Buttercream Icing

This is the follow-up recipe to last week's chocolate buttercream icing. More real food, brought to you by a half-dozen ingredients and whipped together in about three minutes. 

This is no-fail, works-every-time, perfect-for-dying-and-frosting, eat-by-the-spoonful, real buttercream. 

You can dye the white frosting with traditional liquid drops to achieve beautiful pastel colors...

... or buy the food coloring gels for those intense primary colors.

Buttercream Decorating Icing

From: My mother-in-law, Carol

Makes: 3 c. (which is plenty to ice and decorate an entire cake. Carol also says that half a recipe will ice 24 cupcakes.)

You'll need:

1/2 c butter, softened

1/2 c shortening

1 t vanilla

1/8 t salt

1 lb (4 c) confectioner's (powdered) sugar

3 T milk

Cream the butter and shortening: beat them together on medium speed until well combined and fluffy. Add the vanilla and salt. Beat in the powdered sugar and milk and beat at high speed until the icing is light and fluffy.

And ta-da. Better living through real food. Now go eat your cake.