Butter Vs. Margarine In Smbc??

Decorating By swoboda Updated 25 Jul 2017 , 2:00am by Jeff_Arnett

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swoboda Posted 21 Jun 2006 , 4:51pm
post #1 of 6

Ok - I'm sure this is going to get some gasps & eyebrows raised but I really don't know the difference between butter & margarine.

I'm about to start making SMBC but just realized I don't have butter but I do have margarine cubes on hand.
I know the Wilton type BC can be made with either butter or margarine but can the SMBC be as well? What would be the difference in taste (if any)?
I need to know if I should just run to the store & get butter or am I ok to use the margarine?
Thanks in advance!

5 replies
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JoAnnB Posted 21 Jun 2006 , 4:56pm
post #2 of 6

Margarine has a lot more water, and it probably will not homogenize into an icing.

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LeeAnn Posted 21 Jun 2006 , 4:58pm
post #3 of 6

Butter tastes good to me and margarine tastes like nothing I think it is a matter of taste and quality. Butter is made with milk and margarine hydrogenated fats and oils. I would never make butter cream with this stuff. If you want quality and taste go for butter.

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Rodneyck Posted 21 Jun 2006 , 4:59pm
post #4 of 6

*gasp* lol, kidding. If you are going to make something as yummy as a Swiss Meringue Buttercream, use butter. The butter's flavor is the real ingredient in meringue buttercreams.

As a side, I have no idea why so many people call the powdered sugar frostings, buttercream. James McNair in his cakes book made this distinction. True buttercreams are the meringue types, where sugar is heated and added in liquid form, different than powdered sugar frostings.

Back on topic...I grew up with margarine on the table but have not used it any many years. I was going to make a decorator icing, just for piping practice, so I bought some margarine to use. I tasted it and there is quite a difference in taste. It will never use it in any edible product. There just is no replacing butter for its flavor. Plus, I think margarine has more water content in it, so it can affect some recipes, although probably not so much in a frostings.

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butlermama Posted 25 Jul 2017 , 1:35am
post #5 of 6

11 yrs later...the answer is no, no you can't. It doesn't have the fat or protein to make icing.

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Jeff_Arnett Posted 25 Jul 2017 , 2:00am
post #6 of 6

Margarine is a butter substitute made by hydrogenating vegetable oil and combining it with water and some emulsifiers, coloring and flavoring to produce a product resembling butter.

Butter is made by churning the fat that is separated from whole milk which causes it to separate from the liquids in the fat.  Sometimes salt is added to extend the shelf life of the butter.

While margarine and butter can be interchanged for some application...cooking more than baking....they can't be exchanged for meringue icings.

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