What makes it a buttercream anyway? Is it just butter? Anyway, I just found this in a cookbook and was wondering if it would be good for the chocolate cake I need to make for a family celebration....

This is the ingredient list (they just call it frosting)

2-1/2 sticks plus 2 T unsalted butter
4-1/2 C conf sugar
1 C cocoa powder
2t vanilla
1/4 C + 2T milk

Do you think it would be a recipe that would hold up well?

I think you could call this a buttercream frosting, and yes, it does seem there are quite a few variables under the blanket name of "buttercream". Many contain neither butter nor cream. This recipe looks OK to me except for that 1 cup of cocoa--that is a lot of cocoa! I think I would start with 1/2 cup and maybe add more if it needed it. HTH

I think I would wait and add the milk at the end and only add it a little at a time. It's much easier to thin a thick icing than it is to thicken a thin one.

And make sure you refirigerate the cake once it's iced since this icing is made with real butter and milk. I better option might be to use Crisco instead of butter and water instead of milk.

And ditto about the cocoa powder. That's an aweful lot.

Thanks for the tips! I've only made a couple of things from this cookbook (Mrs Fields Chocolate) - and they've been pretty awesome. But I do think you're right on the amt of cocoa.

If you change out the butter with crisco, and the milk with water, you will have a completely different tasting frosting. As for the 1 cup of cocoa, this is probably meant to be a dark, rich chocolate. If you reduce the amount of the cocoa, the texture will be different and you should reduce the amont of liquid that you use. I would try the recipe as written.. you might just love it. I think it sounds delicious and am thinking of giving it a try myself.

The chocolate buttercream recipe I use calls for 1 cup cocoa and 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar. One cup in the recipe you posted is not too much. It will be rich and dark, though. If you're worried about the heat, you can sub 1/2 the butter for shortening.

Ok - I guess I should try it as is first.

I used this recipe: http://cakecentral.com/recipes/18502/all-butter-american-buttercream and it came out really nicely and was super easy. My only adjustment would be to add more liquid, as its rather thick, but if you need it like that then it's perfect.

I also omitted the salt and used salted butter and it tasted fine (sweet). Hope that helps

This is the chocolate one I want to try next: http://cakecentral.com/recipes/7313/dark-chocolate-buttercream-icingfilling

You could also substitute the butter for soy milk instead of water.

Those recipes look good Tails! Wouldn't it be fun to go to a cake/frosting tasting - kind of like a wine tasting, but you get to try all these different recipes and take notes?? Sure would save time & $$ in trying them all!

Wildgirl...that is a GREAT idea!

With that much sugar, you don't have to refrigerate the cake because of the milk and butter. The sugar acts as a preservative and will keep the dairy from going bad.

I was going to say the same thing as johnnycakes. The frosting doesn't need to be refrigerated. Butter doesn't really need to be refrigerated to begin with; it just stays fresh longer if you refrigerate it, and yes, the sugar in the recipe preserves the milk.