Amplify The Flavor Of Store-Bought Frosting With A Little Bourbon

Take comfort in the little things, fellow bakers. If you've been baking desserts for a while (or even if you haven't), you know that any store-bought container of frosting can be quickly elevated to suit your tastes or theme, but most importantly, your time constraints. Out of all the add-ins out there, bourbon is the one to keep on hand at all times. Its versatility is almost limitless, pairing well with flavors like coconut pecan to make this old-fashioned German chocolate cake recipe your favorite new go-to for any occasion. Bourbon also pairs beautifully with fruity frosting flavors like lemon or strawberries and cream. Try a bourbon-tinged fruity frosting with this classic white cake recipe for a consistent crowd-pleaser. Oh, and it's just the thing for cream cheese frosting. The bourbon brings out the tanginess of the cream cheese, and it would really pop in this orangey carrot cake recipe.

The tanginess of the cream cheese pops because alcohol works as a binder with food, pushing water and fat molecules together, intensifying flavors. So the bourbon works double time here. It adds complementary flavors while amping up the ones already there. If you are unsure which bourbon to choose for your dessert pantry, here is every type of bourbon explained. Choose one with lots of vanilla notes for cake and cupcake recipes that lean on cinnamon as a primary flavor. They are perfect candidates for a bourbon-flavored vanilla, cream cheese, or a salted-caramel frosting. This is how to make apple, banana, or pumpkin cakes really shine.

Store-bought frosting is much easier to work with from a mixing bowl, but the primary reason you'll want to transfer it out of its container is to put some air into it. This improves the way the frosting looks and feels. Once you give store-bought frosting a homemade texture by fluffing it up with a mixer, use butter to improve the flavor of store-bought frosting. This is a double-whammy of tips, but both steps will make your frosting taste homemade (and you don't even have to tell anyone). After you've buttered and fluffed your frosting, add a few tablespoons of bourbon and taste it. You may want to add more, but a few tablespoons per container of store-bought frosting is a perfect starting point.

One more tip for some unique twists on your frosted baked goods is those limited-edition frosting flavors that come and go. There's a peppermint frosting out there during the holidays just begging for a little bourbon to top your next batch of chocolate peppermint cupcakes. For a fun brunch twist on an All-American flavor, Betty Crocker makes Cinnamon Toast Crunch frosting. It can really turn a plain vanilla cupcake into something extra special, and if you add a little bourbon to this cereal-based frosting, it's the (adults-only) breakfast of champions.