Russian Buttercream

I love to bake… And I bake a lot. It is kind of my passion and my job. I also love simplicity. This is where this easy frosting comes in. It is so easy to make and you can add pretty much any flavoring to it. I use this exact recipe for my raspberry cupcakes and it tastes amazing with them. I will leave some additions that you can add to it at the bottom of this recipe.

If you have never heard of Russian Buttercream you are in for a treat. It is only 2 ingredients and it is so simple to make. No cooking required like some other recipes out there. I always keep these ingredients on hand so I can whip up cupcakes or cakes in no time.

So let’s get into the recipe….

INGREDIENTS:

500g Un-Salted Butter- Room Temp (slightly soft and holds it shape and not to soft and greasy)
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk –

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the butter and whip until creamy. It does not have to be pale in color. Just whip until it is softer and more easy to mix in the condensed milk. You really can’t over mix this but The more you whisk the warmer it will get from the heat of the attachment.
2. When the butter is smooth, turn the mixer on to speed 2 and slowly add in the condensed milk. It will begin to combine and thicken. Then it will look slightly curdled. Keep mixing until smooth. If find that the butter has gotten to warm just simply pop it in the fridge to chill back up for about 10 to 15 minutes or so and whip again until smooth and creamy.

Now you are ready to frost or pipe onto your cake or cupcakes.

ADDITIONS – ADD IN’S – add these in at the end and blend together until smooth

• Oreos/ other cookies – add about 6 to 7 cookies to a blender or food processor and blend until crumbly.
• Kit-Kat/other candy bars – Add one bar to a food processor and blend until crumbly.
• Nutella- Add about 1/3 cup and blend until smooth.
• White Chocolate/ Chocolate – Add 1/3 cup to a bowl and microwave until melted. Add to the frosting and blend until smooth.
• Jams/puree’s/preserves – Add about 1/4 cup to a bowl and slightly warm in the microwave to loosen the jam. Pour into a strainer and strain out any seeds. Add to the frosting and blend until smooth.
• Coffee – Add 1 to 2 tsp in a bowl and add 1 to 2 tsp of water and blend until combined. Add to the frosting and blend until smooth.
• Salt- Add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp fine salt to the frosting and blend until smooth. It helps tone down the sweetness, however, this frosting is not overly sweet. I always add this to all of my frostings.
• Vanilla – Add in vanilla or other extracts to the mix and blend until smooth. You can also you vanilla bean paste as well.
• Berries/fruit – Place the berries ( 1 cup) in a sauce pan and add 1/4 cup sugar. Cook over medium low heat until the berries are hot and start to release their juices. Smash them with a spoon. Continue to cook until thickened. This whole process should take about 5 minutes or so. When the mixture is thick pour through a stainer and strain out any pulp or seeds. Let cool and add to your frosting and blend until smooth.
• Peanut Butter/other nut or seed butters – Add in about 1/4 to 1/3 cup (depending on your taste) to the frosting and blend until smooth.

As you can see you can add tons of things to this frosting as you would any other frosting and it performs well. I, however, would not add blended nuts to this as it would clog up a piping tip but you can add to the frosting if you prefer to frost the cake with it. This is just the base recipe and you can use as is or you can add other flavorings or additions.

You can also add food coloring to this as well. I prefer gel food coloring so it doesn’t alter the texture of my frosting. Gel frosting is super affordable and you can find them anywhere. I find my gel coloring either online or in the party/celebration section of my local Walmart, or cake decorating store. They come in tons of colors to choose from.

I have no picture to show you of just the frosting but you can check out my raspberry cupcakes above to see them on the cupcakes. I had my neighbors little girls help me frost them and they did an amazing job! they love helping me. I always let them take home half of what they help me with.