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[Emaline]

I know we have a baking thread already, but it is in Arts & Crafts, and hasn't been posted in in over a year, and if the "What are you eating?" thread can be here then why not a thread about baking?

I know there are quite a few bakers on the board(Lunchy, Slick, Allison, I'm looking at you), and I thought it'd be neat to have a thread where we could show off our latest creations and share recipes, and whatnot.



Anyway, as some of you know, I got a kitchen aid for Christmas. A big fancy professional one. So far I've made lots of different breads, including ciabatta, which I made for the first time, and learned that it takes 16 hours to make(and then later learned that you don't really need a biga, which cuts off 12 hours). I'm making a cheese focaccia tonight, which I'll probably make that recipe up as I go. The recipe for the quick ciabatta is here. The link leads to The Fresh Loaf, which I think is one of the best sites out the for bakers. They have quite a few amazing recipes. I'm currently working up the courage for these croissants, but I'm basically afraid because it looks way more advanced than I would be able to do, and that's a lot of butter, which is why I was making my own butter.


Right now, I'm making pancakes, which really isn't baking so much as pan frying, but they are kinda similar....I mean, they use a lot of the same ingredients as baked goods. It's my first test with my homemade butter and buttermilk, so I'm eager to see how they turn out.


So...does anybody read any baking blogs? I was always a big fan of Pete Bakes! but he doesn't update very often anymore. I recently came across this site, Bakerella, which I initially didn't care for, but then found myself reading it all night. I am really interested in trying out her recipe for cake pops, and cake balls. Her Sesame Street ones are really pretty bad ass.

[Eris]

I recently found Smitten Kitchen, which has baking along with other cooking recipes, and some of the stuff on it looks so good.

I need to buy a hand mixer before I can do more baking (and move to a place where the kitchen isn't tiny and the oven isn't shit).

[ViolentDove]

Wouldn't mind some bread recipes and tips for someone with little bread experience and a shitty electric oven.

[Emaline]

I actually just made her Oatmeal Raisin cookies the other day. They were very chewy and very tasty. And that walnut pesto looks awesome! I'm gonna have to make that soon.



Having a small kitchen sucks. The past three places I've lived have had tiny kitchens. It's ridiculous. My boyfriend always wants to help me in the kitchen, but there honestly isn't any room, and anyone helping just hampers what I'm doing.



ViolentDove, give me a second and I'll get you a good easy bread recipe.

[Lunchbox]

Nick: Bread Party!

I haven't baked properly in ages because I have no bench space at all in my kitchen (the only space is taken up by the microwave!) but I did make some fairy cakes with strawberries and cream for New Year's, and some berry-apple muffins the next morning when I was hungover and starving.

My boyfriend's mother gave me a big fancy expensive cookbook (Bourke Street Bakery one!) for Christmas so I am aching to try some of it out!

(Also you guys already posted my favourite recipe blogs.)

[Emaline]

Ok, Basic White Bread:

To make One Large Loaf, you need:
4 cups of White Bread Flour, plus extra for dusting(I've found that it's not a huge difference with breads like this what kind of flour you use. Plain, all-purpose flour would be fine)
1 teaspoon of Salt
1/4 oz, or 7g Active Dry Yeast(If you buy it in packets, this is one packet)
1 tablespoon of Vegetable Oil, or melted Butter, plus extra for greasing
1 1/4 cup warmish Water, not too hot not too cold, room temperature is just under too cold.
(Also a loaf pan, or a cookie sheet and cornmeal, I use coarsely ground cornmeal, but just about any should do)

Mix flour, salt, and yeast together in a large bowl. Add in oil/butter and water, and stir until it becomes a soft dough. Dust your counter with flour, and place dough on top. Knead for about 5-7 minutes by hand(shorter time if you have a mixer, probably about 4 or 5 minutes). The dough should look smooth and be elastic-y to the touch.

Put the dough back in the bowl, and cover it. I usually go for a warm, damp, kitchen towel, or t-shirt(clean). Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, until it has doubled in size. Once it is done, punch it down, and knead for about 30 seconds on the floured counter, or until it becomes smooth again.

Loaf pan:
Shape your dough into a rough rectangle, three times as wide as your loaf pan. Grease your loaf pan well, and begin folding your bread, fold three times lengthwise, and put in your pan, seam down. Cover it, and let it rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes until it's risen above the pan, at the same time you should pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.

Cornmeal:
Dust cookie sheet with cornmeal. Form dough into the basic shape you want to end with. Let rise for about 30 minutes, also while heating your oven 425 degree fahrenhrit.


Toss dough in oven(aim for the center!), and cook for 25-30 minutes, until its golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool for 30 minutes before cutting into it, put some butter on it, and enjoy!




Alternatively, I've never made this bread, but it sounds easy enough, and I'm interested in trying. http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/beginnersbread.htm

[ViolentDove]

Awesome, thanks!

[Tom]

Later today, I'm going to make pumpkin scones with Mum.

[tania]

i haven't been baking much lately either, but i did make my first ever cheesecake on christmas eve for my extended family which turned out really awesome and delicious as heck and everyone raved about it all evening so here's the recipe for that too. it turns out cheesecake is not all that hard to make! also i said i would take photos and somehow forgot but i will take some next time, pinky swear promise.

white chocolate raspberry cheesecake

here's what you need:
1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
3 tbsp white sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 (10 oz) package frozen raspberries
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp corn starch (if you don't have corn starch, you can substitute about 3-4 tsp flour instead)
1/2 cup water
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
3 (8 oz) packages softened cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
one 9-inch springform pan

here's what you do:
1. in medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs + 3 tbsp sugar + melted butter (i used my hands for this). press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
2. in saucepan, combine raspberries + 2 tbsp sugar + cornstarch (or flour) + water. bring to boil and continue boiling 5 minutes or until sauce is thick. strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds. set aside for now.
3. prepare a water bath, put it in the oven and preheat oven to 325F.
4. in a double boiler, melt white chocolate chips with cream until smooth.
5. in large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth (use an electric mixer for this). beat in eggs one at a time. blend in vanilla + melted white chocolate.
6. pour half of batter over crust.
7. spoon about 3 tbsp of raspberry sauce over batter.
8. pour remaining cheesecake batter onto pan, drizzle remaining raspberry sauce over the top. marble it or make some kind of pretty decoration with a utensil if you want.
9. bake for 55-60 minutes in the water bath until filling is set.
10. shut off the oven and let the cheesecake cool in there with the door open just a little bit (if the center looks wobbly do NOT overbake it, it will solidify you just got to give it time)
11. take the cheesecake out of the oven, wrap it in plastic, and stick it in your refrigerator for about 8 hours.
12. EAT

you can also decorate the top with raspberries or chocolate sauce or whatever, i didn't put anything on top cos i found it pretty sweet as is but that's up to you! be creative! cheesecake is the best thing ever.

[phooey]

Haven't made dickerdoodles this holiday season yet, and considering I never made a gingerbread house either, I might try my hand at what I am tentatively dubbing 'mingerbread cookies.'  Any handy insights for design would be greatly appreciated.

[Slick]

I have just updated my baking blog for the first time in a while. Tourtiere and Brownie Pie.

[ViolentDove]

What is the vegan cream cheese you use in the brownie pie recipe? Is it soy based?

[Zingoleb]

Someone posted a link to some traditional Irish soda bread in some thread and I made it. I am terrible at cooking. I made this bread. You can do it!

[Slick]

It is tofutti "Better Than Cream Cheese" which is pretty decent. You can find that stuff most places in Canada so I assume it is ubiquitous but you might have trouble finding it in Oz.

[jhocking]

I thought my fiancee was gonna bake brownies last night. Turns out she was just getting brownie mix and the pans out to plan ahead for tonight. That was really disappointing, I think she did that to be mean.

[redglasscurls]

I am actually right in the middle of rising of my favorite bread recipe! It's from Mother Earth News (aka best magazine) and fantastic because it requires no kneading but still turns a nice fluffy boule-style loaf with minimal effort.

YOU NEED THIS:
 - 3 cups lukewarm water
 - 1.5 tbps dry yeast
 - 1.5 tbsp sea salt (or normal salt, doesnt really matter)
 - 6.5 cups unsifted, unbleached white flour (or white whole wheat, for health that still rises!)

YOU DO THIS:
1. In a large (LARGE) bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and salt. Don't worry about dissolving the yeast all the way, it does its own thing here.
2. Measure flour into the bowl with gentle scoops- don't pat down the flour while measuring, just scoop and level.
3. Mix until uniformly moist with a wooden spoon- it will be very very wet and loose, not like something you'd want to knead. DON'T ADD EXTRA FLOUR.
4. Cover loosely and let rise about 2 hours at room temperature, until the top starts to collapse/flatten.
5. Refrigerate for 3 hours to a week, or use some now (you have enough for four smallish loaves)

Baking!
6. Sprinkle the surface of the dough liberally with flour, then cut off about a grapefruit-sized honk. Shape with floured/oiled hands by holding in one hand and stretching the sides around to meet at the bottom- this will make a pretty little boule without funky cracks.
7. Sprinkle your pan (or pizza peel if you are fancy and have a baking stone) with cornmeal, and plop down your loaf- allow to rest for 40min.
8. Dust with flour, slash the loaf a few times with a serrated knife, then bake about 30min in a 450 degree F oven.

Cool completely before cutting to make the texture good:) Eat whole loaf in an hour.
You can also add herbs to the yeast/water mix if you like a nice herby boule!

[Caleb]

I am totally going to bake herb bread this weekend.

[usmcnavgeek]

My parents got me a bread machine for Christmas.  I mean, that may not be *real* baking bread to some people, but the end result for me is the same.

The end result is warm bread.  Man, warm bread is up there with sex.  I mean they're both in, like, the top ten.

I like bread.

[Emaline]

I have just updated my baking blog for the first time in a while. Tourtiere and Brownie Pie.

James! I have been dying to make tourtiere for awhile now. Thanks! I'm totally making yours!

[Toba]

Oh my god baking thread baking thread baking thread baking thread baking thread.

I have got to bake something tomorrow.  And tell you all about it.  That cheesecake looks good!

[David_Dovey]

It is tofutti "Better Than Cream Cheese" which is pretty decent. You can find that stuff most places in Canada so I assume it is ubiquitous but you might have trouble finding it in Oz.

I have seen it in a few different supermarkets around here but it is basically a crapshoot so you may have to try a few different places.

[Professor Snuggles]

[Slick]

I kind of wish we could delete the last two posts here?


Anyways, I have just baked a simple pear thing.
-Pastry scraps, rolled thin to cover a bottom of a pie tin
-One pear, sliced, tossed with three tablespoons or so of blackcurrant jam plus two tablespoons honey
-Pear slices laid on top of pastry, remaining scraps rolled to form a cover
-Many steam vents cut (pears are watery!)
-Baked 35 minutes @ 350şF
-Chocolate sauce (butter and chocolate chips melted) drizzled over top
-awesome.

[Miles]

Do any of you guys bake regularly enough to use a starter (Pre-ferment?)? I've been baking a LOT of bread recently but i've been using dried yeast, and i've heard from some people that using a starter is a much more frugal option if you're baking on a regular basis.

Is it difficult? Any experiences to share?

[Slick]

I use what I call a pre-ferment, but by that I just mean that I start my yeast going the night before. Usually the word starter, as I've seen it, has been used in the context of a sourdough starter, a symbiotic culture of yeast and lactobacilli (ohhh fancy words!).
For my pre-ferment/overnight starter, it is cheaper because you can get away with using a quarter teaspoon of yeast for a batch of bread, because it'll reproduce as you let it ferment overnight. I'm not sure exactly what 'biga' is, but it is what they call this pre-ferment when talking about italian baking, and it is basically flour and water and a little yeast left overnight.
For a sourdough starter that you keep alive perpetually, it is a bit more of a commitment. I made one of those two years ago, but I let it die, frankensteined it back to life, and then got terribly ill, but as long as you're not famously stupid (I am famously stupid when it comes to harming myself), you'll be fine. To grow your own is a lot of work but a lot of fun a hell of a lot of rewarding. What's easier than growing your own, however, is just getting someone else's, as it'll be stronger and more certain. There are communities dedicated to spreading sourdough starters around, I think you can actually mail order san-fran sourdough starter from people who want to share it.
Making sourdough is cheaper because you don't have to buy yeast, but yeast is not that expensive if you buy it in bulk, which you should be willing to do if you're willing to use a sour starter. You will want to be baking bread at least once or twice a week if you've got a starter, and you do need to feed it even if you aren't using it. Also, some cultures are robust and you can leave them alone when you're on vacation, but mine was weak so I needed people to feed it while I was away.

Anyways! Starting a little yeast fermenting overnight gives you richer flavour and a culture with some culture and uses less yeast, keeping a sourdough culture alive is great if you are baking at least weekly and you can find people near you who will share their goods with you.

[allison]

I am a casual baker, I love to do it but my strength lies in cookies and cakes. I'm desperately trying to find time to get to know my new mixer and start into breads. Every Tuesday I am going to practice this. I will keep you guys posted on my progress.

[Inlander]

Making sourdough is cheaper because you don't have to buy yeast, but yeast is not that expensive if you buy it in bulk

I don't know how it is over there, but here yeast is ridiculously cheap. I buy blocks of fresh yeast from my local supermarket, and the standard block is probably just under 100 grams, which costs less than A$1. Given that the typical bread recipe calls for 15 grams of yeast, I rarely if ever finish an entire block before it goes off.

[Emaline]

Right, so, I have a corn bread recipe that calls for wheat germ, and I have raw wheat germ. Does anyone know if this will work out ok?

[Slick]

I think when a recipe calls for wheat germ it means raw wheat germ. I think toasted wheat germ is like toasted oats or something. I bake with raw wheat germ regularly, subbing it in for a quarter of the flour.

[Emaline]

Ok. Thanks.



I'm in the middle of baguettes right now, and I'm thinking of starting a starter for sourdough. I'm a bit nervous.

[Slick]

You should be nervous! I typed up the instructions from the book I used a while ago, I can get them for you if you're interested here it is, excerpted from an e-mail I wrote to Dan-who-is-gone-from-here.

BEGIN BOOK EXERPT

1/2 pound organic sweet red grapes
5 pounds organic unbleached white bread flour without the germ
Nonchlorinated water

1. Rinse the grapes briefly under cold running water if necessary. If
the grapes appear clean, do not bother to wash them, so as not to
sacrifice any of the yeasts clinging to the skins. Place the grapes in
the center of a double layer of cheesecloth and tie up the corners to
form a neat bundle.

2. In a 2 or 3 quart sterilized glass, plastic, or earthenware
container, combine 2 cups of the flour and slightly more than 2 cups
of nonchlorinated room-temperature water and stir to form a paste.
Squeeze the bundle of grapes over the batter so that most of their
juice comes out. Stir well. Submerge the cheesecloth bundle in the
batter and secure the container with a tight-fitting lid or several
layers of plastic wrap. Set aside at room temperature, out of the way
of drafts or intense heat, for 3 days.

3. Once a day, uncover the starter and, using a sterilized utensil,
stir the bundle of grapes around in the batter.

4. On the fourth day, uncover the container and stir in 1/2 cup room
temperature water and 1/2 cup of the flour. Replace the cover and set
aside for another 6 days. Make sure that the starter does not get too
warm. Don't worry if the starter separates and has a yellowish liquid
on top. It may also have a funky or sharp alcoholic odor after 4 or 5
days, but eventually the yeasts will build up in number and begin to
exude a pleasant aroma.

5. Starting on the tenth day, you will need to feed the starter 3
times per day for 4 days. Rinse out a 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 quart glass,
plastic, or earthenware container with boiling water. Let it air dry
and cool to room temperature. Uncover the starter; remove and discard
the bundle of grapes. Stir the starter well and pour 2 cups of it into
the prepared container. Give away or discard the remaining starter.
Add 1/2 cup room-temperature water and a heaping 1/2 cup flour. Stir
well, cover, and let the starter ferment for 4 to 6 hours. Stir in 1
cup water and 1 heaping cup flour. Stir well once more, cover, and let
ferment another 4 to 6 hours. Finally, feed the starter 2 cups
room-temperature water and 2 1/2 cups flour. Stir well, cover, and let
the starter ferment overnight, for up to 12 hours.

6. The next day, discard all but 2 cups of the starter and repeat the
same feeding schedule for 3 more days. Remember to begin the process
each day with only 2 cups starter.

7. About 8 to 12 hours after the final feeding on the fourteenth day,
your starter is ready to be used. At this point you can store it
tightly covered in the refrigerator. Feed it 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup
flour 2 times per week to maintain it. It is good to take the starter
out of the refrigerator and refresh it with a feeding 8 to 12 hours
before you plan on baking. I like to keep about 3 cups of starter in
my refrigerator at all times.

8. Always replenish the starter when you use it. If the recipe calls
for 1 1/2 cups of starter, add about 1 cup flour and 1 cup water to
the remaining starter.

Helpful Guidelines:
-Set up a regular feeding schedule for the first 2 weeks. After that
you will have more flexibility. As the parent of this newly born
life-form, you will find that careful attention and nurturing in the
beginning will result in a strong, resilient, and mature starter.
-Feed your starter with top-quality, organically grown ingredients and
fresh, nonchlorinated water.
-For the first 4 to 5 days, make sure all utensils and containers that
come into contact with the culture have been sterilized in boiling
water.

END BOOK EXERPT.


Phew. My thoughts:
-Heed what he says about a regular feeding schedule for the first 2
weeks. I was lazy/busy and I think that was a contributing factor to
why mine got weak before I spoiled it.
-I just used a pyrex pot I picked up at a thrift store and wrapped
with at least a double layer of saran wrap all over. Ideally, I'd of
liked a sealable bowl or something to prevent the waste of plastic,
but I needed something you can boil to sterilize.
-I think I used sterilized utensils for maybe the first full week,
just to be sure.
-I'm planning on seeding this with organic apple peel and grapes when
I try again, feel free to give that a go. I'm thinking just some apple
peel (peeled with a sterilized peeler) should be sufficient.
-Smell it every time you feed it! It goes through a lot of really
full, interesting new smells as it grows! This alone was probably
worth the time investment in my ridiculous venture.

Also, regarding sterilizing, just submerge whatever in boiling water
for at least ten minutes, then let it air dry and cool.

[Emaline]

Gosh. Now I am super nervous! I hope this turns out ok. I was going to use this recipe, I may end up using yours. Thank you!

[Slick]

Use his instructions if you want, it would be interesting to see different results. Feel free to hybridize ideas.
Nervousness is good just because you need to respect the process and the life you are nurturing. Keep your schedule, keep it regular, don't cut corners while it's growing, and just respect the process and you will get a good result. In life, I often cut corners and lean on things to get by, because the world is well developed and there are people whose jobs it is to help me fill my paperwork and answer my questions about things and show me how to fix what I've broken. With sourdough you are growing a living thing from nothing, you are a little pioneer on the frontier of your kitchen and you've just got to be ready to commit to treating it right and being responsible for it. You can do it, though, because you are a human being and human beings before you have managed to do it so it is yours to do too if you want. It just takes weeks and there is no device with a digital timer you can punch buttons on to zap the process done in fifteen minutes.
OK whatever ramblebot

unrelated querry
So, when frying meat or roasting something you get drippings and in the drippings you get fat that congeals out and becomes solid at room temperature. An idea that's been bouncing about my head a little while is, why don't I save that fat, cut it in with butter, and use that to make my pies? That could be pretty good, couldn't it? Chickeny pastry? Maybe?
I will try this the next time I roast a chicken.

[elizaknowswhatshesfor]

I'm a baker! Of both bread & cakes. I was living with my parents & got all used to using an aga, now I'm back to an oven everything is confusing.

I wish to share with you my favourite vegan cake recipe which will please everyone whether they are vegan or not. A friend of mine makes it for shows.

Henry's banana and chocolate cake
6 1/2 oz plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda...
1 tsp baking powder...
5 oz sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp soya flour (plain will do if you don't have soya)
1/4 pint veg oil
1/4 pint soy milk
2 mashed bananas

mix it all together. bake at gm3/325f/160c in a greased tin for 30-35 minutes or until it springs back when you press it down
I replaced the golden syrup with black treacle for extra stickiness, the soya flour with semolina flour and I only had olive oil which is too heavy for cake used 4oz of soya marg

It doesn't need anything with it as it is delicious! I will add some photos of silly cup cakes & birthday cakes also.

[Slick]

Eliza-who-knows, I wish I had checked that out a week ago, because I was then staying with a vegan household. I will still try it some time when I have time, though, because good vegan cake recipes are golden.

I baked eggs for supper! In pastry. With some fried mushrooms and onions and garlic. And salt and pepper, of course! It was pretty straight-forwards and tasty. I am a hard-yolk kind of guy typically, but I will make it softy style next time because supposedly that is more delicious.

[Barmymoo]

I tried to bake flapjacks today. I accidentally set the oven to grill (it has no markings so we had to guess and I'd forgotten), so the top layer had to be scraped off once I realised. I'm not convinced it was a great recipe - it was a bit too oaty so it hasn't stuck together as well as I had hoped. I'll try again another time and not include quite as many oats.

[allison]

I am baking bread for the first time ever. I will let you guys know how this turns out. I'm excited!

[Emaline]

Allison, try the recipe in the kitchenaid book! It's my favorite recipe for just regular white bread. It's super fluffy and great.

[pwhodges]

it was a bit too oaty so it hasn't stuck together as well as I had hoped.

That's how my wife likes to make it - sometimes I need a spoon to eat it!

She also mixes in a bit of larger oats and a bit of pin oats to give more variation in texture.

[Emaline]

I made James's tourtiere finally. I've made a few changes, I used chicken stock because I could not find turkey stock, and I used potatoes instead of celery, because I've made soap not too long ago, and I am so freaking tired of celery. But yeah, I think it turned out wonderfully.

[allison]

My bread came out great! It rose and baked well and was entirely delicious. I found it's a little heavy though. Not sure what I did wrong, but I'll keep trying.

[elizaknowswhatshesfor]

I have been sorting through photos & found these:



These were made for a gig, they have jam in the middle but are vegan. I was proud.



This was our Christmas cake, I decorated one half, the boy did the other, neither of us celebrate Christmas, so it's the least festive thing ever, but we had a fantastic time doing it. He was like a little child when I told him he could write swears on it.The cake is a Dragon cake, which is a porter cake made with Dragon Stout & tropical fruits.



This is my friends birthday cake, he wanted a spotty one. It spent far too long one a train. The icing is vanilla & rum & the cake is also, with the same filling as the icing. It was very boozy.



These are mini breads. They are parmasen & sundried tomato flavour.





These are made with real strawberries & an icing recipe I won't be using again. It didn't come out very smoothly. But I think they look pretty sweet.



I made these for a friends kids school, I don't celebrate easter, but I think they look pretty Eastery! The buns are made with real strawberries blended up, the icing is lemon flavoured, so they are sort of fresh & summery. Again, I used someone elses icing recipe. Not good. I will be sticking to my own from now on.

They you go baking thread, some stuff I did! x

[Emaline]

So, I'm baking some breads for a craft markety thing next month, and as my boyfriend pointed out to me, I need to come up wit a name for my "bakery". Help. Any ideas?

[Toba]

Emalign's Evil Baked Goods

[tania]

recipe for disaster
yeast infection
muffin can stop me now
knead for speed
donut buy your baked goods anywhere else or i swear to god i will fucking kill you (i have a good feeling about this one)

[Elizzybeth]

I forgot the context of this thread, which meant that Tania's post made me freak out a little.

"recipe..."

Okay, sure, this is a baking thread.

"for disaster"

What?

"yeast infection"

What the fuck?  What thread am I in?  A yeast infection is a pretty big disaster, I guess, and I know this forum is pretty sexually open and whatnot but people don't usually talk about problems with their lady bits in such graphic det--

"muffin can stop me now"

Oh, right.  Emaline's bakery.

For the record, though, I actually genuine endorse the last suggestion.  Something like this:
?

[Emaline]

I actually really like all of those names. They are fantastic!

[elizaknowswhatshesfor]

FROSTING/ICING.

Recipes please...Preferably with no butter & good for piping. I've been experimenting for a month & I'm having a super hard time getting it right.....

[tania]

i use this one sometimes, which involves shortening instead -

2 cups shortening
8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract
6 fluid ounces heavy cream

1. cream shortening until fluffy, add confectioner's sugar and continue creaming until well blended
2. add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream blend on low speed until moistened. add additional whipping cream if necessary (up to 2 ounces)
3. beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy

i strongly suggest halving or even quartering this recipe though unless you are making literally one hundred cakes or a million cupcakes, this recipe gives you a LOT of frosting. i made it for about 50 cupcakes last time i baked and still had a really ridiculous amount left over, something like 4 or 5 cups.

and here's one involving cream cheese and whipped cream that sometimes pipes a little bit chunky but tastes amazing so i am posting it regardless.

1 (8oz) package cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. in a small bowl beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside
2. in a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla
3. beat until smooth, then fold in whipped cream

this one makes a more tolerable amount of icing, good for abput 30-40 cupcakes.

[Lines]

Cream cheese icing is the best. It's a little firmer and pipes pretty well. And it has cream cheese in it. Can't go wrong with cream cheese (unless you're vegan or something).