Cream Cheese Frosting

I am, by no means, a cake decorator. Give me ingredients and a Kitchen Aid and I can make any amazing, moist, decadent cake that my heart desires, but when it comes time to frost it, I struggle immensely. Calling my mom, sister, or various friends for help, I am quick to sit back and watch how they do it, but that doesn’t make a difference, I still cannot frost the cake. My abilities to frost a cake are very limited to frosting the top and sides, slightly destroying the top layer of the two layer cake that is often made, and getting spots of frosting all over the plate the cake is sitting on, instead of the cake itself. On top of that, I am a master at the art of decorative sprinkles, creating a beautiful rainbow with the Easter sprinkles that are somehow always supplied in my house. Honestly, my cakes are hideous, yet delicious creations, and I fully understand that I should stay away from the frosting and focus more on the baking.

While my abilities to frost a cake are pretty much non-existent, I do have some skill when it comes to cupcakes. Being miniature in size, cupcakes pose less of a threat to me than a giant two layer cake, and the fact that you only have to frost the top of them, instead of the whole thing, makes the job a lot easier. Whenever I make cupcakes, I often find myself putting a dollop of cream cheese frosting on top of the cupcake instead of frosting them the traditional way, making sure the frosting covers the entire surface of the cupcake. To do this, I use a large plastic freezer bag, or sandwich bag, to make up for my lack of piping bags. I spoon the frosting into the baggy, making sure the frosting is concentrated to one corner, and then cut a small hole in the corner of the bag where the frosting is. On each cupcake, I put a dollop of frosting on and then usually top with some type of fruit or sprinkles.

When frosting cupcakes, and cakes, I always use homemade cream cheese frosting. While I understand how easy it is to buy a container of pre-made frosting at the store, I believe that if you are going to take the time to bake from scratch, you should take the time to make the frosting from scratch, also. Homemade cream cheese frosting is not hard to make by any means, and it tastes so much better than the processed, repulsive crap that comes in a container at the market.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Time: 5-10 minutes

Makes: Enough for 24 cupcakes or one cake

Ingredients:

            1 package (8 oz) cream cheese (I prefer Philadelphia Cream Cheese)

¼ cup butter or margarine, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1 package (16 oz) powdered sugar (about 4 cups), sifted

Procedure:

1. Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in large bowl with a mixer until it is well blended
2. Gradually add sifted sugar, beating after each addition until well blended