Nothing beats the creamy smoothness of homemade frosting to perfect your cake or cupcakes. The American buttercream, for instance, effortlessly binds the softness of butter, powdered sugar, and the creamy delight of milk or cream into an easy-to-make, appetizing treat. You can experiment with the flavors of classic Chocolate Frosting or Blueberry-Coriander Buttercream, tweaking the recipes to complement your preferred cake or cupcake.

Pastry chef Paola Velez has a simple recipe combining vegetable shortening, butter and powdered sugar. The frosting offers a sweet surprise with an infusion of lemon zest or vanilla extract and a splash of milk for smoother consistency. Another treat is a buttercream with the velvety richness of unsweetened chocolate. The dark chocolate and butter are melted in slightly reduced heavy cream to whip up a foolproof frosting for Chocolate Cupcakes.

For cake enthusiasts, one part butter mixed with two parts cream cheese, vanilla extract and powdered sugar produce an equally tantalizing cream cheese frosting loved with classic carrot cake.

Velez also furnishes another recipe for meringue buttercream. Egg whites and sugar syrup create a glossy meringue base, enhanced when you gradually add softened butter. Flavor boosters can include lemon zest or vanilla extract.

Cream cheese reappears in this next frosting and it makes spreading so much easier. Whether on a yellow or chocolate cake, you simply can't go wrong with it. The traditional Swiss Meringue Buttercream gets a zesty twist with a blueberry coriander jam, while another frosting recipe brightens up with lemon zest and juice for an ultimate lemon dessert.

A pantry-staple chocolate frosting whisks butter and vanilla extract to fluffy perfection, which is then paired with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and a hint of milk or cream for a spreadable texture. Similar to this, another version has an optional egg yolk for an extra rich flavor and is versatile enough to complement a variety of cake flavors.

A four-ingredient American buttercream gets elevated with melted, cooled white chocolate while a simple vanilla buttercream stands out with the incorporation of Mascarpone cheese for a desirable tang. For those who want an "off-the-sweet-path" recipe, bittersweet dark chocolate gives the silky meringue frosting a rich flavor. For a different treat, peanut butter allows for a fluffy consistency of a frosting that goes well with a banana-chocolate chip cake.

Sweet lovers may indulge in a treat with gathered richness from bourbon and buttery toasted pecans for a spiced sponge cake. Matcha powder varies the classic buttercream recipe while a hazelnut-praline paste enriches a meringue buttercream. Lastly, a spicy buttercream stands out with bittersweet and white chocolate, mirroring the taste of Mexican hot chocolate with ancho chile powder, and cayenne pepper. That's the beauty of frosting: the sky is the limit, your creativity will make your cake eating experience richer and unforgettable.