Do This Before Using Store-Bought Icing

Sometimes you might find yourself in a hurry to put a cake together for dessert or to take as a gift for someone. Whether you are simply out of time or just don't want to wash the bowl for your mixer to whip up some icing yourself, store-bought icing can actually be a great option. With a few tips and tricks, you can even elevate the stuff straight from the jar until it tastes downright homemade. And don't just take our word for it, The Pioneer Woman has been known to doctor-up this store-bought convenience item for delicacies like chocolate cake, too.

The first tip for making store-bought frosting taste better is to add a pinch of salt or a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract to make the flavor more vibrant (via Lifestyle of a Foodie). Other add-ins to consider are heavy whipping cream or cream cheese. Heavy whipping cream can be added in equal parts to the frosting to lighten it. An eight-ounce block of cream cheese on the other hand will add richness to the icing. But if you aren't looking to add anything at all, there is still a way to make store-bought frosting even better.

According to Thrifty Fun, you should use your mixer to whip store-bought icing for myriad payoffs. By whipping your frosting, it will give you a lot more for your money because it will whip air into the frosting making it more voluminous. Whipping the icing can actually make it double in size. That means you can frost a lot more cupcakes or cake with a single can of icing. Another benefit is that it makes the icing a lot lighter and fluffier, which also makes it easier to work with since it isn't as heavy. Without any other additional ingredients, you can have plenty of delicious frosting by doing nothing more than letting it mix with your stand mixer or hand mixer for a minute or two.

Another interesting way you can use store-bought frosting is in the microwave. If you heat it up for a bit, the icing will turn into a liquid. That liquid frosting can then be used to dip things like cake cubes, pretzels, marshmallows, brownies, or most anything you'd like. However, the best part is that the frosting will harden again and turn into something of a shell, like you'd use on ice cream. So, give it a try and experiment with your store-bought frosting.