Citrus Buttercream Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment; butter parchment. Dust with flour, tapping out excess.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly combined, 30 seconds. Beat butter with sugar and zest until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, thoroughly combining after each addition and scraping down bowl as needed. Beat in lemon juice. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk and beginning and ending with flour.
• Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing tops with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until tops spring back when lightly touched and are light golden, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks; let cool 10 minutes. Turn out of pans, remove parchment, and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cakes can be made to this point and refrigerated, well wrapped in plastic, up to 1 day.
• Trim tops of cakes flat. Split each cake horizontally into 3 equal layers. Line an 8-inch cake pan with 2 parchment strips, leaving a 3-inch overhang on all sides. Place 1 cake layer in pan, bottom-side down. Spread 1 cup mousse evenly over it; top with a second cake layer. Repeat, spreading 1 cup mousse between each layer. Finish with a cake layer, bottom-side up. Refrigerate, covered in plastic, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Turn cake out of pan onto a cake plate. Spread 1 cup buttercream evenly over top and sides to create a crumb coat. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Spread remaining 3 cups buttercream over top and sides. Decorate as desired.

Steps:

• Beat 600g sifted icing sugar and 300g butter together with your chosen flavouring and colouring if using, add 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water to loosen and beat until smooth.
• Fill a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe onto cupcakes or smear in the middle and over the top of a 20cm cake using a palette knife.

Steps:

• 1. About 1 hour before making place a glass or metal mixing bowl in freezer.
• 2. Using a double boiler, combine sugar, egg whites and vanilla. Cook whisking constantly until mixture reaches 140* on a candy thermometer.
• 3. Pour egg mixture into chilled glass bowl and beat on high for 10 min. (I have a bosch and my bowl is plastic. It would have been better had I had a glass or metal bowl.)
• 4. Reduce mixer speed to medium low and add butter 1 TBS. at a time mixing well after each addition.
• 5. Mix in zest. Chill in refrigerater for about 30 minutes. Rebeat slightly then use.
• 6. TIP: You can make this ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerater. When you want to use it simply pull it out and bring to room temperature. Rebeat then use. I keep mine in a ziplock bag. It makes for less dishes and it is not so hard to transfer from.

Steps:

• Beat butter or margarine until soft in a medium sized bowl.
• Beat in confectioners' sugar alternately with lemon rind, salt lemon juice, and milk.
• Continue beating until smooth and spreadable.