Cooked Buttercream Frosting
Submitted by KitchenBarbaria... on March 03, 2011 at 4:34 am

A cooked buttercream frosting which is actually the traditional frosting for a Red Velvet cake
Yield: Enough for one 2-layer cake

2 T cornstarch
1 c milk
1 c butter or margarine
1 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Whisk the cornstarch into the milk in a small saucepan. Over a low to medium heat, cook until it thickens, whisking continuously. It will set up pretty quickly. Let it cool COMPLETELY.

When the cornstarch mixture is cool (it will be pretty well set and gelatinous, don't worry that's how it's supposed to be), cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, then beat in the cooked cornstarch mixture a little at a time. Beat beat, beat until it has the consistency of whipped cream. I beat it for 10 to 15 minutes with the whip in my KA mixer. I think it would be hard to overbeat it.

I usually make this using Parkay margarine. It makes a very rich, very light, very fluffy frosting. The flavor is very like a rich French vanilla ice cream.

If it is too rich, try using either butter flavored Crisco or half butter/margarine and half plain shortening.