Ride the Buttercream Wave

It’s time to jump on the Buttercream Board trend and make all of your friends envy your creativity and skill. (Spoiler alert, while buttercream boards look impressive, the one I’m sharing with you today requires very little skill, so don’t be scared! If I can do it, you certainly can, too.) I will walk you through the process of making this magical Disney-Inspired Buttercream Board for your next Halloween party, movie night, or just because your had a bad week and need to sit down and devour something sweet.

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Supplies and Where to Get Them

I recently discovered that parchment paper comes in pre-cut sheets. Did you know this? (Why didn’t you tell me?). Parchment paper, much like plastic wrap, infuriates me. I have never gotten a clean tear and somehow it never fits where I need it to go. I’m happy to say that the sheets of parchment fit perfectly on the tray that I used for this recipe. (It’s the very same bamboo board that I used for the Disney-inspired Halloween Charcuterie Board.) If you can’t find pre-cut parchment in your local store, Amazon has your back with these Pop-Up Paper Parchment Sheets. (As an Amazon Associate I receive a small commission for qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.)

To make the buttercream I used my good old Kitchen Aid mixer. If you don’t already have one, yes, they are pricey, but the one that I have has been in our home for over 3 decades. They last. They make life easier. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. With the holidays coming, it might be the time to ask Santa for one. Here is the classic version that you can currently get on Amazon: KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer. It comes with the stainless steel bowl and a few attachments and it is a worthy investment if you enjoy being in the kitchen. They come in different sizes and different colors now so shop around until you find the one that clicks with you as you will have it for a long time.

Buttercream board with Mickey-shaped pumpkins in different shades of orange in a chocolate buttercream pumpkin patch with assorted snacks for dipping.

Disney-Inspired Autumn Pumpkin Patch Buttercream Board

This whimsical buttercream board will add the perfect Disney-inspired magical touch to your Halloween party, Autumn get-together, or movie night! It is pretty easy to make and it is sure to be the hit of the party that everyone will be talking about! I can almost guarantee that you will be the person that gets asked to bring the buttercream board to every party from here on out.

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

Chocolate Buttercream

1 cup butter softened to room temp
4 tbsp cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp milk

Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup butter softened to room temp
3½ cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp milk
red, yellow, and green food coloring

Dippers

assorted items for dipping into buttercream I used vanilla wafers, Teddy Grahams, and pretzel rods, but pretty much anything goes here!

Equipment

parchment paper
Stand mixer
large serving board or platter (I used the same board that I used for charcuterie last week!)
piping bags with round tip (Plastic bags with the corner cut off can be used if you don't have an actual piping bag. You'll want a round tip that is a bit bigger so that it won't take forever to fill in areas. Don't use a fine round tip – those are for small details and intricate piping.)
small offset spatula or butter knife
small bowls for mixing color into buttercream
spatula (for scraping down the bowl(s))
mesh sieve

Method

Prepare the Board

Cut a piece of parchment paper a bit smaller than your board or platter so that there is a little bit of an edge around it.
Sketch the design on the parchment paper. (Make sure it is dark enough to see the design when you flip over the parchment paper.)
Place the parchment paper with the design side DOWN on the board/platter. Set this aside for the moment.

Make the Chocolate Buttercream

In a stand mixer, whip 1 cup of butter until fluffy.
Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Add the cocoa powder to the butter mixture through a mesh sieve (this prevents lumps and you will thank me later!) Mix until combined.
Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing between each addition.
Start adding the milk one tablespoon at a time until it reaches medium consistency. (Dip a spatula into the buttercream. When lifted up, the peak should keep it's shape and maybe curl over a bit. If it is extremely stiff, just add more milk. If it is too soft, add a bit more powdered sugar.)

Make the Vanilla Buttercream

In a stand mixer, whip 1 cup of butter until fluffy.
Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing between each addition.
Start adding the milk one tablespoon at a time until it reaches medium consistency. (Dip a spatula into the buttercream. When lifted up, the peak should keep it's shape and maybe curl over a bit. If it is extremely stiff, just add more milk. If it is too soft, add a bit more powdered sugar.)
Divide the vanilla buttercream into 4 separate bowls.
Tint one bowl green, and the other three varying shades of orange.

Pipe the Design

Place the chocolate buttercream in a piping bag. Pipe the outlines of the Mickey-shaped pumpkins and fill in the area on the OUTSIDE of the pumpkins. You can pipe the buttercream kind of willy nilly in the empty space then use an offset spatula or butterknife to fill in all of the areas and make it smoother.
Place one of the orange shades of buttercream in a piping bag and fill in one of the pumpkin shapes. (I used a spiral motion for each ear as well as the body of the pumpkin.) Add a second layer of piping to the body for a 3D effect.
Repeat with the other two shades of orange to fill in the other two pumpkins.
Place the green buttercream in a piping bag and pipe a stem for each pumpkin and vine tendrils around the board.
Using the remaining shades of orange buttercream, add dots among the pumpkins and vines just to add more color and whimsy to the board.
With the remaining chocolate buttercream, pipe a border (just dots!) around the perimeter of the parchment paper. This just makes it look a bit "cleaner".

Serve and enjoy!

Serve with a variety of dippers. (I used vanilla wafers, Teddy Grahams, and pretzel rods but anything goes here! Think fruit, cookies, salty snacks – the options are endless!

Fall Party Frenzy

Let me know in the comments if you tried this Disney-Inspired Autumn Pumpkin Patch Buttercream Board. What dippers did you use?

If you are looking for other Disney-inspired Halloween or Autumn ideas, look no further! How about a Candy Corn Popcorn Bowl? I just know that you have some random candy corn in your house that nobody is eating – here is the perfect solution! Make popcorn bowls just like the ones on Main Street USA!