We have a love for starch pastes. We have used them in doughnuts, pasta, pie fillings, and breads. A while back, I tried making frosting with vanilla pudding. It was good but not special. As Aki was reading *Marbled, Swirled, and Layered* by Irvin Lin, discussing ermine frosting, this sparked the idea of using cake trimmings as a thickening substrate and flavor base for frosting. We happened to have some freshly baked chocolate cake on hand for me to play with. How often does that magically happen? Since Aki was planning on making cookies, there was soft butter on the counter. I was able to steal her butter and use it for my frosting inspiration. I pureed cake pieces, butter, powdered sugar, and salt together to make a rich, creamy, decadent frosting. Now the cake scraps always have a home, and our frosting gets a delicious upgrade.
P.S.: *Marbled, Swirled, and Layered* is a fabulous book. It is smart, creative, and well written, all the things we love in a cookbook combined with recipes that will make you want to get into the kitchen. If you like to bake, you should definitely check it out!
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