Make Ahead

Boozed-up Citrus Buttercream

October 21, 2013
4.8
4 Ratings
  • Makes 1 batch
Author Notes

A small dose of good alcohol in this citrus buttercream elevates a basic cake into a phenomenal one. This is a riff on the stunning and inspiring Stella McCartney cake from the Apollinas blog. The booze makes it just a touch more adult and sophisticated. —Posie (Harwood) Brien

Test Kitchen Notes

Farmlovecooks makes a super fun adaptation of the Stella McCartney citrus buttercream. I made the McCartney cake last year, and I remember the frosting took a far backseat to the lemon curd in the center of that cake. Alas, I was curd-less this time. However the addition of the booze- I used limoncello -elevates the zest, and the addition of lime turns the frosting into the out-there cousin of the lemon-curd center. Smeared atop an orange-zested vanilla cake, this is a delectable and sassy frosting, indeed- and quite a POW after so much apple pie! —meet your baker

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 cups butter (4 sticks), at room temperature
  • 1 pound powdered sugar (scant)
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon citrus liqueur, either limoncello or Cointreau
  • Pinch of salt
Directions
  1. Beat the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until very light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
  2. Mix in the orange juice and citrus liqueur.
  3. On low speed, slowly add the sugar, salt and zests and beat until incorporated.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • vvvanessa
    vvvanessa
  • Greenstuff
    Greenstuff
  • Posie (Harwood) Brien
    Posie (Harwood) Brien

3 Reviews

vvvanessa October 21, 2013
That decoration is brilliant!
 
Greenstuff October 21, 2013
Gorgeous photo, even more beautiful than the one on Apollinas.
 
Posie (. October 21, 2013
Thank you! Much more simple than it looks--highly recommend (for taste and beauty)!