Almond buttercream frosting is a delicious topping on chocolate and vanilla cakes, and is stiff enough to use for decorating cupcakes and cookies. Almond-flavored icing also complements many cherry desserts, as almonds are in the same botanical family as cherries. Cakes that are iced with almond buttercream frosting need not be refrigerated so long as they are stored at a cool room temperature. The high amount of sugar in buttercream frosting acts as a preservative.
Cream the butter, almond extract and vanilla extract with an electric beater in a large mixing bowl. Set the beater's speed to medium and cream the butter for about 2 minutes. The butter will become fluffier and noticeably lighter in color.
Blend 1 cup of confectioners' sugar and 1/4 almond flour in to the butter. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
Continue blending confectioners' sugar into the buttercream frosting 1 cup at a time. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk with each addition of sugar to keep the icing smooth.
Blend for 1 minute after the final addition of sugar to make the almond buttercream frosting fluffy.
Spread the frosting on cooled cakes and cupcakes, or use as a filling for sandwich cookies. Sprinkle the frosting with slivered almonds if you desire.
Store any leftover almond buttercream frosting in the refrigerator.
