What type of frosting to use for cupcakes?

Hello all. My daughter's 1st birthday is coming up in November and I am trying to decide what type of frosting to use to top cupcakes. My plan is to frost them before the party begins (maybe pipe it on ?) then have assorted "toppings" ( i.e. M&M's, coconut, sprinkles...) for guests to top their cupcakes.

I am making a butter yellow cupcake and then a chocolate cupcake. Any frosting favorites you would suggest? I have not made frosting in a LONG time and do not have a favorite to use. I am looking for a desirable presentation before decorating as they will be displayed on towering cake plates. Maybe a white frosting and a ganache-type frosting?

Also, any frosting tips? I am looking for the frosting to have nice heigth on the cupcake. Any specific pastry bag tip and technique you would recommend?
Any advice or recipes would be great!

Thank you!

Here's what I recommend:

1) For white frosting, use a simple confectioner's sugar and butter (with a little vanilla). You can find a recipe just about anywhere. Alternately, cream cheese frosting is always great - not just on carrot cake.

2) For chocolate, I advocate this recipe over ganache. It is simply more satisfying:

1/2 lb butter (two sticks)
4 oz Unsweetened chocolate
2 ounces Bittersweet chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound confectioner's sugar
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

Melt butter and chocolate together (note: take no shortcuts with the chocolate! Buy the best you can find). Allow to cool for 15 minutes
Add in confectioner's sugar and mix until smooth with NO LUMPS
Add in sour cream, vanilla, and salt (if desired). Do not overmix as it will lighten the color of the icing. Allow to cool completely before using.


I almost never use a pastry bag when icing cupcakes. I prefer to use a teeny tiny offset spatula for a smoother look. If you want to ice with a pastry bag, I'd recommend a large star tip, say, # 2 or an 11mm round tip (slightly less conventional). I like to use pastry bags and tips for garnishing cakes once they are iced...which you most certainly can do with cupcakes, too.

One thought: I have cupcake parties yearly, and what I do is bake assorted flavors of cakes and make two icings: chocolate and white. I then mix color into small batches of the white for 'drawing' - I make small pastry bags from parchment and cut a round tip. I put all kinds of garnishes on the table, from gold leaf and gold dragees to various colors of sugar and edible pearls. I allow guests to ice their own cupcakes - and most have a great time with it.

Queijo,
Thanks for your recipe and advice! I too love cupcakes but I am still a mere novice when it comes to making them.

Do you have a favorite buttercream recipe? The chocolate looks delicious! The trouble I have found with my homemade buttercream recipes is that they are greasy and leave a filmy aftertaste. I LOVE buttercream but have yet to find a good recipe. I have good luck with bakeries, I just can't seem to duplicate the frosting at home.

As far as cake goes...do you like a certain recipe overs others? I like a cupcake that is dense but not greasy and a rock..along though same lines....not too fluffy either.

I am contiplating using a box mix for the cakes (I can't believe I am saying that!!!) but if I could find a good recipe, I would prefer to make them from scratch. I figure I have enough time to test batters before November to work out all my techniques before the party.

Thanks for all your help.

This is a great cake recipes, and pairs incredibly well with the icing I shared in the previous post.

GRANDMA’S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Water 1 cup
Cocoa powder 1⁄2 cup
Bring water to boil. Sprinkle in cocoa and whisk until smooth. Cook until mixture thickens, about 1-2 minutes.


Blend in large container:

Buttermilk 1 cup
Vegetable oil 3⁄4 cup
Eggs 2
Vanilla extract 1 tsp.

Stir or combine together in large mixer bowl:

AP Flour 2 cups
Sugar 2 cups
Salt 1 tsp.
Baking soda 1 1⁄2 tsp.

Add liquids to dry ingredients. Mix medium speed 5 minutes, scrape. Mix another 2 minutes. Add cocoa mixture while machine is on low speed. Turn up to medium speed and mix another 4 minutes.

Pour into greased and parchmented 10” pan or prepared cupcake pans. Bake 350 F/ 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (I don’t use parchment, just grease and flour or cocoa. I usually make a layer cake.)

I also recommend Nick Malgieri's book Perfect Cakes. His recipes are simple (relatively) and produce consistently tasty cakes.

As far as buttercream goes, Malgieri has a very simple formula for Italian Buttercream - it will taste like butter, it is the nature of the beast. But it is a real quick and dirty recipe that produces consistently even buttercream. I believe the formula is 1 C sugar, 1/2 C Egg Whites, 12 oz Butter. Dissolve the sugar in the egg whites in a double boiler. make sure to whisk as the egg whites heat, as the protein will cook if it is not kept moving. When the mixture is hot (not warm) to the touch, remove from heat. Whip in stand mixer until it is cool. When cooled, add butter small piece by small piece. It will look like scrambled eggs. At this point you should probably switch to a paddle to avoid adding too much air to the icing. Whip until the mixture comes together and is smooth. There you go. Use only at room temp. If you refrigerate it, its texture will change. To re-emulsify, you will need to add a little heat...but that is something for another day. Nick Malgieri will explain all, I promise.

Hope this helps!

Hi,

I am noticing a trend where cakes and cupcakes are not entirely iced. I feel the icing helps keep the interior cake fresh.

When it comes to cupcakes, I prefer icing going to the edge of the paper liner. Now I see a decorative swirl in the center with lots of cake exposed. Unless you eat it quickly, it suggests a lot of dry cake.

What is your experience?

Regards,
Cathy2