Indydebi's Crisco-Based Buttercream Icing

I was given this recipe over 25 years ago by a friend and it’s the only icing recipe I’ve ever used. (I actually didn’t know there were other “wedding cake icing” recipes out there!). All measurements are approximate since I’m a “until it looks right cook”. Too thin? Add more sugar. Too thick? Add more milk. Luv the flavor of vanilla? Throw lots of it in there! This icing crusts VERY well and holds up great in extreme heat and humidity (passed the “sat outdoors in 90 degrees in August humidity in Indiana for over 5 hours” test!)

Indydebi’s Crisco-Based Buttercream Icing

Ingredients

  • 1-1/3 cups Cricso
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup milk, depending on consistency needed
  • 3 Tbsp powdered Dream Whip (*)
  • 2-3 Tbsp clear vanilla, depending on your personal taste
  • 2 lbs powdered sugar
  • (*) A powdered whipped topping mix made by Kraft Foods, usually found in the cake/sugar aisle in the grocery.

Instructions

  1. There’s no wrong way to mix this. I usually mix all but the powdered sugar for a minute or two, then gradually add the sugar, but the only reason I did this was to avoid the “sugar-splash” factor. The longer the mixer runs, the smoother it gets. Sifting the powdered sugar before blending helps with smoothness but is not necessary.

Comments (195)

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Delicious! Very easy to make, and very tasty too. The only slight change I made was I added a dash of salt to the combined ingredients to cut down the sweetness more to our taste. Other than that, this recipe will be the standard BC around here!

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This tastes wonderful and holds up well to heat. My family will eat it straight from the bowl with a spoon, if I let them. I have flavored it many different ways...butter rum, coconut, almond, mint, chocolate, amaretto, bourbon, etc...and they have all been delicious.

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Hiya - Indydebi, Id love to use this recipe but living in UK im having difficulty getting Dream Whip - what could I use instead?

Many thanks! Dee :)

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This recipe was a great! Measurements were perfect, smooths well, tastes great, and super easy. Thanks so much for sharing, my new fav!!!

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Hi Debi, just saw your recipe post and had to comment, this is the same buttercream recipe my mom use to make over 25 years ago too... would you believe she got it from a friend in Indiana! I am just wondering if her friend and your friend are one in the same; wouldn't that be a hoot! I do agree, it is probably the best one out there. Thanks for sharing.

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Hi Debi, I know you said it could withstand heat & humidity but with the milk I'm assuming you have to refrigerate? What's if used under fondant?

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hi debbi, i was wondering if i could make a chocolate version of this buttercream recipe. if so how? thanks for the help.

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I've just made up a batch of this and it tastes great! I'm from the UK and I think i've managed to convert the measurements and ingredients correctly! (For other UKers I used Trex instead of crisco and Birds dream topping instead of dream whip) Would we just replace some sugar with cocoa for a chocolate version? Also can it be frozen? As I think I will have a lot left over! Thanks so much for this recipe!! xx

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- I use it under fondant. - I do not refrigerate it. - Yes, you use the Dream Whip in the powder form. - Yes, it's a crusting BC ... it's the big factor of why it's become so popular. - To make a good chocolate crusting BC, honestly, I use Hershey's Icing recipe on the side of the cocoa can! :-) But you can add melted chocolate or cocoa to this one to make it chocolate. Don't ask me how much. Just add it "until it looks right"!

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I tried this recipe tonight and wow! I am not a fan of BC but this is YUMMY! Not sickingly sweet, just right. Thank you indydebi!

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Delouise, thanks for the UK tip - would you be able to share the UK measurements with me? Thanks a mil Dee x

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Hiya, I am in the UK and really keen to try this recipe. I would be interested in getting the UK measurements too. Thanks!

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The powdered Dream Whip part is just something with which I cannot hang. My cakes are made from scratch, with no aluminum, as are the frostings. I wonder if the Dream Whip can be replaced with something else.... the ingredients for it are:

Sugar, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Propylene Glycol Monostearate (For Uniform Blending), Corn Syrup, Sodium Caseinate (From Milk), Whey (From Milk), Sodium Silicoaluminate, Acetylated Monoglycerides (For Uniform Blending), Hydroxylated Soy Lecithin (For Uniform Blending), Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (Thickener), Artificial Flavor, Natural Flavor, Bha (Preservative), Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Beta Carotene (For Color), Citric Acid (Preservative).

Anyone got any "real food" ideas?

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Thanks for sharing! Great icing recipe - less sweet and more smooth than most other BC recipes , which I was searching for. My question is: does it freeze well?

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I was curious about the Dream Whip too. The recipe is similar to what I use now but I don't use Dream Whip in it. I try to keep my recipes as "natural" as possible. That being said, I'm still going to try this to see just how well it crusts.

Thanks for sharing your "trade" secrets Debi!

on

I've used vanilla extract and lemon, just half and half and talk about cutting the sweetness! My sis who doesn't like sweet icing really enjoyed this.

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hmm. did we ever get an answer to how long will this icing last, and does it have to be refridgerated??? Thank you.

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can i use meringue powder instead of dream whip? im in aust. and as far a si know we have absolutely nothing like that...thanks!

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I used this recipe tonight and absolutely loved it!! To answer questions, I think as long as its not dry it should be ok. I'd say a couple days and i didn't refridgerate mine. Yes its crisco shortening, it does seem like alot of shortening, but when you add all the ps in it really isn't. As far as the almond extract, just play with it. Maybe try a T of each and see what it does, you can always add more of either one. I've made homemade BC before and it was grainy from the ps, but this is perfect to color and tip on! Great recipe!

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I see someone had asked if you can use meringue powder instead of the powder Dream Whip, can you I can't find the dream whip in my area?

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Oh no my dream whip is chocolate. i went to the only 2 stores in town and only 1 had it but chcocalte. has anyone tried the chocolate? Also can butter be used instead of crisco?

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Tried this out today. It's great. As I live in the UK , I used trex and Birds dream topping as suggested. The BC I usually make is half butter and half trex ( crisco ) this is so much smoother, this one is a keeper. Does anyone have any answers on how to store this best. Can it be frozen, as I have alot of leftovers this time.

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HOLY COW - this is awesome! Granted, I don't have much to compare it to - I've only used the Wilton BC prior to, but this is great! Tastes much better!! Making this my standard BC now - I used a butter vanilla flavoring this time - I can't wait to play with some other flavors;)

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I'm in Korea and also can't get Dream Whip, so when I make this recipe I replace the milk with heavy whipping cream. Not an ideal solution because the cream makes it require refrigeration and probably also changes the frosting's workability (I wouldn't know; I've never been able to make it with Dream Whip to compare), plus it adds a lot more fat, but it still makes a great BC that tastes fantastic and crusts fairly well.

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ALERT! Now is the time to by stock in Kraft Foods! This is now my standard BC too! Thanks so much for the recipe! WOW!

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Can anybody out there tell me what store they found the dream whip at?? A list of some stores would be helpful, I'm very anxious to try this receipe. That would at least help me locate where this stuff is at. Thanks!! If all else fails...amazon sells it! ;)

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It seems as I am the only one, but I didn't care for this recipe. I thought it was WAY too sweet. I tried adding some salt which did help but then all I could taste was the lard-like taste of crisco. I made my usual bc recipe and mixed this in......still just ok.

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ivymeister - I found mine at Wal-Mart. It was in the same aisle as the jello, marshmallows, etc (was not in the cake aisle - at least at my Wal-Mart)

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AdorableCakes, I'm not sure if you can. But, I tried to make sugarshacks sweetex recipe once using crisco and it was AWFUL!!! So, I would not suggest it. They are not the same at all. Sugarshacks recipe is fabulous though. If you don't have crisco, I'd use her recipe.

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Dream whip is like a powdered form of whipped topping orwhipping cream, so you could probably use those as a substitute for the dream whip. And meringue powder is powdered egg white so it probally wouldn't work.

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I've been reading all the comments and suggestions posted here. I'm intrigued by the recipe and will be trying it out. I really like the taste that using some butter gives to buttercream icing. Has anyone tried this one out with substituting butter for some of the shortening? Is this recipe still good with Crisco since they changed its formulation?

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I think I might be able to clear up a few questions. You can substitute butter if you wish. One time I used Dream Whip with another recipe that called for a stick each of salted and unsalted butter and I think 1/2 cup of shortening, flavoring and sugar and the result was this but with a more buttery taste to it. It was perfect. This icing can be used for anything that you would use bc for. It's a great, standard, use as you wish frosting.

It can be made into chocolate bc. I used three squares (3 oz) of Baker's Unsweetened chocolate. At first I added two melted squares as I was creaming the shortening, but after I added the sugar and tasted it, I deemed another square of chocolate was necessary. I added it in after the frosting was "done" and it still came out fine. Also this time instead of milk, I used something I saw on Sharon Z's dvd. I used non-dairy coffee creamer, dissolved in warm water. I think the end result was a little softer and lighter than I recall from the previous times I've made this. Perhaps it's the temperature of the water that makes it creamier. Who knows.

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I am from South Africa and not too sure what to use instead of crisco and powdered Dream whip / topping. I think the crisco is the equivelant to our "wooden spoon which margarine", it is vegitable based. Have no clue about the powdered dream whip though. Can anyone help. Please

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I was looking for a new different BC recipe. I tried this one first and am no longer looking for one. I absolutely love this recipe. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. It is so easy to make and easy to use and was very forgiving when I made a huge mistake. It also is very easy to use when doing BC transfers! It is a little on the sweet side, but at least it doesn't leave the Crisco film in your mouth like the one I was using before. The only thing my DH didn't like about it is that I keep saying how much I LOVE this BC. Thank you so much for sharing!!! I plan on trying different flavorings in the very near future!!

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Tried to read all of the posts about this icing but did not find the answer. Does this icing work well with the transfat free crisco? I am having trouble getting sweetex shortening.

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I used this recipe with half sweetex and half butter. It is very easy to make and tastes great! I just made 4 double batches in under an hour. Thank you so much for this recipe!

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It works fabulously! I love it! Tastes very good, and it's very versitile. Thank you for sharing your recipe becasue honestly I was having a terrible time with buttercream that would hold up to the heat and humidity in Alabama. But it doesn't even waiver! Thank you very much!

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Im from the uk...Just tried this recipe using half crisco (trex) and half butter and it tastes fab!! kids love it too very smoothe and not too sweet....This ones a keeper many thanks mandy

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i love this recipe and so do my customers! the only things i changed was adding a little sugar, and using 1 tbsp. vanilla, 1 tbsp. butter flavor, and 1 tbsp. almond. thanks for sharing!

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I would like to thank you for such a great BC, i used it the other day for a baby shower cupcake tower and was asked by at least 5 people the recipe, i am from england and used trex and dream topping, i fully intend to use this recipe from now on, Thanks again......Love it x

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I used this recipe this past weekend for an outside baby shower and it was a huge hit. Everybody loved it and they had no idea it didn't have any butter in it. Thanks again for such a wonderful recipe.

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Okay, I'm going to have to try this recipe. I tried the Wilton one and nobody ate the all shortening icing, but I'll give this one a try!

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dream whip is in your cake isle. usually by the premade crusts and any pie fillings. Its made by Kraft. I def added salt to this recipe to cut back on the sweetness. Really great recipe if you want to smooth your buttercream out. I usually spray with a little water and smooth with my offset spatula. if you are going to store it, place in a tupperware or plastic container. I put mine in saran wrap and it got all greasy :-(

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so excited to try this recipe i just bought supplies for it and on my way to get a new Kitchenaid stand mixer so a double plus soo excited

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Dream Whip and meringue powder are not the same thing. They're both used as an emulsifier in frosting recipes, but the Dream Whip works much better. It blends with the Crisco to keep it from feeling greasy in your mouth.

Walmart sells Dream Whip. It's always near the Jello pie mixes. Substituting whipping cream or cool whip is not going to do the same thing as adding the powder.

The recipe doesn't need refrigeration. The amount of sugar in it is sufficient to act as a preservative to the small amount of milk in the recipe.

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I had two bad experiences with this recipe and won't be using it anymore. It did not hold up under fondant (my fondant is only 1/8" thick too) and my cake was ruined. Further, although it initially smooths fairly well, after it sits overnight it cracks, sags, and dimples all over. I live in FL and it's fairly humid here...maybe that has something to do with it. I find that Sharon Zambito's (SugarShack) recipe is tried and true.

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I made this recipe last night and it didn't taste good at all. I was really hoping for a different outcome since most the reviews seemed very good and it has such a high rating. I could not get past the crisco taste. I also felt that besides just tasting crisco it had that cheap confectioner's sugar taste as well. I tried adding more butter flavoring, some almond extract, and finally even some vanilla beans but I could not make it work :(

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This is the BEST Crisco-based buttercream recipe I have tried. I have tried a few others and they always have that Crisco taste and feel. Not this icing! I relied on all the reviews and made it for a wedding cake this past weekend without testing it out beforehand. The flavor complimented the cake perfectly. The only issue I had with it is that I piped rosettes over the entire cake and until the icing started to get warmed up, it was breaking a bit and just didn't have a smooth, creamy look to it. I added a 1/2 c. of milk but next time I will probably add just a tad more. A truly excellent recipe!!

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The heat and humidity has been just awful lately, and I'm fed up with melty, oozy, uncooperative buttercream. At the same time, I hate the greasy mouth-feel of Crisco buttercreams. But since this recipe is so popular, I decided to give it a shot.

I'm glad I did. The daffodil flowers I made yesterday held up beautifully, and they're still solid. I also used it to ice my cake; it went on smooth and was easy to work with.

To top it all off, it tastes pretty good and doesn't leave a greasy film in your mouth. I might just stick with this recipe!

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To some of those that were unhappy with the results...try the recipe one more time but whip the crisco for about 10-15 minutes first...then the rest of the recipe. The longer the Crisco whips the lighter it seems to get. I use both this and Sharon's recipe. I always seem to have Crisco on hand but I don't always have Sweetex or high ratio available when I need it!

Tonight I am going to try again but will me making a slight substitution. I am going to try a flavored creamer in place of milk. Maybe it will work...maybe not. Worth a try.

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I gotta admit... I am a HUGE skeptic when it comes to bc only because I cannot handle any shortening typically because of the greasy feeling it leaves at the back of my throat. I was looking for a new recipe because my Wilton with all butter and no shortening was getting a little too heavy and sweet. I just made this and I have to say that it's the BEST frosting I have ever had. It's such a good mix between whipped cream and bc!!! I'm so excited about this .. I'm pretty sure that I will never need to search for a new frosting again! Thank you so very much for this.. it's a cake saver!! *haha* that was a lil retarded :oP

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Fantastic frosting! I use 2 TBsp Vanilla and 1 TBsp Butter flavor and it is so good! And works perfectly every time!

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I made this frosting for the first time last night. It is a little bit gritty. Did I not mix it enough? How will I know if I overmix it?

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Only one word can describe this icing...yummmmmmmm

I tried it a while ago and for some reason it didn't come out. I don't know if maybe my powdered sugar was old or what but it was really gritty. I made it again tonight for a specialty cake I'm doing tomorrow and it is FABULOUS!! Thanks Indydebi for sharing this wonderful recipe. I can't wait to add different flavorings to it. The only thing I didn't do was add vanilla extract and it's still great!

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Ohmygoodness, this is delicious! It's so creamy and light! Thank you for sharing, Indydebi. It's my new go-to BC. :)

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I need to try this recipe. I've read that a lot of people use it. I've been always using the wilton and my costumer never complain, maybe now when they try it they will taste the difference. Can't wait to try it.

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OMG! I am just starting out and trying new things but this is the BEST recipe ever! It made my fondant application sooooooooooooo much easier. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!

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CAN THIS RECIPE BE DOUBLED FROM THE BEGINNING FOR A 6 QUART MIXER, OR DO I NEED TO MAKE A FEW BATCHES..HOW MUCH DOES THIS MAKE?

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I don't know if this will help anyone who can't find the dream whip stuff, but it was more near the jellos and puddings section which at my Kroger was a bit further from the cakes and mixes. I thought I could not find it but a glance to the bottom shelf in the corner I spotted it.

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OH MY GOSH!! THIS B/C IS THE BEST!!! NO FILM CRISCO AFTERTASTE AND I USED HALF CRISCO AND 1/2 BUTTER!! IT'S AMAZING! THANK YOU INDYDEBI!! THIS IS MY NEW B/C RECIPE SURE TO PLEASE ANYONE I BET! CANT WAIT TO TRY IT WITH OTHER EXTRACTS!! THANK YOU , THANK YOU!

JENIFER

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Charlotte, thanks for sharing :-) jenscreativity: where do you live? wondering if the addition of butter will affect stability at high temp :|

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I just made the recipe yesterday and it tastes great but doesn't crust. What did I do wrong? I tried to do the viva method and is sticking to it.

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I just made it for a wedding cake today and it did not crust. Any clue as to what I did wrong? I did double the recipe and put a little meringue powder as well, but other than that followed the recipe to a T...so I'm not sure why it did not crust.

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Please could someone help. I am from South Africa and I am not sure what to use for the Crisco and the Powdered Dream Whip. I would love to try this as it is my daughters birthday next month. From doing some searching I think that the crisco is equivelent to our white margerine, not sure if I am correct. Please help

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This is, bar none, the BEST BC icing ever! My family loves it, my friends love it, and I love it! Anyone who is a Crisco snob about BC should try this recipe - YOU WILL BE CONVERTED! Thank you Debi - you Rock!

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I have been using this frosting today and I won't be again.. It doesn't taste much different than Wilton, IMO. It is just lighter and fluffier. Also, after it set up on my cake, it cracked everywhere!

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IndyDebi, thankyou so much for this recipe! It's on eof the bc's I have ever tasted! It tastes like my Grandma's old bc! Even my husband who doesn't like icing that much loved it! Can't wait to try out other flavours!~

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This recipe is great. I just made it. Have a question though: my BC tasted grainy. Any suggestions outside of sifting the pdr sugar to remove that texture? I sifted the pdr. sugar yet it left a film/grainy feel in my mouth. Also, to store leftovers, can it be refrigerated as any other BC?

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I had the same problem until I switched ps. Make sure it pure cane sugar. The package will say it.

I made it with 1 c of cocoa powder and add more whipping cream instead of milk. It tastes like great but next time probally only would do 2/3c.

I also made a batch of almond. I ran out of dream whip so I skipped it and it still tasted great.

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Hi, really want to try this recipe, does anyone know the UK amounts? If not can someone tell me if it is 1 and a 1/3 of Crisco or something else, I can't quite work it out. Thanks

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Lucieland, I am from UK and have just made my adaptation of this recipe in ounces!

4 ounces butter 4 ounces trex 16 ounces icing sugar 3 tablespoons dream topping 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tablespoon milk

Hope that helps - mine looks and tastes good, hope it lasts well all night as I am making a very early morning batch of cupcakes for a birthday party!

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Thank you so much for the UK measurements, think I might try that in a bit, got cakes waiting to be iced......oooh so excited!!!

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OK, can anyone help. I made this, and it tastes absolutely delicious, very pleased. Only problem I had is that it did not crisp up on the outside as much as I wanted it to? Could I add a bit of egg white/meringue powder to help it along? Thanks

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this is an amazing recipe, definitely replace with your wiltons one, makes 5 cups enough for 60 cupcakes piped with roses (2D) and swirls (1M), great hold, nice taste, beat shortening for 15 mins before adding other ingredients, i used 1 cup shortening and 1/3 cup butter

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I made this recipe twice & both times my BC has tons of air bubbles. Any advice as to what would cause the air bubbles? I used to use the Wilton BC recipe & also had issues with air bubbles. I am not sure what I am doing wrong. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Dchinda, You're probably either mixing on too high a speed or for too long. This and Wilton butter cream recipe should be don on the lowest speed and to be mixed just untill all ingredients are incorporated.

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On first glance this was the ugliest icing I'd ever seen! (Prob mixed it too long), it had more air than I had time to deal with. But this was just my test run, so I wasn't giving up on it. I iced the cake anyway and after smoothing (viva method) I was amazed! worked awesome! air and all. The cake wasn't for me so I'd have to wait a day to taste it. I have to say, I'll work with it til I get it right, because it taste great! I'm sold!!

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This buttercream was awesome! I have been using it for 3 months now, and I have been tweaking it jsut a bit to make it less sweet! I only put in 1T of vanilla and I think it helps! Other than that, everyone loves the recipe! Thanks for posting it!

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Made this last night and I like it, I added a few other extract flavors to it. It crusted very well... in fact next time I am gonna add a little less sugar (just a lil less) b/c it crusted so fast. I love the idea of adding some butter in place of the crisco, I'll have to try that soon. Oh and I did add some salt (they) say it's cuts down on the sweet taste so I threw some in there. I did cupcakes so I dont know how sell it's smooths, but it seemed like it would do great.

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Hi. Im going to try to make this butter cream frosting since ive tried to make flowers but they've come out saggy not so good, and would like to know if i need to use 1 and 1/3 cup shortening ? little confused. I would apreciate your help.

Thank you.

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I have been using this recipe for almost a year and I really love it. To answer everyone's question about the shortening amounts, it is 1 and 1/3 c shortening. I always use 1 c shortening and 1/3 c salted butter. The shortening I use is not Crisco but an off brand that has trans fats. I usually flavor it with vanilla bean paste but have also with lemon juice and zest, same with key lime juice. Tonight I am going to try cheesecake flavoring...hope it works out! Oh yea, just a tip....if it's turning out gritty try adding the dream whip alternately with the liquid, should do the trick!

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I love this recipe, however, something went wrong with my recent batch and I follow the recipe to a T, except I doubled the ingredients to ensure I had more than 6 cups of icing. I don't know went wrong, as I cream the shortening on low for about 10 minutes. I have a Cuisinart 6qt stand mixer with the timer, so I programmed for 10 minutes exactly. Once the crisco looked sour cream like, I added the remainder of the ingredients and then added the PS last. I add my PS one bag at a time too. This batch came out really dry and stiff. So I remedied and added 7 tablespoons of coffeemate creamer mixed with hot water, I also added 2 tablespoons of cool whip which have it a smooth creamy texture. I also had to add an extra 1.5 cup of PS. Hopefully it crust. :-}

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I have used this recipe for the last year and it is now my standard crusting BC. Recently my daughter wanted pink frosting and I made a strawberry cake and wanted to frost it with strawberry icing. i used this recipe followed (used the 1/3 cup of milk) then added a small jar of strawberry preserves that I first pureed in my Magic Bullet. This frosting was AWESOME! It even still crusted perfectly!

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Oh my goodness this is so good! So much better than any of the other butter cream recipes I've tried. I am in love! Thank you so much for sharing this!

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Does Anyone knows how can I replace Crisco and Dream Whip? In Mexico city they're not available. I was wondering if instead of Crisco can I use margarine, but with Dream Whip I'm completely clueless... Could regular Whipped Cream work well? Any Ideas? Any Mexican or latinamerican baker who wants to help? Thank you so much in advance!!!

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This was great! I usually make my frosting with all butter, but living in South Florida, I needed something that would hold up for my niece's birthday party at the beach, with no covering. This held up perfectly under the fondant and the taste was a hit. My first batch turned out grainy, but I'm positive it was the bag of sugar I was using. This tasted so much different than another crisco based recipe I've used.

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Made this icing for the first tie this weekend. Overall the icing is a great recipe and tastes great too. I did have a problem with air bubbles. Any suggestions on what I did wrong or how to prevent the bubbles in the future???

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I am making a wedding cake for a June 4th wedding, I live in SC...this is a outdoor wedding under a tent so the cake will NOT be in direct sunlight but will be exposed to heat and humidity (possible 80-85 degrees). I hope and pray this recipe will work, I am going to give it a try and pray that it all works out! I at least have hope....thank you!

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Just made this last night. Yuck!!!! Not a fan at all! I dont know if im just not a fan of crusting buttercream or what, but had a heck of a time using fondant with this. Sorry, its not getting a second chance!

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Just made this and it is delicious! I does give a slight greasy feeling on my lips but not that much. Will be using this as my go to American buttercream.

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Like Babylittrell's post, there are no such things as Crisco or Dream whip in Vanuatu. ( or in Australia either as far as I know!) What exactly are they, or what is the equivalent. I really don't want to have to import yet more ingredients just to try it out.

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Has anyone used this to decorate cupcakes? Will this icing be too hard or crust too much for people to bite into with cupcakes? The reviews look so good that I'm gonna try it on cupcakes and see how it tastes :)

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This is THE BEST recipe for frosting ever!!!! I have a question though- I made a cake and frosted it last night with this frosting recipe for a charity event tonight that has now been canceled and rescheduled for next Friday night- do you think if I wrapped the box the cake is in tightly with plastic wrap and refridgerated it, it would be fine for a week? Or could I wrap the box tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it?? or would that ruin the cake and frosting? help!

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Pearl 645, this recipe works amazing on cupcakes as well! Just make sure to let the cupcakes sit at room temperature for an hour before serving to let the frosting soften up- it gets hard in the fridge but will soften up wonderfully at room temp.

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Finally Found a Buttercream that works for me!!! I used this recipe this weekend for my luau party cake and I loved it you really can tweak it however you want. I added Key Lime to mine and it still crusted well and wasnt overly sweet it was awesome thanks so much for sharing this recipe!

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This is the BEST ever!! I LOVE that it can be smoothed with paper after it crusts without sticking to the paper and gives a flawless finish. My cake had a perfectly smooth buttercream finish. LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

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I decided to use this recipe last minute a couple of weekends ago after being persuaded by CC when I posted about being anxious. I needed a bc that with uphold in 100 degree weather... and not only that but on a boat in a lake, so imagine the humidity as well! It was wonderful! I'm a newbie so I didn't smooth it but I did decorate and it was a blast. Now that I've been playing more with cakes, I will definately make it again and try to smooth it out. Also I used it to pipe black letters and a music staff. I first made it brown with cocoa powder then used gel color to make it black. The icing underneath was a leaf green.. the black did NOT bleed, not one bit!

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I finally tried this recipe after all the amazing reviews! I thought it was pretty good. I am gonna wait to see how the customers react to it as I am accustomed to using wilton's BC recipe and I am familiar with the butter taste in the recipe. I thought this BC was a lot lighter and not as sweet as the wilton BC which is probably a really good thing as a lot of ppl dislike very sweet cake and sweet icing. Will be back to post on client reviews! I used it with the French vanilla WASC cake.

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Hi Misty 121 from South Africa, not sure if you ever got your answer, but here goes, this might help. I'm in Durban. I had a similar query to you, I wanted to try a US receipe including Cristo. I substituted Holsum (Yuk!) for the Cristo. It tasted fantastic, I did not tell anyone that Holsum was in the ingredients! I dabbled further and found a 2nd recipe - Decorator Cream Cheese - altjough I found it on another sight I see it was posted 17 May (Posted by azeboi2005 in Frostings) which has an excellent rating. The ingredients are simpler, 50% butter & 50% Cristo. I understand that our SA baking industry does substitue Wooden Spoon (as you thought) for Cristo. I am in the middle of doing this whith the Decorator Cream Cheese Recipe. So far it is tasting yummy. Have you had any luck finding white vanilla extract, (to keep icing white)? A lot of overseas recipes call for parchment (baking paper) did you know that in South Africa the product called - Baking Paper, manufactured by Unsgaard is the same? And it is excellent.

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Need advice, first time I made this it was PERFECT! Now I can't seem to get it right. Today it cracked after it crusted. ALOT! I could not get it sommth. Does anyone know what I may have done wrong this time? Too much sugar? Not sure and need a little advice. Thanks!!

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I need some help. I made this recipe once and it was PERFECT!! Now I can not get it right. Today it cracked, ALOT. It cracked after it crusted. Does anyone have any idea about what I may be doing wrong. Please help. Any suggestions would be very helpful.

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i have been making something like this for last 2 years in my cakes, i use Trex icing sugar either white chocolate melted or white chocolate spread it tastes lovely great to pipe and some people who have had cakes off me have frozen them and say it tastes just as lovely when defrosted.

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NOTE TO EVERYONE WHO CANNOT FIND DREAM WHIP:. I used this recipe minus the dream whip and it is AWESOME! I cannot imagine that dream whip could make it any better. I wouldn't drive all over town looking for that last ingredient. Just eliminate it if you must. If I ever run across it in a store, I will pick some up, but I am very happy with this recipe despite that I didn't use the dream whip. I ( Like some previous posters) used a pinch of salt and I used 1 TBSP Clear Vanilla and 1 TBSP Clear Butter Flavoring. I HOPE THIS HELPS

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someone mentioned off brand shortening that contains trans fats. What is the brand? What's in it since I never looked at Crisco's ingredients way back before they changed their formulation? Why would they do this to us cake decorators?! No one eats Crisco for health reasons to begin with! I've looked at off brands and they contain animal fat (lard?). thanks

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This is probably the dumbest question I'll ever ask but I am so confused. It says 1 and 1/3 cups of crisco, I have always gone by sticks. As far as my knowledge goes, 1 cup is 2 sticks, so does this mean 2 sticks of crisco and then however much 1/3 cups is (that is indicated on the side wrapper)

Any help will be super awesome, I'm pretty sure I made the buttercream with less crisco than I should have this past weekend! Oops.

Thanks in advance!!

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angelpyang... i use the crisco baking sticks... one stick equals one cup and the measurements are on the label so you can cut 1/3 off a second stick. I can't wait to try this tonight.. I hope its just as good as everyone says it is.

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Made this today used 1/2 cup milk and 3 tbsp clear vanilla tasted ok. Didn't taste like buyer though. Next time I will use butter flavored Crisco and the buttered vanilla mix I get at the cake shop. This recipe made exactly 6 cups of icing.

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For all those that wont to cut the sweetness some. Just add a dash of salt and 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice. this should do the trick. enjoy

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Hi, I am new to this sight and am doing a wedding cake in 2 weeks. She wants her cake outside and clearly this recipe can stand the heat but my question is, she really wants a strong vanilla flavor, I was going to incorporate mascarpone and more vanilla to this recipe, do you think it will alter the recipe too much???? Also How much does this recipe typically yield??

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Hi, first time user of this recipe and I'm really happy with it. I think its really good for crusting. Not so keen on the sweetness of the recipe myself but I only put some salt and not lemon in it. Will see what my captive audience (ie work colleagues) think of the flavour on Monday!

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Sky987 - I quit using vanilla extract altogether, and now use vanilla flavored coffee syrup (I prefer the Torani brand, available at most supermarkets in the coffee aisle). I find that I get a much stronger vanilla flavor, with the added bonus that it is clear so it doesn't discolor my icing. I HATE the taste of the clear vanilla substitute, so this has saved me as far as icing goes. I substitute it for vanilla extract in all my batters and icings, and haven't noticed any difference beyond better/stronger flavor and no discoloration.

I also use other Torani flavors and they all turn out excellent. The only ones I don't like are the sugar-free versions. No surprise there!

Hopefully you'll get this tip in time for your cake. Good luck!

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This is my fourth type of butter cream frosting. I'm trying a bunch to find my favorite. Unfortunately, this is not the one. It tastes a lot like the Wilton butter cream frosting recipe...too much like Crisco. It might be helped by using high ratio shortening, but I didn't want to wasted mine on an experimental treat. A bit sweet for me...I even tried to add in some salt. Easy recipe to make, just doesn't suit my tastes. I guess that's why there are so many recipes out there for the same things.

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I did not have 'dreamwhip' so I subbed instant pudding powder. It worked fine & I got a nice yummy banana flavor.

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This is the best BC recipe I have ever tried! So happy I found "the one". Very easy to make. Crusted perfectly and quickly (no refrigeration required to help it set up. I crumb coated it and took a break for less than 2 minutes to get a drink, and it was already crusted enough to use the Viva method to smooth). I was nervous to try it because I normally don't like all crisco based butter creams, but this one was perfect. Great flavor (I used 1 tbsp vanilla and 1 tbsp butter flavor) and no greasy aftertaste. I also did not have clear vanilla on hand and no time to go to the store, but the icing still came out almost perfectly white with no need to add white food coloring.

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Wow!! I am very impressed with this recipe. I just got done making a "practice" cake with this recipe & I have to say it is definatley THE BEST buttercream I have ever used. It crusts better than any other recipe I've tried. Thanks Indydebi!!!

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It's HOT in Minnesota so I just whipped up a batch of this yummy BC. I like to use SMBC, but it just doesn't work in our summer heat & humidity. This recipe is my #1 summer BC. Thank you Indydebi!!

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This is the worst recipe I have ever used! I literally sat through a wedding ceremony and watched this frosting fall off the sides of the cake and land on the table. How humiliating and costly. I lost $400 on this recipe. I did learn something though, I learned not to trust or try a new recipe on something so important.

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I have been testing this recipe for a couple of weeks. The first trial round I made it exactly to the recipe's specifications. I could only get a thin or medium consistency and not the stiff consistency needed for more complex decorations. So the next time round I decided to "tweak" it a bit and see if I couldn't get what I wanted. I adusted the powdered sugar a bit and added some and was able to get a stiffer consistency but still wasn't quite pleased with it so I decided to add 2 tbsp of meringue powder (which is powdered egg whites and cornstarch) and got what I wanted. Just as stiff as the Wilton BC recipe that is my old stand-by and the flowers held up. Of course husband said it was still too sweet so I added 1/4 tsp salt (dissolved in the milk) and got exactly what I needed. I only wish that I could teach my students this recipe but unfortunately as a Wilton instructor I am only allowed to teach them the Wilton recipe. My cake customers raved for this too, although they also raved about my stand-by too so it's too early to tell. I am testing this on some star-fill cakes next week to see if it performs as well as the other recipe.

As for flavorings, I decided to try this in chocolate and added 2/3 cup un-sweetened cocoa powder with good results. Generally I only use clear vanilla extract for flavoring on all of my BC unless a customer requests a different one which generally they don't. I might try it with a citrus flavor as some of my students have had great sucess with them in the Wilton BC recipe.

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I've been wanting to try this recipe for so long, but I probably wouldn't use it again. I'm just glad I tried this before doing it on a wedding cake. The flavor was overly sweet and artificial. Not sure how it will hold up but it's for an inside birthday party. I also found it to be quite soft,I used just under the minimum liquid and it was still really soft.

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I have read most of the feedback. Good and bad. It always amazes me how negative people can be. Who would use a recipe they've never tried on a cake order??? Mind blowing. I am thankful for the people who share their go to recepies. I try lots of recipes...some work for me and some don't.

I was searching for a crusting buttercream that would hold up in moderate heat to use on cupcakes for a bake sale. I'm not a huge BC fan so my expectations on taste we're not high. I must say that this recipe was PERFECT for what I was looking for!! It crusted beautifully and I even liked how it tastes! I will definitely use this recipe again! Thanks for sharing Indydebi :)

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I really liked working with this buttercream. it crusted well and was easy to smooth using the Melvira method. BUT I found it tooth-achingly sweet. Not the perfect icing for those that don't like really sweet icing (I prefer buttercream dream).

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Would I be able to use Whip It instead of Dream Whip? I'm looking for something that is going to hold up in heat & humidity. Dream Whip looks like a whipped topping while whip it is a stabilizer.

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Not sure what Whip It is. If it is a powder that you add milk to and then beat it (with a mixer) until it becomes a whipped cream, then it should be a good substitute. In this recipe, though, you use the Dream WHip in its powder form. You do not convert it to a whipped cream.

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Hi I want to use this recipe please I'm in United Kingdom so can anyone help by telling me the measurements not usung cups

Thanks

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Hi I want to use this recipe please I'm in United Kingdom so can anyone help by telling me the measurements not usung cups

Thanks

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Hi I want to use this recipe please I'm in United Kingdom so can anyone help by telling me the measurements not usung cups

Thanks

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Can anyone tell me approximately how much this made and how much it covers, i.e a 3 layer 9 inch round or whatever. I am using this for a wedding cake but I need to figure out how much of the ingredients I need and to do that I need to know how much it makes! Thanks!

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One batch (one 2-lb bag of p.sugar) will cover and decorate a 2-layer 8" round, and decorate it (borders, flowers, writing, etc.)  I have no idea how many cups it makes.  I never measure icing in cups.  

For wedding cakes, I plan approx. four 2-lb bags of sugar for every 7 cake mixes.  Translated, 1 cake mix is one batch of cake batter (will make two 8" round cakes).  So .... four batches of icing for every seven batches of cake batter.  

So if I were making a 12-10-8-6 cake (serves 56+38+24+12=130) which I would use 7 cake mixes, then I would use 4 batches of icing (4 bags of p.sugar).  This can vary depending on how thick your icing is; how much BC decor you're doing. The good news is it stores well on the counter for a few days and stores forever in the freezer,

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I absolutely love this recipe! It is the only one have have found that can hold up to summer in Texas. The only problem I have had is that I can not get it very smooth because it has so many air bubbles. :( What could I be doing wrong? I am using a Sunbeam Mixmaster, not a Kitchen aid in case that makes a difference.

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I tried this recipe for cupcakes the other day and was pretty disappointed.  I picked it because everyone said it holds up well in heat, and these were for an outdoor BBQ in humid Virginia.  Well I made them the day before and kept them on my counter, and when I went to deliver them, the icing had wept all over the cakes!  How is it going to hold up outside if it weeps overnight inside at room temperature??  I followed the recipe to the letter; I don't know what could have gone wrong. Well actually, now that I think about it, I used water in place of milk. Could that have been it??  I was so embarrassed and no time to remake.

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I just came across this & was surprised to see Dream Whip as an ingredient because I, too, also use Dream Whip, & have for 25 years.  My recipe is different.  I get customers who sometimes order just the icing because they like it so well.  Here is the recipe I was given by the owner of the cake supply store I always used, & still use this recipe today. The salt, cake flour, & long mixing time helps take the super sweetness out.

1 3/4 c Crisco, 3T cake flour (sifted), 1/2 t popcorn salt, 2T clear vanilla, 1/8t butter flavoring (optional), 2 1/2T Dream Whip mixed into 1/2 cup warm water (to dissolve easier), 1T meringue powder (for extra stability), & 2# powdered sugar. 

Whip Crisco until smooth, mix in all ingredients except Dream Whip mixture & powdered sugar. Once mixed well (about 2 minutes on med speed), gradually add Dream Whip mixture starting on low speed, increasing speed gradually until thoroughly combined.  Add 1# powdered sugar, mix well on low to high speed, then add remaining powdered sugar.  After scraping sides, I mix on "stir" setting on my kitchenaid for 10-15 minutes.  If you need it thinner, add water as needed.


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Made this a week ago and we did not like it. It was REALLY sweet and it was grainy.  I used Crisco and sifted the powdered sugar and I let it mix for a while and it still came out grainy.  I found the Dream Whip at Walmart, but I felt the same about it's ingredients as others did.  I prefer IMBC and SMBC for texture and flavor, but they don't hold up so well in the Florida heat.  It did hold up and it did crust.

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Can you double or triple this recipe at the same time? Has anyone tried this? I made the recipe but it did not seem to make much when your planning on  frosting many cupcakes.  

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Can you double or triple this recipe at the same time? Has anyone tried this? I made the recipe but it did not seem to make much when your planning on  frosting many cupcakes.  

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when I ran my shop, I would make the recipe times 7.  Of course you have to factor what will fit in your mixer.  If I remember right, in my regular kitchen aid, I could make 2 batches at once.  I'd make 3 or 4 double batches and dump each batch into a large bowl or container before I'd start icing.

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Love this recipe for summer cupcake orders. I have run in to a snag.  None of my grocery stores have the Dream Whip that I need For an order I have for next week, and I’m not paying $9 for amazon product. Will meringue powder work as a replacement?

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Ilene610:  Dream Whip is the powdered form of whipped cream, which is something different than meringue powder.  Meringue powder will make it stiffer and give it a firmer crust.  Dream Whip adds a "whipped cream" taste and a lightness to the icing.  If there is a store brand of powdered whipped cream, (a powder that when you add milk and beat it with a mixer, will eventually turn into whipped cream), then that can be sub'd.