Almond Buttercream

For most cakes I decorate, as seen on this blog, I tend to use my signature vanilla buttercream. Buttercream is the perfect icing for piping, spreading, decorating, and coloring. It is also simple and quick to make and, in my opinion, the tastiest! 

However, I wanted the same texture, but a slightly different flavor to go with my cocoa butter pecan tank cake. I wanted something a little nutty to go with the pecans. So on a whim, I used a good amount of almond extract in place of the usual vanilla extract. I wish there was a such thing as pecan extract, because that would have matched the flavor of the cake perfectly. I'm sure pecan extract does exist, it just definitely isn't as common and I did not have any on hand. 

The result? Almond extract certainly did add a nutty flavor, and made the icing's taste reminiscent of marzipan - a sweet almond paste candy or coating. If you like marzipan (I do), then that's definitely a good thing. Also my icing was colored with a small amount of cocoa powder, so the nutty chocolate flavor of the icing matched the nutty chocolate flavor of the cake. I am not going to use almond extract for every batch of buttercream I make from now on, but I certainly will when I desire a slightly different flavor or if it pairs better with the cake (or I am craving marzipan).