While I’m not a big fan of cream cheese, I still like the look and texture of the frosting so I try to think up new tasty ways to use mascarpone instead. I wanted big lemon flavor in a very light frosting. This was what I came up with.

ingredients:
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
pinch of kosher salt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
1 -1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a medium bowl combine mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, salt, lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir together until smooth, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form – don’t overdo it, the last thing you want is for it to curdle.

Then gently fold the whipped cream, into the mascarpone mixture until combined. If you get it just right, you will get a nice sweet fluffy frosting.

I made these for the Fried Chicken Face Off, thus the chocolate chickie toppers. With all that greazy fried chicken I knew everyone would be happy with a very light dessert.

When I served this, people said it was so airy and delicious it made them want to eat a dozen cupcakes by themselves. This is AFTER they had just eaten 8 kinds of fried chicken! You have to try this to believe it – not overly sweet and light as air!

Peanut Butter and Co. makes the best peanut butter mix-up concoctions. I thought this would make a GREAT take on my regular peanut butter frosting (recipe, here) without even having to add chocolate – since it was already in there! This – this is what dreams are made of.

ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup chocolate peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and chocolate peanut butter. Carefully add in the powdered sugar – p.s. don’t wear a black shirt when you do this, ugh – just trust me.

Add in the heavy cream – once incorporated whip into a frenzy. I like level ‘6′ if your kitchenaid can handle it. The chocolate will turn a lightish brown color. Once it gets nice and fluffy you are good to go.

I used this to frost a bunch of banana cupcakes, and it went together swell. Topped off with a little Godiva white chocolate pearl and you have some pretty sweet little cupcakes.

Caramel Sauce is the best thing in the universe,and so easy to make.

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup heavy cream

In a saucepan on low heat, stir together the sugar and water. Turn the heat to medium high and boil until the sugar turns a lovely shade of brown, I’d say just about 5 minutes.

Carefully – you look away for one second and you’ve got Burnt City on your hands.

Now carefully (can I say that enough) add the cream and the butter. It will bubble so watch yourself.

Let simmer on low, then add the vanilla and the 1/4 cup of heavy cream to smooth it all out and wait for it to get nice and thick.

I didn’t take any pictures of this – I think I was too busy trying not to kill myself with sizzling sugar. Next time, I promise.

I don’t like cream cheese (yes, I realize I am the only one) something about that tangy–ness. So this is my go to alternative for frosting. Mascarpone is like an Italian cream cheese – it’s smoother, richer. Rico sauve.

ingredients:
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a medium bowl combine mascarpone cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir together until smooth, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form – don’t overdo it, the last thing you want is for it to curdle. Then fold the whipped cream, into the mascarpone mixture until combined. If you get it just right, you will get a nice sweet fluffy frosting.

Sooo much better than cream cheese, who’s with me?!

There is a list on the internet of the “20 Most Inventive Cupcakes Known to Man.” Guess who is number 19?!? My Coffee and Donuts Cupcakes! Very cool! Only the link is wrong so here’s the actual link to the instructions…

Of all my cupcakes, these are my favorite. Donuts and cupcakes, what’s not to love?

I am not the biggest fan of cream cheese, hey – I like my bagels plain!! But seeing as how everyone else loves cream cheese, I had to come up with something. By adding a touch more vanilla, the cream cheese frosting just steps it up a little bit more and makes it a nice compliment for any cake you may need to frost!

ingredients:
8oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat together the cream cheese and butter. Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar, then the vanilla. Once it is combined and spreadable…go to town!

I LOVE the flavor or coffee, and wanted to make frosting that had just enough coffee flavor but still had great texture. This frosting tastes great on any cake or cupcake.

ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2-1/2 Tablespoons coffee
1 Tablespoon milk (as needed)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream butter, carefully adding the sugar, coffee, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. Add a little of the milk at a time to get the right consistency. Turn the mixer up to high and beat well.

This works great for topping cupcakes, cakes, pies – anything you want to make DELICIOUS. (Maybe not fish.)

ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon Valrohona Cocoa Powder

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, starting whipping the cream on low, add the vanilla, powdered sugar and cocoa.

Once combined turn the speed up to high, like 6 or 8 – and really let that cream have it. Watch it though, go too far and you’ll have butter. So just until you start to get stiff peaks – then turn the mixer off.

This doesn’t do well sitting out for long, so I suggest you serve it immediately.

This is my variation of the Baked cookbook (a FANTASTIC book) Chocolate Root Beer Frosting. It’s nice and thick and chocolatey – with just a hint of root beer, you’d probably not even notice it if I didn’t tell you. Either way, this makes a great frosting for cakes, cupcakes…or just to eat with a spoon. But don’t tell anyone.

ingredients:
2.5 ounce bittersweet chocolate, melted
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup Valrhona cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons root beer
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the butter and the cocoa powder until combined. It will be thick.

Add in the melted bittersweet chocolate. I really love the smoothness of Scharffenberger. It adds just the right chocolate-y flavor.

Add the salt, then alternate the root beer and the powdered sugar. Once you get everything in there and combined without making a giant mess (it’s hard to do) crank your mixer up to a medium high speed and whip it up good – just a few minutes – until you get a nice light chocolate-y consistency and you’re ready to use it!

The morning of the Kid’s birthday I threw a Rainbow Cake together right quick, there was no planning so I didn’t have time to roll out fondant and do a whole thing. Writing on a cake with frosting is easy. But sometimes you want things to look a little cleaner – as if you really put in a lot of effort….but in reality you are just kind of lazy. Here’s a good way to fake it.

Since I wanted to stick with the Star Wars theme, I printed out wording in Star Wars font on heavy cardstock. Using an x-acto I cut out the letters.

Now you have a template. I laid this on top of the already frosted cake, and using a different color of frosting, I just went through and tried to stay within the stencil. Even if you go over or screw up it doesn’t matter, the beauty of it is when you lift the stencil off, you’ll have clean lettering – honest!

This is a super quick way to get fancy lettering done fast!

(Fondant lettering how-to is similar)