BUTTERCREAM ICING

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
1 cup (240 g) butter (Wooden Spoon margarine for pure white icing)
8 cups (1 kg) icing sugar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla
4 – 6 tablespoons (60 – 90 ml) milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until fluffy.
Add half of the icing sugar and slowly continue to mix.
With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla and half of the milk. Mix until no clumps remain.
Add the rest of the icing sugar, but do not add any more milk until the icing sugar begins to mix together more completely.
Add one or two more tablespoons of milk until desired consistency is reached. (You will want a thinner buttercream for spreading onto cakes, and a thicker one for piping flowers, or borders.)
Use immediately or store in a sealed container for 2 – 3 days in the fridge. If you are storing the buttercream in the fridge, allow it to come to room temperature and remix it briefly before using.
Credits: Jenn Johns

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
1 cup (240 g) butter
8 cups (2 kg) icing sugar
⅔ cup (70 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla
6 – 8 tablespoons (60 – 90 ml) milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until fluffy.
Add half of the icing sugar and cocoa powder and slowly mix. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla and 5 tablespoons of the milk. Mix until no clumps remain.
Add the rest of the icing sugar and 2 – 3 more tablespoons of milk until desired consistency is reached. (You will want a thinner buttercream for spreading onto cakes, and a thicker one for piping flowers, or borders.)
Use immediately or store in a sealed container for 2 – 3 days in the fridge. If you are storing the buttercream in the fridge, allow it to come to room temperature and remix it briefly before using.
Credits: Jenn Johns

MARSHMELLOW BUTTERCREAM
2 cup butter, softened
2 ½ cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
14 ounces (397 g) marshmallow fluff /cream (or one jar)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter until soft and fluffy.
Add icing sugar and mix until smooth.
Mix in the almond extract.
Add marshmallow fluff and mix until buttercream is completely smooth.
If you want to colour the buttercream, add in desired colour at this point and continue to mix until colour is incorporated.
Buttercream can be used immediately or stored in a sealed container for 2 – 3 days.
Allow the buttercream to come to room temperature before trying to work with it when removing from the fridge.
Credits: Jenn Johns

BLACK VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
230 g unsalted softened butter
500 g icing sugar
2 – 3 tablespoons boiling water
½ to 1 teaspoon Sugarflair Black Extra

Cut the block of butter into 3 and put it into a microwavable tub. Take a heaped ½ teaspoon of Sugarflair Black Extra and sit it on the top – do not mix it in. Put it like this into the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. When you open the microwave there should be smoke coming off the colouring.
Mix in the colour into what’s melted as best you can and put it back in again until the butter has fully melted. The colour should be jet black at this point.
Put ice into a larger bowl or saucepan about ¼ full. Then add some water to come just above the ice. Put your mixture into a jug with a handle if you have one and put the jug into the iced water with the handle over the edge to stop it from falling in.
Keep stirring the buttercream, the heat separated it, so you need to mix it back in together. Get all around the edges and bottom as it will be going hard from the cold. When the mixture can sit on top of itself it is stiff enough and you can put it into the mixer to whip for 3 minutes on high.
It will be lighter but don’t worry. Add the icing sugar in 3 lots and mix on slow. The last lot may be stiffer so add the vanilla and boiling water (must be boiling) at this point. Once you are happy with the consistency, leave it in the fridge until morning, when it should be jet black.
Credits: JINNYS Cake Tutorials and Recipes

Photo: Heibre Schronen