NER: Scared to make frosting

jenniloveselvis

My work puts on this huge annual pot luck lunch, which is a week from today. My department has been assigned desserts. For weeks I've been thinking about it and decided to go with a Martha Stewart recipe for a Maple Layer Cake with Maple Buttercream frosting that I found through Gtown's blog. Here's the thing - I've never made frosting and I am scared. I don't even own an electic mixer (I know you're horrified). I'm rectifying that this week. I think I just need the much more able foodies to talk me off the ledge.

In case you're wondering, here are the recipes:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/maple-buttercream-frosting?lnc=46992798cf2ee010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=recipecontent_food

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/maple-buttercream-frosting?lnc=46992798cf2ee010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=recipecontent_food

If I chicken out I am thinking maybe this might be an alternative:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pound-cake-with-maple-glaze?autonomy_kw=Maple%20Cake&rsc=header_2

and if I really chicken out there's always my tried and true rum cake.

 

Brookles

No electric mixer? Blasphemy!

Making frosting is actually really easy. Basically you just dump all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them up. Sometimes you have to fiddle with the ingredients -- I find that often the amount of confectioner's sugar is a little off.

jenniloveselvis

Brookles:

Sometimes you have to fiddle with the ingredients -- I find that often the amount of confectioner's sugar is a little off.

off how? Too much, too little?

Katie_F

You'll know it when you taste it. ?Just add it little by little until it tastes right to you.

?

jlaj617

jenniloveselvis:

Brookles:

Sometimes you have to fiddle with the ingredients -- I find that often the amount of confectioner's sugar is a little off.

off how? Too much, too little?

I just made my first cake and frosting my scratch this weekend and it turned out ok.  The cake tastes way better than it looks, lol.  Anyways, as far as the frosting goes, just add sugar slowly until you like the taste.  My biggest mistake was to dump everything in.  I realized that I made the frosting way too sweet.  ::le sigh::

Check out my dessert blog if you want to see what the cake looked like. 

WinesNotWhines

I'm glad I inspired you.   That maple buttercream recipe is very easy to make. If you follow the recipe exactly, and refer to the photos on my blog, I think you'll be fine! You do need an electric mixer though. It doesn't necessarily have to be a stand mixer, but you at least need a hand-held one.

There's no sugar in that frosting, just the maple syrup, and I think the amount in the recipe is perfect.

Elizabeth81

IMO, frosting is easier to make than cake. You can do it.

jenniloveselvis

gtown_bride:

If you follow the recipe exactly, and refer to the photos on my blog, I think you'll be fine!

LOL - I can just picture the unhappy look on DH's face as I have the laptop in my kitchen with your blog up. He's a little tech crazy. If I use the older one maybe it won't be as bad.

talltalltrees

Frosting is super easy to make BUT it is REALLY hard to make without a mixer. Trust me, I did it once and it took like an hour just to mix it up and my hands were all red and sore at the end. Get a mixer.?

Sibil

Go to target and get a $15 hand mixer. ?You don't need a fancy stand mixer, especially for something like frosting. ?It should take you 5 minutes to make, 10 minutes tops.