2/7/09

Frosting perfection...anyone? Anyone?


Landy me. I never blog anymore. Not sure why. I've also stopped commenting. Still have no idea why, as I still read all the blogs, and I totally love all the blogs...Alas, I have no excuse for my poor blogging habits. I still believe everything works in cycles, and my blogging cycle is off rolling around in some meadow.

So, I love to bake. I like to pick something and then perfect it. I am currently obsessed with perfecting my frosting. Right now, I would say my frosting is probably better than average, but I am not looking for average...perfection is my goal. Right now my biggest problem is that it is not as light and fluffy as I would like. There is a bakery near by whose frosting reaches the pinnacle of perfection. They use a butter cream frosting, which is the kind I prefer.

Anyway, for the two of you who happen to stop by, if you happen to know of any frosting tips or recipes, I would greatly appreciate them.

On a completely other tangent, whenever we get home, Gracie quickly changes out of her jeans into her "comfy" pants. Dear me. I hate how my bad habits get absorbed so quickly.


5 comments:

  1. yeah! welcome back! I love that Gracie changes into comfy pants when she gets home . . . I do too!

    As for frosting. I don't have any specific tips but I will warn you about comparing the look (as opposed to the taste) to anything from a bakery. Those places usually cheat and use shortening which makes the frosting stiffer and easier to work with but I believe takes away from the taste. I'm a believer in pure butter butter cream frosting. Meaning, a simple mix of powdered sugar, butter, a little milk and vanilla. I don't have my recipe in front of me (I'm at work, on a saturday!) but while it isn't perfect I think it is pretty darn good. Also, always use unsalted butter in baking unless a recipe requests something different. I suggest playing around with the brand of butter you use. Some of the european style churned butter blocks can make a subtle difference in baked goods. Let me know when you reach perfection because I would love to taste test :)

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  2. Gracie is hillarious! I love it. And I think those cupcakes look dang good. If you need some sampling..you know where to find me!

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  3. Hmm, I will email my college friend (you know Meredith?) who worked at a bakery in NYC and now works in at one in Lebanon. That's right, very far away. But she should know -- if she can get Internet access. (cliffordgoestotown.blogspot.com)

    I try to really whip frosting up in the mixer, but I get anxious to taste it.

    And, at least Gracie keeps her pants on. Max prefers them off, especially at naptime or after eating. Maybe he needs some comfy pants!

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  4. Oh, those cupcakes make me want to get my comfy pants on and dig in! I love frosting. My personal favorite of late has been cream cheese frosting, and I just read in "The Joy of Cooking" that a tip for cream cheese frosting is NOT to soften it, and the results were great. If you do not have this cookbook, you need to have it. It has great tips for baking.
    ...
    Okay, I just looked up buttercream frosting for you and the question I have for you is, do you make it in a saucepan and cook it or just whip it up cold? This recipe involves cooking it with a candy thermometer. Now I am curious and will have to try it out and tell you.

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  5. Wow! Are those YOUR cupcakes? Those are amAZing! I am so far from calling myself a baker. I have made decent frosting only once in the past two years...only once. I just don't get it. I can't do it! So good luck. I bet it's wonderful.

    And I just love that Gracie story. hahaha.. comfy pants! Yep, we all do it.. we all must have learned at a young age too... :)

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