Brandy Butter Icing

I have taken a radical break from the norm this year and iced the Christmas cake with butter icing (with brandy to make it Christmasy). Weatherills use royal icing on their Christmas cakes, and have for GENERATIONS. but I thought something that goes a bit less rock hard would be a nice change.

100g Butter
300g Icing sugar
2 tblsp Golden Syrup
2 tblsp Brandy (or whisky or perhaps an orange flavour spirit would be nice)

Mix together the butter and icing, it will probably crumb rather than go in to a paste unless the butter is very warm. Add the golden syrup and brandy and beat until fluffy and holding peaks. It should be a pale cream colour.

This makes enough to ice my 9 inch cake.