Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

Cupcakes are one of my favorite desserts to eat and make. There’s something oddly pleasing about piping a gorgeous swirl of buttercream atop a yummy cupcake. Now I can’t eat a large amount of sugar in one sitting so I tend to make mini cupcakes and use buttercream frosting recipes that are not overly sweet.

One of my favorite go to’s is a raspberry buttercream – it’s made with butter, sugar, vanilla extract and raspberry preserves. A few ingredients for a light but decadent treat is just what the doctor ordered.

Now when I make buttercream frosting I generally tend to use a tad less sugar than the recipe calls for but use as much as you want for your taste buds. My recommendation is to add a little less and taste it first, if you’d like a little more sweet then add after. The other key ingredient of this recipe is the raspberry preserves – it’s important to buy a quality jar of this as it can make or break the flavor of your frosting.

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves

Red food coloring, if desired

Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla. Gradually add the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Add the raspberry preserves and beat until light and fluffy. For a more saturated color, add a few drops of red food coloring, if desired.

Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fit with a decorating piping tip, such as the Wilton 1M tip. Pipe frosting directly onto the cooled cupcakes. Serve immediately or you can store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

– The Reportery