Liqueur-Flavored Buttercream

Adding liquor or liqueurs, or any liquid, to buttercream must be done judiciously. Too much liquid will cause the buttercream to break or curdle irretrievably. You may achieve a delicate liquor flavor by adding up to ¼ cup liqueur to a small batch of buttercream or ⅓ cup to a large batch. You will need to stir the buttercream vigorously from time to time to resmooth it, as the liquid makes it less stable. More liquid may be added if the buttercream has chocolate in it (chocolate stabilizes buttercream so that it can handle more liquid without breaking). If additional or stronger liquor flavoring is desired, brush liquor directly on the cake layers in addition to flavoring the buttercream.