quantities for icing and buttercream for fairy cakes?

[sparklyshoos]

How much icing to water would you use for fairy cakes (recipe for 12) and how much butter to icing sugar would you use for buttercream (and would you add anything else?). Also anybody got any recipes for chocolate buttercream?

I've become very good at following some of Nigella's yummy cake toppings, but am just looking for simple ones like I used to make as a child and can't rememebr them! TIA.

40 grams butter

75 grams icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

not sure about chocolate buttercream - just melt some chocolate and stir it in, I guess?

thanks SSB!

Hope it comes out okay!

you just add cocoa powder to make chocolate icing... a bit at a time till you get the desired taste/colour combo.. this is what i do anyway...good quality green and blacks cocoa though ..

mostly i use vanilla extract.. orange and lemon are ok but I would suggest zesting an orange/lemon/lime/mandarin and adding the zest and a bit of juice at a time till it tastes right... mmm