This is the Easiest Cupcake Frosting Recipe!
(I promise!)
I recently discovered that I love frosting cupcakes. I love piping the smooth butter cream on top of a cute confetti cupcake and topping it with sprinkles and decorations. There’s just something really fun and happy about seeing a tray full of beautifully frosted cupcakes.
I used to think I couldn’t do it. But then I developed this recipe (tweaked from one I got from a friend) And I have had great success!
A few tips before you get started frosting your cupcakes:
- I use gel food coloring only for my cupcakes. Your colors will be much more vibrant and successful.
- I pipe with a 1M Wilton’s frosting star tip. It looks like this:
- I fill my piping bag after opening it up in an empty cup. This helps keep it open and I have two hands to scrape the frosting from my kitchen aide bowl into the piping bag.
- Every time I make this the measurements aren’t the same. I am not a perfect baker. So If you need more powdered sugar you need more powdered sugar. Just go with it.
- A wise friend taught me that I should freeze my cupcakes before frosting them. And so that’s what I do. It always works really well for me.
Let’s Make Your Cupcake Frosting!
Let’s be real here, I may make and frost my own cupcakes but I use a cake mix from a box. There’s no shame in that. But I will just say, make your favorite cupcake recipe. And leave it at that.
After making and freezing your cupcakes, you will make your frosting.
Cupcake Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 pound bag of powdered sugar
- 1 stick of softened butter (NOT MELTED!)
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- food coloring of choice
In your mixer bowl cream your butter completely until it’s light and fluffy. Add your heavy cream to the butter and mix until combined and fluffy. Next you will add in your vanilla and combine. Now I add in that whole bag of powdered sugar (for 24 cupcakes) and I slowly start combining. It is always good to start too DRY than too wet. So if you can tell you will need more moisture you can add in a little cream at at a time. You will want a smooth, fluffy texture but stiff enough to stand up when you pipe it.
Once you are done mixing it you will fill your prepared piping bag. (Make sure you’ve added your tip to the bag first). I do this opening my piping bag up in to a cup and rolling the edges over. That way I can use both my hands to hold and scrape frosting in to my bag.
How to Frost your Cupcakes
Starting from the outside and working your way in to the center squeeze your piping bag and make a continuous circle motion as you work your way to the center. Layering as you go! Pretty soon you will have a perfect fluffy cloud on top of your cupcake!
I love to add embellishments and fun sprinkles! I keep mine in the fridge until I serve them! I can’t wait to see how you decorate yours!
-Em
For more birthday party ideas check out this post!
