Editor's note: This recipe is reprinted with permission from Cakes for Kids, by Matthew Mead. Use this recipe to make Mead's Jack-O'-Lantern cake.
This frosting has a thick consistency that is easy to work with—you can contour it or add texture to it. Also, you can patch it if it becomes marred while you're arranging a cake. The recipe makes enough frosting to cover the tops and sides of two 8-inch or 9-inch cake layers. For a single-layer 9 x 13-inch cake, make just half the recipe.
Shortening has a simpler taste then butter, with a melting point of 106°F. Butter melts somewhere between 88°F and 98°F, depending on the amount of fat in the brand. You can see that if you need to serve a pure buttercream-decorated cake on a hot day, you could have melted decorations and a less than desirable cake. Shortening yields a soft but durable frosting that can be molded with your hands.
Ingredients
Equipment:
Preparation
Step 1
1. With a mixer on medium speed, beat together the shortening, vanilla extract, and lemon extract in a medium bowl for 30 seconds.
Step 2
2. Slowly add half the confectioners' sugar, beating well. Beat in 2 tablespoons of the milk. Gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar and enough of the remaining milk until the icing reaches a spreadable consistency. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days
