Frosting
3 oz butter or marg
10 - 12 oz icing sugar
milk and/or cream to mix
1 tsp vanilla essence
(1-2 oz coconut or chopped nuts)
With a fork, cut butter into the sugar, as one would for pastry, until mixture is like fine crumbs. (If softened, you can use the mixer for this step.)
Pour in a little milk or cream, and beat until smooth and light, adding more liquid as required, and the vanilla. Add nuts or coconut, if used. A good, general-purpose icing, not too heavy or cloying.
For chocolate icing, replace 1-2 oz of icing sugar with 1-2 oz of cocoa and seive together. Makes a very chocolate icing, with good cocoa.
This icing is used for the moist Chocolate Cake and is just about the right amount to cover it well.