Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t buy store bought cupcakes. The homemade ones usually have delicious frosting (with actual butter) and not nearly as much as the piped store ones.
Related, I used to make great buttercream that was so light and delicious but the last several times I've made it, it's been dense and heavy and I can't figure out why. I am making it the same way as ever, same recipe. I start with softened butter, add the powdered sugar, then the cream and vanilla and salt. It will seem fine and then when I go to frost it will just feel heavier and stiffer than usual. And then it will wind up very dense once on. It is the weirdest thing. I thought it must have to do with the butter consistency, that I needed to soften it longer or whip it for longer before adding the powdered sugar, so I tried that and it made no difference. So then I did the opposite and that made it worse.
It's baffling because until about 3 years ago, I'd made buttercream dozens of times and never had this issue. Thinking it was a decline in butter quality, I tried making it with a higher quality butter. No dice.
Such a mystery. So until I can resolve my buttercream issues, I have been buying cupcakes at a bakery and they definitely make real buttercream and it's delicious.