Traditional frosting, usually made with butter or shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a bit of cold milk, is quite delicious but can sometimes be too heavy and dense. And in my opinion, way too sweet. Buttercream frosting is used to frost cakes and sheet cakes and holds up nicely, especially for tiered cakes. You can really get those beautiful, smooth edges and you can create different flavors.
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Lyndsay Burginger
Okay, so traditional buttercream frosting isn't all that bad, but it's always nice to have other options when frosting cakes or cupcakes. When I'm making a cake or cupcake and I want to lighten things up a bit, I love making a big batch of whipped cream frosting. It's so easy and only requires a few ingredients-heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
Another easy recipe that deserves some love is cool whip frosting. Light and fluffy, this cool whip frosting recipe is so versatile and the perfect topping for cakes and cupcakes.
All it takes is 4 simple ingredients- cool whip, instant vanilla pudding mix, milk, and vanilla extract. You'll start by whisking the instant pudding mix, milk, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. The mixture should be smooth and start to slightly thicken. Fun tip: try out a different flavor of instant pudding mix instead of vanilla. Caramel, cheesecake, peanut butter or chocolate pudding mixes will also work for this.
Once you have the pudding-milk mixture ready, gently fold in the cool whip with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Make sure your cool whip is completely thawed beforehand. At this point, your cool whip frosting is done! If you want to add some color, you can add a few drops of food coloring to the mixture.
If not using right away, refrigerate the frosting until ready to use. If your cake is cooled and you're ready to frost, go for it! This is a great frosting for cakes, cupcakes, and a variety of other desserts. You could even put some in a bowl and create a delicious fruit dip dessert.
Cool Whip Frosting
Heavy and dense frosting can ruin a delicious cake. However, when you use cool whip as the base for frosting, you end up with a light and airy topping.
- 1 8 oz container frozen cool whip (thawed)
- 1 3.5 oz package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk the instant pudding mix, milk, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl.Gently fold in the cool whip with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Use to frost cakes and cupcakes.
- If frosting needs to be thicker, add a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar.
