Caramel Buttercream
Calories:
Ingredients
- 1 stick 4 ounces butter, melted
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 6-8 tablespoons whole milk or half and half cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean split in half and beans scraped out
- 1 stick butter softened
- 1 2- pound bag powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine melted butter, brown sugar and 4 tablespoons half and half in a large microwave-safe bowl. Stir well to combine.
- Place in microwave and cook on high power for 2-3 mintues or until mixture is furiously bubbling. Watch carefully to make sure it does not boil over.
- Remove from microwave and set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, place softened butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Start with mixer on low speed and mix for 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and mix for another minute or two. Add vanilla and cooled brown sugar/butter mixture and mix for 5 minutes. Add more half and half, as needed to make a smooth, creamy frosting.
Notes
Notes:
~ For the cupcakes pictured, I used a 1M Wilton piping tip. To pipe the swirls, place a portion of the icing in a piping bag, fitted with the 1M tip. Starting in the center, with tip perpendicular to the cupcake pipe icing in an outward concentric circle. When you've piped all the way to the edge, work your way back in with incresingly smaller circles till you're back at the center. Pull back slightly to finish. I promise I'll do a tutorial one day but in the meantime Our Best Bites has a great one. ~ If icing is difficult to pipe, you've probably not added enough half and half. Just return the icing to the mixing bowl and add a bit more half and half. Beat on medium speed till icing is smooth and creamy. Making the perfect buttercream is not an exact science. Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error. Believe me, I know!
~ For the cupcakes pictured, I used a 1M Wilton piping tip. To pipe the swirls, place a portion of the icing in a piping bag, fitted with the 1M tip. Starting in the center, with tip perpendicular to the cupcake pipe icing in an outward concentric circle. When you've piped all the way to the edge, work your way back in with incresingly smaller circles till you're back at the center. Pull back slightly to finish. I promise I'll do a tutorial one day but in the meantime Our Best Bites has a great one. ~ If icing is difficult to pipe, you've probably not added enough half and half. Just return the icing to the mixing bowl and add a bit more half and half. Beat on medium speed till icing is smooth and creamy. Making the perfect buttercream is not an exact science. Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error. Believe me, I know!