A soft and light buttercream frosting infused with a soft berry swirl made with crushed fresh raspberries and sweetened with a small drizzle of honey. Made with only a few simple ingredients, this is quick and easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious! I love to pile this high on top of a plain vanilla cake, making the whole thing taste like a delicious jam infused vanilla doughnut!
The base of this is my classic buttercream recipe. To make this, start to make a basic buttercream frosting. Mix the unsalted butter in an electric mixer until creamy. Next, add the icing sugar in two batches. I always recommend stirring the icing sugar with a spoon before using an electric mixer. This helps to prevent an icing sugar cloud explosion! Whenever using vanilla, I always recommend using vanilla paste over the liquid vanilla essence. I find that this provides a nicer more authentic flavour whereas the liquid version can taste quite artificial. I also find that it has a better consistency and allows the icing to hold its shape better without becoming too runny.
Swirl
In a separate bowl, make the raspberry swirl. To do this, place a small handful of fresh raspberries into a small bowl and using a fork, lightly mash the berries until smooth. Next add a small drizzle of honey to add a little bit of sweetness to the berries. Lightly swirl this through the buttercream. You want it to be just lightly swirled through rather than fully mixed in. Add just a small amount at a time and swirl through as you may not need to use all of them. Any others can be set aside and used later. Adding this extra liquid can make it slightly runnier, so I would suggest leaving it in a cold place for 5-10 minutes to allow it to harden slightly.
If you are choosing to pipe this then you will need to use a larger nozzle. This is because the pips remaining in the berries may get trapped when trying to ice with a smaller sized piping nozzle. I found this out the hard way. Pipe this on top, or place a tablespoon of icing to the top of the cake.
Ingredients
- 3 oz / 85 g Unsalted Butter
- 6 oz / 170 g Icing Sugar
- ~ 5 Fresh Raspberries
- Small Drizzle Honey
- 1 teaspoon Milk
Instructions
- Add the butter to a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, blend until creamy.
- Add half of the sieved icing sugar to the bowl 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 milk and follow the steps above. Do not be afraid to overmix, you want this to be nice and smooth.
- In a separate bowl, use the back of spoon to mash the fresh raspberries until smooth. Add in a small drizzle of honey and mix together well.
- Adding a small amount at a time, slowly add the raspberry mixture to the fresh buttercream. You want to lightly swirl this through so that you have a distinct swirl rather than turning the whole thing pink. I suggest going slow here so that you know whether you need to add anymore. If you have any leftover raspberries, set this aside and place in the fridge.
- The addition of the extra liquid may make tis slightly runnier, so it may need to be set aside in a cool area for 5-10 minutes before being placed on top of your bake.
- This icing is thick enough to pipe if desired or can be placed on top of the cake in your chosen design. If choosing to pipe this, then ensure that a larger nozzle is used to prevent the pips from getting stuck when icing.
Notes
I like to make smaller batches of these as they are best eaten fresh. However if you would like a larger batch you can double or triple the recipe. These are best eaten fresh on the same day, but any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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