Banana buttercream

You can generally tell if the buttercream is homemade at a children’s birthday party without even trying it. Just look out for abandoned, naked cakes with the icing brutally licked clean off. Kids have a 6th sense for sniffing out icing made by Mum or Dad and they love it. I don’t think they hugely care whether it’s perfect or not. It’s us adults who worry about that kind of stuff.

This is an easy peasy recipe for a buttercream with just a bit of a difference that my sons really rather like. Light and fluffy and tasting just a little bit like a banana milkshake. Just call me kitsch.

One year ago: Choc dipped ice-cream cones and Sweetie covered ice-cream wafers and Razzamatazz ribs and Thoroughly British banana and custard cupcakes

Two years ago: Banana and custard melts and Thomas fairy cakes

Banana buttercream

Covers about 12 cupcakes but depends on how large the cakes are and how much icing you like

– 200g soft, salted butter

– 400g icing sugar

– 2 tbsp banana milkshake powder

– banana foam sweeties or banana chips to decorate your cakes with

To make in a KitchenAid: Use the flat beater to cream the butter until soft and light – about 4 minutes. Then add the icing sugar spoon by spoon, mixing on a low speed until all incorporated, then add the milkshake powder. Beat on high for 7 minutes until the buttercream looks like mousse – flecked with air bubbles, then use to pipe onto cupcakes or to sandwich larger cakes together. Place more buttercream on the top and add sweeties!

NB: If you don’t want banana buttercream then simply substitute the milkshake powder for another flavour such as 2 tbsp vanilla extract/Baileys/Malibu/orange extract etc. My favourite is vanilla.

NB: This buttercream can be made using a handheld mixer or a wooden spoon but it will take a LOT longer. I can’t tell you how long as it completely depends on how hard you beat the mixture and how much you move the mixer about. Look for a mixture similar in texture to mousse with flecks of air running through it. I find it very hard to achieve the same lightness without a stand mixer though – I would employ the strongest person in the house to have a go!

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