No problem, pkcakes.

In regards to the high ratio shortening. You should be able to find that at your local cake decorating store. It would be under the brand name of Sweetex or Alpine shortening.

Now if we could just get the answer to that icing base question.

Ok Icing base is added to the alpine, powdered sugar, water and flavoring of choice. It makes the icing light and fluffy and smooth. I use a product called Royale White Icing Base or you can find it under a name called Angel White Icing Base. Alpine and the icing base are very sturdy and crust like crisco and butter wish they could but remains very soft on the inside. The shelf life is forever because there is no dairy. you just re whip before your use and you are ready to go. It also stays a bright white. See this attached picture of B-Day Cake.

Those Royal white icing base and Angel white icing Base work in the same way as the meringue powder, don't they?

It works the same way but without the bad taste. There is definitely a difference in taste when you use this vs meringue.

jUST AN fyi. i WAS IN OUR ADVANCED DECORATING CLASS LAST NIGHT AND 2 NOW MEMBERS FROM wILTON CLASSES CAME IN. tHEY USED THE CRISCO AND BUTTER RECIPE. aFTER THEY TASTED MY ICING THEY SAID NEVER AGAIN WOULD THEY MAKE THAT CRAP AND BOUGHT THE ALPINE AND ICING BASE.

ceculsk, could you share the recipe for your icing with icing base and alpine. It sounds good and i would like to try it.

Ceculsk,
I am VERY INTERESTED in that recipe for the high ration shortening and icing base frosting. Would you mind sharing??? Also where would I be able to get these ingredients?

Ok Here is my recipe for icing:

1 Cup Hi Ratio Shortening
4 TBL White Icing Base
7 cups 6x Powder Sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp or to taste what ever flavor you want. You can use extracts or louann flavored oils but use less of the oil flavoring because it is strong. I use my own flavoring mixture that gives me a unique great tasting icing.
2 drops vinegar- This keeps any icing from cracking or stress lines.

You can also add 1 stick of softened butter (I use white butter) to this recipe for buttercream or an 8 oz of cream cheese for a cream cheese icing that crusts. This icing will hold better than crisco in heat and takes less shortening to make because hi ratio does not break down like crisco. You use 1/3 less alpine per cup of crisco for your recipes. Taste wise this is not gritty nor shortening tasting at all. The shelf life is very long and does not need to be refridgerated. Just re-whip before use if it has sat for a few days and it is ready to go. It is important that you use 6 x Sugar. This is a commercial grade and really makes a difference in your icing texture and consistency.

Forgot to add if you want a little less sweet icing I add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fine salt to the recipe.

Thank you so much Ceculsk!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to find these ingredients to try out the recipe.

TBL=Tablespoon

Thanks for sharing your recipe. I never would've guessed that I'd be buying myself hi-ratio shortening and icing base for Christmas. This board is so addictive!

Put this recipe side by side with the crisco and I bet that this one will be selected 100% of the time. The only thing I did not provide was my secret flavoring of this icing that makes mine (i think and others) the bomb. That part you will need to figure out.

Ooohhh, Jackie! That's a very very good idea.

Ok, I read this whold thread and did not see the definitive answer to this question, although I know it has been asked a million times...

I made 1/2 butter and 1/2 crisco Buttercream and am wondering if it needs to be refrigerated after the cake is decorated. I have a cake due tomorrow and want to leave it out of the refrigerator if possible...Will it be ok???

Cindy

Hi, Cindy ...

This is just my personal opinion and others may disagree, but I have left my cakes out if they have 1/2 butter 1/2 crisco frosting, but it also depends on the temps. In the Spring and Fall, no problem. Summer is too hot and in Winter, my building is too hot.

I think as long as the cake is covered, you should be all set.

I actually don't leave my butter in the fridge .. its WAY too hard to use to butter toast, etc. I leave it out on the counter in a covered dish and I have never had a spoilage problem or had anyone get sick from it.

I think you'll be fine.

what I use is a modified crisco recipe.

6C confectioners sugar
3/4C Crisco
1/2C water
1/3C Non Dairy powdered coffee creamer
1tsp Butter Flavor
1tsp vanilla extract
1/2tsp salt
Mix and beat for about 5 minutes. Tastes great and is white. Won't crust thick. Holds good. Tastes buttery, and does not need refrigeration.

I agree, the best advice I received is smoothing the Buttercream approximately 10 minutes after frosting the cake with the smooth side of a paper towel.

My instructor said to add some popcorn salt to the recipe of wiltons to cut the sweetness. I want you to know that popcorn salt is just very finely ground salt. Also often times I just use my flavoring to thin the icing instead of water. It will scream the flavor out to who ever eats it.

I like the buttercream recipe on here, the "decorator's" one. I want more of a butter taste. If you used 1 1/2 cups butter to a 1/2 cup crisco, would this change the consistancy tremendously?

Hi, I read somewhere that you can add karo syrup just a little bit to thin out your stiff buttercream.

Just wanna throw in my two cents here. The buttercream i make doesn't crust. I beat my 1:1 ratio of shortening to butter for about 10 min with the paddle on 4 or 5 of my ka til it looks like whipped cream then i add my flavorings (good ol mcCormick's) and the sugar ( all of it) it gets a little dry n stiff round bout this time then i gradually add teaspoons of evaporated milk to the frosting til i get the consistency i want. If i want to pipe roses n such i seperate that from the rest of my frosting into a seperate bowl and then add more emilk to the main bowl till it's just right. This is light and fluffy and isn't nearly as sweet tasting as other recipes i have tried.
As to the weird flavor in merengue based buttercreams, that comes from the cream of tartar added to stabilize the egg whites when they are whipped or in the merengue powder.
I found a product in the health food section of the local grocer called "simply whites" no cream of tartar added to it so it doesn't have the twang that wilton's merengue powder has.
As for smoothing, because the basic recipe i use doesn't crust i use the ol hot knife approach.

Hi Sory!! I find them at the local Wal-Mart store. I live in a small town and that's about the only place I can find them.


Hope that helps, ~Denise

Aaaha!! Thank you very much Denise! There are three Wal-Mart stores close to where I live, I'll go and look around. I appreciate it.
Bye!
Sory.

I always fold a stiff meringue into my buttercream. It makes it fluffier, but it doesn't have as long a shelf life. I haven't tried freezing it (if anyone has any suggestions). After reading the posts, I guess most cake decorators don't add meringue. Is that right? I also read a lot of books that talk about icing wedding cakes in royal icing. Isn't buttercream usually used?

I just posted a tip on smoothing BC that works really well.

Can someone explain to me what the purpose of adding meringe powder is?

Adding meringue powder to your buttercream will help it crust better. I alos add a bit to the bc I use when making roses; when I airdry them they get really firm on the outside but stay moist on the inside. I can just pick them up with my fingers and place them on the cake.