I am a very amateur cake decorator having taken the Wilton classes and made a couple of extra cakes. I've only used the Wilton recipe for buttercream with the Crisco. My sister would like me to make her a cake with chocolate frosting and some chocolate buttercream roses - but only if I can make them without the Crisco - can you make buttercream frosting with all butter and have it be the right texture for roses and stuff?

Judi

I think you could, as long as the cake was going to be indoors, and not in the sun or anything. I would make sure that the butter was at room temperature before making the icing so that you get a true feel for the consistency when you are adding the powdered sugar. You might have to test it a few times to make sure you have it right. Just out of curiosity, why no Crisco?

Sure you can. I've never used crisco in my chocolate icing. It is quite stiff from the beginning and I have to thin it to ice a cake. You can control the consistency by not putting as much milk (or whatever you use).