolate cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons red wine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh sprigs of rosemary

To make the frosting, sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with the red wine. Blend in vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Frost the cooled cupcakes and top with fresh sprigs of rosemary in a fun design.

Twin Tables: Iron Cupcake – Round Two.

Fig frosting is one we don’t see very often.  Figs can be so sweet and concentrated, they’re more often used in cakes that are balanced with a mellow vanilla or cream cheese frosting.   So, we were excited to see the opposite: a butter cake with a fig frosting!  We think the butter cake recipe is great for tempering the rich figs.   You may also consider a fig-goat cheese frosting lightly drizzled with honey.

Fig Frosting Recipe

1 egg white, unbeaten
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 drop almond extract
1/3 cup chopped figs

Combine egg white, sugar, water, and lemon juice in top of double boiler, beating with mixer until well mixed. Place over rapidly boiling water, beating constantly, and cook for 4 minutes, or until frosting will stand in peaks. Remove from the boiling water and add lemon peel, almond extract, and figs. Beat until thick enough to spread. Frosts top and sides of an 8-inch square cake.

Butter Cake Recipe with Fig Frosting.

Frosting recipes rely upon fat to create flavor and texture.  As we see, there is enormous variety in the fats used in frosting recipes.  We seen cream cheese and whipped cream but also yogurt and avocados.  All of these contribute to a rich, delicious cake or cupcake frosting.

Two of the most common fats used to make frosting from scratch are butter and vegetable shortening.   Just like in pie crust recipes, bakers have very strong feelings about which one (or combination of the two) produce the best results.

The advantage of using butter in a frosting recipe  is its flavor.  Butter adds a rich, melt-in-your-mouth feeling to the frosting.  Using vegetable shortening can be preferable for its texture, because it makes for a lighter, fluffier frosting.  However, shortening is all fat (butter is around 80% fat) and not especially flavorful.

The solution?  We’re now trying a combination of butter and trans-fat free vegetable shortening (Smart Balance, Spectrum Organics and Crisco make it) to achieve the best frosting flavor and texture.  Ratio of each to be determined! We’ll let you know how it goes.

Behold a cinnamon cream cheese frosting on a pumpkin cupcake filled with nuts and spices.  This is a perfect fall holiday treat to bring to gatherings or have around for visitors.  It’s basically a cream cheese frosting with the addition of cinnamon, but along with the vanilla, it brings a nice warmth to the frosting.  Plus it’s a great balance with a sweet pumpkin or dark chocolate cake or cupcake.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting From Gimme Some Oven

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon

In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar and cinnamon, mixing well until it’s all incorporated.  Use immediately or refridgerate.  The frosting will harden in the fridge, so plan on bring it back to room temperature if you must refrigerate it before frosting the cupcakes.

Cupcake recipe and pics after the jump.

pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting | gimme some oven.