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This no fail buttercream icing tastes good and is hard to mess up. I love baking but sometimes simple decorating alludes me. Let’s face it, I am no Martha Stewart. Buttercream seems to be my biggest issue. It is either to stiff, not stiff enough or doesn’t taste good. The amount of sugar you have to use can make it taste super sweet. Another issue is sometimes your buttercream can have an off taste. The whole process makes me dizzy.

I found an awesome Wilton Buttercream recipe and tweaked it. The result? Perfect buttercream every single time! Now I can swirl, doodle and flower with the best of them. I even was able to make those super cute cupcakes above and they had perfect swirls. The little eyes and legs were also from Wilton. Aren’t they just the cutest? And totally silly too!

Some tips for No Fail Buttercream Icing:

1. I cream my butter and shortening really well. Almost to the point of over creaming. This gives the amount of volume needed for the buttercream.
2. Add your sugar one cup at a time and beat for at least 3 minutes before adding another cup.
3. I use whipping cream instead of milk and I only use one tablespoon. I found two makes it softer and even after adding more sugar it won’t be a good consistency.
4. Make one batch at a time even if you are going to make a lot of cupcakes. I found doubling the recipe throws it off.
5. Use only color pastes when coloring your icing. Food coloring makes it runny. If you are in a bind I found adding a little corn starch to food coloring works in a pinch, but be careful. The cornstarch can really affect the taste.
6. When adding the buttercream to the bag only fill it about 1/2 way. The warmth of your hands can cause the buttercream to start “melting” and it won’t hold as well. This is especially important when making the famous Wilton Rose. I actually only fill it enough to make one rose at a time. Also, if you are just learning how to make the rose I found that a hershey kiss is a great starter. You can make the rose around the kiss and it helps get the technique down before making one completely of icing.
7. Last but not least, if you are not going to use your icing right away, stick it in the fridge. It does have a little milk in it so it is better safe than sorry. When you are ready to use it, let it rest until room temperature. Just be advised you may have to add a little more powder sugar before you can use it. Also, cover it with a damp cloth as you use it, this keeps it from drying out.

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