MAKES: 12 servings TESTED BY: Juli H.

Butter Frosting

TASTING COMMENTS:

Always do a crumb coat—a very thin layer of frosting over the entire cake that you let dry before frosting more thickly—to prevent crumbs in your frosting and tears in your cake layers.—JH

start to finish 20 minutes

1. In an extra-large bowl beat butter with a mixer on medium until smooth. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the ⅓ cup milk and the vanilla. Gradually beat in remaining powdered sugar. Beat in enough additional milk to reach spreading consistency. If desired, tint with food coloring. (This frosts the tops and sides of two 8- or 9-inch layers. Halve the recipe to frost a 13×9-inch cake.)

Per serving 401 cal., 12 g fat (7 g sat. fat), 31 mg chol., 85 mg sodium, 76 g carb., 0 g fiber, 74 g sugars, 0 g pro.

Citrus Substitute lemon or orange juice for the milk; add ½ tsp. lemon or orange zest. Top frosted cake with additional zest.

Dark Chocolate Substitute ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder for ½ cup of the powdered sugar.

Coffee Add 1 Tbsp. instant espresso coffee powder or instant coffee crystals or substitute strong brewed coffee for the milk. Top frosted cake with chocolate-covered coffee beans.

Peppermint Substitute ½ tsp. peppermint extract for the vanilla; if desired, tint pink with red food coloring. Sprinkle top of frosted cake with crushed peppermint candies; press additional candies on sides of cake.

Almond Substitute ½ tsp. almond extract for the vanilla. Top frosted cake with toasted sliced almonds.

Milk Chocolate Melt 1 cup milk chocolate baking pieces and beat into the butter before adding powdered sugar. Top frosted cake with chocolate curls.

Peanut Butter Beat ½ cup peanut butter into butter before adding powdered sugar. Top frosted cake with chopped peanuts.

Strawberry Beat ⅓ cup strawberry jam into butter before adding powdered sugar. Top frosted cake with fresh strawberries.

TESTING NOTES

1. Place the first cake layer on a pedestal or cake plate. If necessary, use a serrated knife to trim the rounded surface off the cake layer so it sits flat (see below). For quick cleanup, tuck small pieces of waxed paper around and under the cake. Spread ½ cup frosting evenly over surface to ¼ inch of the edge.

2. Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Trim surface of cake if desired. Center the cake, aligning the edges of the layers.

3. Spread a very thin coat of frosting over the entire cake to seal in crumbs and fill in imperfections. Allow the crumb coat to dry before finishing frosting the cake. Using the thin metal spatula, frost cake with the remaining frosting. Push the frosting onto the sides of the cake without moving the spatula back and forth.

finish it!

STRIPES Using a straight metal spatula and starting at the base of the cake, pull the spatula straight up toward the top of the cake. Repeat until you’ve covered the entire cake.

roses Place your remaining frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe rose circles around the cake. You can decide how large or small and how closely spaced they are.

petals Place your remaining frosting in a pastry bag fitted with an open tip or transfer frosting to a gallon resealable plastisc bag and cut off a corner. Pipe three dots of frosting of similar size in a row from top to bottom. Using a rounded knife or thin metal spatula, place the tip in the center of the frosting dot and pull the frosting horizontally to one side; repeat.

filling flavors Add a little flavor surprise to your layer cake. Instead of using frosting between the two cake layers, spread approximately ½  to ⅔ cup jam or preserves; lemon, orange, or lime curd; or chocolate-hazelnut spread.

frosting tools Two of the best tools to have are a thin straight or offset metal spatula and a long serrated knife. The thin metal spatula comes in many sizes; if you don’t feel like a pro, choose a smaller spatula. A LONG serrated knife is best for making cake layers even and trimming when necessary.