How many of you use all butter butte rcream. Is it ever good. I made an all butter butter cream last night with granulated sugar and milk. I don't know what I was thinking. It isn't good and I can still feel gritty sugar on my tongue. I kept adding milk and then some hot water to melt the sugar a little. Than I added a little powdered sugar (less than a cup). I don't think its good. I put it in the fridge and it got all hard. I think I am going to try to make it into cookies.
Just wondering what the deal is with buttercream.

I use all butter in my buttercream. I always use powdered sugar in it. Here's a recipe I've used:

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
8 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

In a mixing bowl, cream butter. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Add milk until frosting reaches desired consistency.

That's the standard american buttercream recipe that I use. You *have* to use 10x/powdered sugar.

You also need to beat it fairly well until it is smooth.

I frequently replace the milk with fruit puree, booze (amaretto, kirsch, kahlua, etc), espresso, ganache.

i like the all BC recipe, but unfortunately a no go in southern alabama once it heats up and gets humid.... I use the recipe listed above, and substitute different flavorings to change it up..... I definitely think your grit issue is the granulated sugar, try it with PS next time, you will love it!

I've posted an All Butter Buttercream recipe that I think is really good. It uses 10x sugar. I also use SMBC which uses granulated but it involves a cooking process to dissolve the sugar.

I would never think to use granulated sugar in my BC. I think that BC with PS is too gritty, couldn't imagine it with regular sugar!

I just tried the Whimsical Bake House BC (the one where you add hot water to the PS) and it is sooo yummy! Not as gritty, very smooth and fluffy, and is less sweet than the Buttercream Dream I was using. Try that one and see how you like it (i think it's in the recipe section).

I do a all Butter buttercream. I use equal parts of butter to powdered sugar.

Normally I do 7 sticks and a 7lb. bag of sugar. I then just add milk till it reaches a good consistency. I don't measure much...

I have only ever used vanilla flavoring, but these others sound good!!
I have customers tell me it reminds them of vanilla ice cream...Yum!

Sure, I can post a link.......I forgot to mention that I've made them both with all butter and also 50/50 butter/shortening and they didn't really taste any different and the all butter still had a somewhat greasy feel, so either way they are the same to me, it's just what you prefer (50/50 or all butter).

Here is a link to it talked about here on CC:
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-580630.html

Thank you all, I have to practice practice practice, but I lack patience patience, patience. Luckily I have you all to trust. I will try some of these ideas. I used granulated sugar because I thought that was the recipe from collette Peters in her birthday cake book. I don't know for sure though because I was reading it at borders one day and I made the frosting from memory. I guess thats what I get for being cheap. Thank you all again.

I am sure that Collette's recipe was for a meringue buttercream and you would use granulated sugar for that. Either and italian or swiss meringue buttercream. I use SMBC and it's relatively easy to make and tastes wonderful and is not gritty at all. It also holds up pretty darn well in the heat.

Here is my recipe so you can look and see if it's simillar to what you saw in Collette's book..

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-5453-0-The-Well-Dressed-Cake-Swiss-Meringue-Buttercream-with-variations.html

It sounds a lot more daunting than it actually is. It takes time, but the mixer does the work.

For an american style buttercream I use this recipe..

2 cups (4 sticks) butter, slightly soft but not mushy (I like to use 1/2 salted and 1/2 unsalted)
1 cup high ratio shortening (can use crisco)
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla (or more)
2 pounds (8 cups) powdered sugar, sifted (measure, then sift)

In your mixer bowl, beat the the butter and shortening until smooth and light and fluffy. Add smaller amount of the heavy cream and the vanilla and mix well.

Add half the powdered sugar and mix for 5 minutes on low-med. speed. Add remaining sugar and mix well. Add more cream or powdered sugar if necessary to adjust the consistency.

Good luck with your caking adventures.. it's a lot of trial and error. I totally sympathize with the having no patience.. . It's not my biggest virtue either..

I use an all butter buttercream now also. It was my moms recipe and it adapts to any flavor very easy.

20 oz unsalted butter, very soft
32 oz powdered sugar
4 tsp Vanilla (or any other flavor needed)
4 tsp very hot water

cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and water and beat for 3 min. Yum!

For Chocolate, add 4 Tbsp of cocoa powder. For Caramel, add one jar of smuckers caramel topping. For strawberry,add 1 pint frozen strawberries (drained from juice) and 2 tsp juice from strawberries. For peanut butter, add 1 cup creamy peanute butter...and so on.

thanks guys

After reading all of these yummy recipes I may have to try a new recipe! I am drooling! Thanks for all of the suggestions.

MichelleM77,

Thanks for posting that link. I have been looking for that recipe. Between that and your yummy avatar I am drooling