Mom’s Luscious Buttercream Frosting plus Sparkly Puff Cupcake Toppers

For Olivia’s birthday party, I wanted to both keep with the pink theme, and honor her love of all things strawberry.  We made a big batch of strawberry cupcakes (box mix substituting applesauce for half the oil).  Then I admit, I procrastinated, hoping Mum would make the frosting, and she did not let me down.

Her buttercream frosting is so luscious and scrumptious… I’m not a big frosting lover, but I’d eat this with a spoon.

For real, it’s that good.

I watched how she made it with hopes that I could duplicate it… and now I’m sharing her recipe with you.

Let the butter and cream cheese come up to room temperature before starting.  While you wait, sift the confectioner’s sugar to get rid of any lumps.

 

Once the butter and cream cheese is at room temperature and soft, beat it in the mixer on high until smooth and creamy.

 

Add in the vanilla and almond extracts, taking care to measure it perfectly… the almond extract is the “secret ingredient,” but too much will is overpowering.

 

Reduce the speed of your mixer, and add the confectioner’s sugar a cup or so at a time.  You’ll want to add the milk about half way through.  Continue mixing (you can increase the speed a touch) until the ingredients all come together and the frosting looks thick, but not stiff, and creamy but not runny. 

 

Be sure to do the finger test… you know, where you swipe a (clean) finger in the bowl to test it out… I mean, otherwise you won’t know if it’s perfect (trust me, it will be, but taste testing is the best part!)

 

This is my go-to recipe for frosting every time now – it’s lightly sweet and wonderfully creamy, and the flavor of the almond and vanilla extracts is just divine.  This frosting can elevate any box mix cupcake to a delectable treat – and the best part is that everyone will be raving about the frosting, so you don’t have to worry that the cake isn’t homemade!

 

And here’s a little bonus party tip for you:

 

If you’re looking for some quick and cute cupcake toppers, try using my Sparkly Puff Cupcake Toppers – also know as Easy Party Food Picks.  You can pick up the puffs at any craft place – or even Walmart.  You can make a couple dozen of them in a matter of 5 or 6 minutes using your hot glue gun and toothpicks.  Click the link above for the full tutorial.