Q&A for How to Make Simple Five Minute Frosting

Yes. It lasts about one week or so in the refrigerator.

Yes, it can be made without using an electric mixer. Just use a whisk instead.

No, it wouldn't. Using granulated sugar would give you a gritty, gross frosting.

No, the food coloring is optional; it just gives your frosting a bright color. The extract is also optional, but the icing won't taste as good without it.

Yes, just evenly reduce each of the ingredients in the recipe.

Yes, that will work fine. You can mix it with some of the liquid first, or use it dry.

Yes, but you should leave out the additional pinch of salt if you use salted butter.

You don't have to. If you don't, though, there may be some clumps of powdered sugar in your frosting.

No. Blenders are for mixing wet/liquidy ingredients. Use a mixer or hand mixer for frosting. You may be able to use a food processor in a pinch.

Then you're better off making a cooked frosting like ermine icing (aka flour buttercream) or seven-minute/white mountain frosting, a meringue or French buttercream, or a sweetened whipped cream. This style of American buttercream will be a gritty mess without something to dissolve the larger crystals.

Salted butter would make your buttercream taste salty, so I wouldn't recommend it.

Sure, you can use vanilla flavor in place of extract. Just be aware it's not pure and it isn't as good for you as the extract but it's fine in a pinch.

You can use regular granulated sugar if you have blended it (with or without cornflour) in a blender. That will turn it into your powdered sugar.

No, the caster auger will give the butter cream a gritty feel and it will not be smooth.