To me, this is the ultimate Christmas buttercream frosting. A simple buttercream made with fresh orange and Cointreau liquor. It has the subtle kick and is perfectly paired with my orange and cranberry cupcakes.
Start by beating the butter in a bowl until creamy. Then add the icing sugar in two batches, lightly stirring before each addition to prevent an icing sugar ‘cloud’. Next add in the fresh orange zest and orange Cointreau. I’ve added 1 ½ teaspoons of Cointreau to the icing, which gives it the perfect subtle kick. But feel free to add more or less to suit your preference. Although this is a liquor it isn’t very strong at all, and you can’t even tell that there’s a hint of alcohol in there. Adding some orange zest here helps to bring out the flavour from the Cointreau and ties all the different flavours together perfectly.
Don’t worry about over mixing, you want it well mixed, ensuring that the icing is nice and smooth. This recipe is thick enough to be able to hold its own shape and is completely pipeable. Alternatively, you can add a tablespoon on top of the cake and use a butter knife or spatula to ‘smear’ on top of the cake.
It’s easy to follow, simple to make and tastes delicious!
Ingredients
- 85 g / 3 oz Unsalted Butter
- 170 g / 6 oz Icing Sugar - sieved
- Zest of 1/2 an Orange
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cointreau Liquor
Instructions
- Bring the unsalted butter to room temperature
- Add the butter to a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, blend until creamy
- Add half of the sieved icing sugar and using a spoon, gently stir together until just combined (this helps to prevent an icing sugar explosion!), before mixing with the electric mixer
- Add the remaining icing sugar and follow the steps above, do not be afraid to overmix, you want this to be nice and smooth
- Add the orange zest and Cointreau liquor and thoroughly mix through
- When everything is blended and smooth, apply to your cooled cake
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