Buttercream Icing

This easy icing is pure luxury on the tongue and will elevate even a packet-mix cake. Try it with our Chocolate Lovers’ Dream Cake.

Ingredients (Makes 3 cups)

Instructions

1. Boil water in a large pot.
2. Place egg whites and sugar in a bowl (that will fit over pot safely). Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites and sugar until frothy and white.
3. Set bowl over pot of simmering water and hand whisk until whites are hot (you should not be able to keep your finger in the mixture for more than a second).
4. Remove bowl from water. Beat with electric mixer on medium-high until whites become thick and begin to cool.
5. With mixer still running, add butter in 1/4 cup intervals. The egg-white mixture must be cool at this point otherwise the butter will just melt. Mix well after each addition of butter.
6. Add vanilla extract, blend and remove 3/4 cup of icing for centre of cake.
7. Set mixer to low and whisk in one cup of cocoa powder, in 1/4-cup intervals, to remaining buttercream. Use this for icing outside of cake.

Photography by Angus Fergusson
Food styling by Helen Shroyer