Tangerine Decorator's Frosting

Tangerine or Tangelo Decorator's Frosting has a light, delicious citrus flavor with pretty specks of orange color. If you don't have tangerines or tangelos, you can use oranges. The frosting has a great consistency and texture that is perfect for fancy cake or cupcake decorations.



Tangerine Decorator's Frosting
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. orange extract
zest from 3 tangerine or tangelo rinds
3-1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tb. tangerine or tangelo juice
3/4 tsp. meringue powder
Makes about 3 cups of frosting.

If you have store-bought tangerines or tangelos, rinse them with hot water and rub them dry with a paper towel to remove the very thin layer of wax that farmers put on the fruit to keep the fruit fresh.

Cream butter and shortening together well. Add salt, vanilla, and orange extract. Add the tangerine or tangelo zest into the bowl and blend well. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time. Add meringue powder and mix. The icing will look pretty dry at this point. Add the juice and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 or 6 minutes. If it's too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. If the frosting is too dry, add a few more drops of juice at a time, while beating the frosting, until you achieve the desired consistency. The frosting needs to be a little stiff to make good decorations.

Leftover frosting can be refrigerated. To use the refrigerated frosting, allow the frosting to sit out for an hour or so and then rewhip the frosting for several minutes before using it, in order to get the fluffy texture back.

Melinda's Notes: I personally love the flavor of tangelos in this frosting. The recipe calls for the zest of three rinds, but only uses 2 Tb of juice, so depending on how juicy your tangerines are, you will have leftover juice. The rind adds great flavor and some beautiful specks of bright orange to the light yellow frosting.

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