Ingredients

250g Block Butter (Salted Unsalted or half and half, your choice)

500g Sieved Icing Sugar

1 Tsp Milk Powder

1 Tsp Vanilla

2 Tbsp smooth peanut butter, mixed with 3 tbsp milk

(Jam if required, the amount you would like)

Method

Cube your butter up into small squares. You can do this from the fridge or room temp butter. The harder the butter the more time it will need in the microwave. This is a guide, if it is not completely firm or room temp, just do something in between.

From Hard

15 seconds in the microwave, then stir

then a further 10 seconds, stir again

If it is not ready only use 5 second bursts now.

From Soft

5 seconds in the microwave, then stir

then, further 5 second bursts until it is ready.

You are looking for the butter to be no hotter than 30C/84F, the butter should look the consistency and colour of thick custard. It should not turn florescent, if it does just keep stirring until it comes under 30C and has that creamy look.

Add the sieved icing sugar, you can do this by hand in a bowl or on the mixer.

By Hand

Add the sugar, milk powder, peanut butter/milk and the butter to a bowl and cut through until it is mostly combined.

**Then using the back of the spatula push backward and forwards into the buttercream to smooth it out. This will also push the butter and icing sugar all together. Once it has become very smooth it is ready.

(Use this for the second part of the Mixer method too)

Mixer

Add the sugar, milk powder, peanut butter/milk and butter into the bowl and using the paddle mixer on LOW, allow the mixer to partially combine the two. There should be some faint hints of icing sugar around the edges of the buttercream. If you combine it too much, air will begin to be pushed into the mix, causing those pesky bubbles!!!! The mixer should not be on longer than 40 seconds.

Now use the spatula like above** to make it all come together.

Add the jam and secure it in with a buttercream dam between the layers