This recipe came out of necessity—we ran out of unsalted and salted butter in the fridge so when it came time to do the frosting of a birthday cake, we improvised! If you're a parent of a young kiddo you're familiar with foods needing to be just right for them to be eaten. In our case of improvising, we discovered making a buttercream frosting with our holiday Chocolate Butter was the perfect balance. The birthday kid in question isn't a big fan of rich chocolate deserts. But the chocolate butter was just the right amount of chocolate flavor to get an enthusiastic two thumbs up! Cover with naturally-dyed sprinkles and it's the best birthday cake ever. We adapted the King Arthur Flour quick buttercream frosting recipe for this. This cake also features the King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Cake Mix which is delicious if you need something quick and easy. We added naturally-dyed sprinkles to the mix, as well as on top of the cake, but you can also buy the cake mix with confetti. 

INGREDIENTS

• 8 Tbl Ploughgate Chocolate Cultured Butter
• 2-4 Tbl Milk, 2% or whole is fine
• 2.5 to 3 cups of confectioners' sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Make sure the butter is at room temperature and somewhat soft. Not cold or hard.
2. Beat the butter in a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer until it's whipped and fluffy. 
3. Add the vanilla if you're using any.
4. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar, careful it doesn't poof out of the bowl.
5.  Add 2 tablespoons of the milk, and beat with the mixer until smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then keep mixing. 
6. You can adjust the consistency of the frosting by adding more confectioners' sugar or milk until you reach the consistency you like. 
7. Frost your cooled cake as desired. Enjoy!