Fav Buttercreme Frosting?
Decorating By dragonwarlord1969 Updated 24 Feb 2005 , 9:07pm by GHOST_USER_NAME
Hello again,
What is a good buttercream recipe? The only one I made had a "shortning" flavor to it. Unless it was just me. 
I use the Wilton one but don't add the butter-I double the shortening then add my powdered sugar-sometimes I add alittle extra to get rid of the shortening taste-have only had to do that a couple times-I don't add the butter because of the yellowing effect I get. If I have to add a little extra liquid due to adding the sugar, I add a couple drops of vanilla or almond-depending. But I know Cali4dawn has another recipe-I do recall seeing it and am anxious to try it.
High quality butter and European butters tend to be white or at least much lighter. Butter is yellow due to coloring being added. True butter is almost white. I know it's yet another expense, but purchase good butter if the coloring is a factor for you.
Honestly, though. I only do this when I need a really white cake. Otherwise I use standard butter because the taste is the same. Most people won't even notice the cake is not white-white. And the benefits of real butter in your icing more than outweighs the "ivory" effect achieved when using yellow butter.
Also, if you use an all-shortening recipe, all you can do is expect a shortening flavor and feel. Shortening and butter may be interchangeable as far as fat properties go, but not on flavor and how it feels in your mouth. In this respect they are not at all interchangeable. When you need caffeine, Coke and coffee may be technically interchangeable, but not if you're seeking warmth or cooling off. Products may be interchangeable on the surface, but not in the end results if detail matters. Would you slather your fresh hot breakfast biscuit with Crisco? Of course not!! Their is a difference.
When you do use shortening, use a hi-ratio brand if you can find it. It is not even closely comparable to Crisco. It's as different as night and day.
If you are adding sugar to relieve yourself of the shortening taste, all you are doing is making a too sweet icing. Many folks don't like this.
Compliments I receive on my icing:
"not as sweet as most people's"
"So creamy"
"Very smooth"
"Doesn't have that thick greasy feel most icings have"
My favorite basic recipe:
1.5 cups butter
1 cups shortening
2 T flavoring
2 pounds (+/-) powdered sugar
Besides, if there is no butter in the recipe it cannot be called buttercream. It is decorator's icing or imitation buttercream. It is not buttercream. I'll take that notion to my grave.
HA! I know what cali4dawn means. I tried the wilton recipe without butter, due to color..Well I had a mouth full of grease. Butter does have a big impact on icing. I tried margarine because it too is lighter in color..Didn't like it. I am sticking to the good yellow butter. Some where on the wilton site there is a snow white buttercream recipe though. I think. 
Anyhow, butter is a must in my book!
you can also add some icing white (i think that's what it's called - by Wilton) it will make your icing whiter if it turns out to yellow.
Debbie
I agree with Missey! I always add clear almond flavoring to my icing. My 4.5 year old sone agrees too 
- he loves eating any leftover icing, as well as lick the spoons, beaters, etc....But I only allow him just a taste of cake batter because of the raw eggs in it. I actually have pics (somewhere at home) of him taking my spatula and using it to eat out of the bowl of icing 
I make and use what is called "best decorator's icing". I don't use butter or crisco (too greasy), I use Sweetex or Parvae, it whips up sooooo beautifully, very light, no bubbles, spreads smoothly. I use clear flavorings, like white vanilla. Other popular flavors are butter (ok this is actually a pale yellow flavor but it doesn't change the frosting color) and orange flavoring. I'll sometimes use candy oil flavorings (VERY concentrated!), just a couple of drops will do you. Complement the icing flavor with the cake flavor. Watermelon icing and chocolate cake doesn't taste so good together.
where can you find this "sweetex"? i've been hearing a lot about it. is there really a difference?...oh, cali4dawn, i didn't know european butter was white! 
here i am omitting the butter because i don't like the yellow color, and lo and behold, a white butter is within my reach!! 
go figure! 
Diane, USAF? Italy huh? USN here in San Diego, I grew up with my dad in the USAF (28 years). We have 27 years in right now and still counting! Anyway, about your question, since you're in Italy it'll be mail order. I get all my supplies locally from cake decorating store, my sister in Bremerton WA also orders from my same source even though there are local suppliers for her there ... www.doitwithicing.com You could also to a google search for cake decorating stores/suppliers. You may luck out and find a supplier in Europe (Par vae' is what they call it in France I think). You'll find that using this high-ratio shortening will give you more volume in frosting and it just tastes better, It is but far a superiour product of crisco!
Also, there is another topic running right now in this forum concerning shortenings in frosting. Some of the members have other web sites and manufactuers info on Sweetex and other simular products. Check out these posts some good info and testimonials.
Good luck!
oh, cali4dawn, i didn't know European butter was white!
here i am omitting the butter because i don't like the yellow color, and lo and behold, a white butter is within my reach!! go figure!
My limited research shows this to be true. Let me know if I'm wrong. I purchase European butter from a few different sources here. While none of it is bright white, it's very pale. I've been told French Butter is very white. I can't attest to that, but that's what I heard. I found an on-line source to purchase it here in the states, but haven't bitten the bullet yet to try it.
Dawn, I have been meaning to post a big THANK YOU for your buttercream recipe and felt this post was the perfect place for it. I couldn't stand the class buttercream and have been searching for a recipe that wasn't so greasy. I found your recipe a few weeks back and have made two cakes with it and I got so many compliments. It is so light and takes great! I also tried your "twinkie" fillings in some cupcakes and they were awesome.
Thanks so much for sharing!!!!
Kim 
Thank you for letting me (and others) know. I didn't come up with these recipes.. just passing great information along.
I made a really good icing Thursday night (it was for a baby shower cake). I made the wilton snowwhite buttercream (it was a 1.5 batch), and then at the end to make it a little more smoother- I added some of my cake filling into it. (About 1-2 cups, not sure on the exact measurement since it was really really late when I was making it.) My cake filling was White Chocolate Mousse Ganache (thanks laydcakes for the recipe)--mmmmmmmm!
I got ALOT of compliments on the cake!!!
BTW- posting pics of the cake soon.
Water and Oil don't mix. I know a lot of people add water to their icings. But you'll notice a big difference if you don't.
My recipe is just as stated. There is no water or milk in the recipe and that's it in its simplest terms. I may add milk or coffee creamer if I need to thin it down because I added too much powdered sugar. But otherwise, just follow the recipe.
I mix it in with a Heavy Duty stand up mixer. I add the sugar last after blending well the other ingredients.
My "buttercream" icing is too sweet. I use high-ratio shortening and lots of icing sugar...3 cups of shortening to 4 lbs of sugar (with a cup of water in there that contains all my flavourings - vanilla + butter, as well as, 2 tbsp of flour, 2 tbsp meringue powder, 2 tbsp of corn starch and a 1/4 tsp of salt)...it's a big batch. This recipe makes the BEST icing for decorating...smooths with Viva like you wouldn't believe. I can buff out anything with this. However, my problem is that it is way too sweet. Is there anything I can do to change this without losing my great medium for decorating?
I have been too afraid to try so far,
Suzanne M.
maybe use an extract for your flavoring that is not as sweet such as almond. That's a lot of sugar to shortening ratio. It makes sense it is sweet. I puckers just reading the ingredients! (wink!)
Dawn,
How does your recipe smooth? Can you take Viva to it? Does the T stand for Tbsp? What do you use for flavorings? I guess you wouldn't need a butter flavoring if you already use butter for the frosting.
Sorry for all the questions,
Suzanne M.
You don't know me that well- I think butter rocks!!
In the US, "T" means tablespoon, "t" means teaspoon.
It smooths like a baby's bottom!!
Any flavoring you like. I've used butter, I've use 1 butter, 1 vanilla, I've used strawberry, almond, rootbeer, orange, the list is endless.
BTW, Viva stopped distributing their smooth finish paper towels as widely. they are extremely hard to find. I have started using a piece of higher quality cotton I purchased from the fabric store. you can also use those "blue shop towels" sold in the auto section at places like K-Mart and Wal-Mart. They are just like Viva only blue.
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