I do make buttercream similar to what allie73 posted. You can decorate with it without problems. I use it exclusively. The people come back to me because my cakes are less sweet than usual (even the cake itself).
It can be made more stable by cooking the flour (or cornstarch or potato starch) with water. The milk in it would be the only thing which could spoil. You can even vary the amount of this cream to butter/sugar amount. My last one had per stick butter 3-4 tablespoons sugar in it.
I have one cake decorated completely in my gallery (the bath time one). I refrigerate it but this is because "the cakes should be kept in fridge" you learn growing up here. You leave cake on the counter and anybody seeing it will put it in the fridge.
The buttercream doesn't crust but firms up hard in fridge very fast (or in air-conditioned room, I suppose - never had it). It holds very well. In high temperatures (from about 70F up) roses could drop but I suppose regular buttercream does it as well.

The only "problem" with this buttercream is that the rests don't freeze or refrigerate well. I mean decorated cake is OK, but if you need to re-whip it, it can separate. It can be corrected by warming it up a bit, re-whipping and cooling down again, but it is a consideration.

I tried the buttercream where you cook the flour and milk, and I tried the Whimsical Bakehouse buttercream this morning.

For me the Whimsical Bakehouse was the best as far as the taste. Still doesn't taste as good to me as regular buttercream, but it is definitely less sweet. It reminded me of the filling in Krispy Kreme doughnuts, so I added a little butter flavoring and I liked it better as icing. The one thing that worries me is that is it so soft! I am worried it would slide off of the cake! Can you pipe borders with it and does it need to be refrigerated????

Using half the amount of powdered sugar:

- will make it really thin
- will make it taste more like the fat (i.e. crisco)
- will NOT make it less sweet, unless you count that it will taste MORE like crisco.

People tell me mine isn't "as sweet", and I don't understand why because it's made of SUGAR! http://cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-6992-Indydebis-Crisco-Based-Buttercream-Icing.html Maybe it's the dream whip that makes the difference. I've no idea. All I know is that it crusts well, holds up in heat and humidity, and people have loved it for 30 years. It's the only icing I've used since I started doing cakes.

It aint' broke ... I ain't fixin' it!

I use popcorn salt in my recipe to cut the sweetness and also I increase the flavorings -- people tell me my buttercream is very flavorful and not too sweet (which is what I was aiming for.)

You can also substitute part of the p. sugar with cornstarch which makes any buttercream less sweet.

Hey LoriMC, glad you tried both. You said you liked the taste of the Whimsical Bakehouse better, but what did you think of the textures, sweetness, and fluffiness of the two? Just curious....because the taste in the milk/flour one can always be adjusted by changing flavors. I use 3/4 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp butter flavor, 1/4 tsp almond.........and it's magic!

Indydebi is a goddess. I tried her recipe and it was sublime. Your customer won't like it 'cause it's mega sweet, but man oh man, it's to die for!

in my icing recipe i use salted butter...that really cuts the sweet down.

oh yeah, i use half shortening and half butter

I also use salted butter and I think that makes a difference, people tell me mine isn't as sweet as others. If this woman has never had your buttercream she may be basing what she wants on maybe store-bought cakes or canned frosting. I'd say stick with what everyone else loves, if you've never had any complaints then most likely she'll like it too. Hmm, unless she's an alien or something

Swiss merigue buttercream is the very best!! I love martha stewarts recipe, just cut back on the butter about 1/2 cup. It very very easy to make too.

I've made the one with flour before and used regular sugar. The first time I made it, the texture was perfect but for me it wasn't sweet enough. I ended up adding powdered sugar to it and it was great. I loved the texture- almost like a thick whipped cream, but not overly sweet. Before I added the additional sugar I thought it was really bland.

The second time I made it, it ended up grainy from the regular sugar and I was so unhappy with it. I used the recipe for the very same reason- my cousin didn't want a really sweet icing.

I think it just takes some playing with. I don't think I'd make it again with regular granulated sugar. Might try all powdered sugar and definitely more flavoring.

My favorite recipe now is just making regular buttercream (half shortening/salted butter or margarine) and using whipping cream. It's the best tasting icing I've ever made. It's fluffy and I don't think it's quite as sweet as if I would have used just milk or other liquid.

Good Luck!

An alien?? LOL Serious Cakes! Too funny!

I've always done the flour one with regular sugar, but I'm looking forward to trying it with powdered sugar. Wonder if I'll have to whip it less? Thank heavens for Kitchen Aid!

I like the recipe for the very fact that it is NOT too sweet. *GULP* Does that make me an alien? Hee hee.

I think they call this recipe "Mock Whipped Cream," at least that's what I always called it. I've heard people here on cakecentral refer to it as an excellent alternative to Rich's Bettercreme for people who can't get Rich's products in their area. I've had both, and they're both good. What I like about the flour recipe also though is its cheapness. Dirt cheap to make!

Ok...i love this thread.

I am one of those pshycos that love the icing to be sweet, I wonder if thats the reason I put so much sugar in it!...

Those that use all butter, after a bit of eating I get tired of the flavor of butter, I dont know why...I just cant eat as much of it..(Im runing and hiding now)

As for the whipped, those are delicious, like the bettercream, and rich's. But I found out the other day while seeing how it tasted in pumpking spiced cake, the flavor doesnt go with all flavors of cakes..Goes to say..I hated how it tasted on that pumpking cake.

Then you have your 7 minute frosting...mmmm..almost like marshmallow frost.. Problem..doesnt last for many days...grrr

Edna

*shocked gasp* I knew it! Edna admits she's a psycho!! Well, count me in, I love sweet frosting too. Technically mine is less sweet because of the salted butter but it is definitely sweeter than the meringues. Don't get me wrong, meringues are wonderful but they do taste a little too buttery for me, and I LOVE butter. Yeah, I'm a weirdo

Hahaha, yeah, my older brother is not the sweet fiend, he has a piece of my cake and said it made his teeth ache from it being sweet. He's the only person who's said this though, everyone else loves it! lol-I had a lot of leftover frosting from my last class, as we were cleaning up my friend kept squirting the frosting onto her finger and licking it off!!

My brother used to pour sugar in a cup and drink it. Now I know the secret why....HE IS AN ALIEN!!!!

Wow, that sounds like my younger brother. My mom used to get so mad at him because of the amount of sugar he poured into his coffee (yeah, he started drinking that when he was hm, 10 maybe?). lol-she started making him help pay for the sugar

Wow Serious Cakes, I got the same thing going on as your brother. My teeth actually HURT when the frosting is too sweet! Of course....that doesn't stop me from indulging now and then because while my teeth may hate it, my tongue loves it. My hips are pretty pissed off right now though.

Allie73 and Mellee,
I read your cooked with flour recipe and realized I'd seen this one before, so went to my recipe box...and sure enough...it's the icing my MIL used to always use on her red velvet cakes! I loved that icing, but had never made it myself.
So, I made it today...combining both of your recipes:
1 cup milk
4 T flour
I mixed these really well with a whisk before cooking. After thickened, I poured it into a bowl and covered with saran wrap, right on top of the mixture, to prevent any "skin" from forming. Let cool to lukewarm, removed saran wrap, and mixed again with a whisk, before putting into mixing bowl. Super smooth doing it this way.
I used 1 stick unsalted butter and 1/2 cup Crisco, with the PS and salt.
I also used 3 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp butter flavoring, and 1/2 tsp almond ext.
It did not take long at all for this to mix up extremely smooth. YUMMY!
I will say to those that have tried this recipe and thought it tasted to bland...yes, it does, if you just taste it by itself...but, try it on your cake, and you will be amazed at the way it compliments the flavor of the cake! I made Italian Cream Cake and used this icing..WOW! Wonderful combo.
My DH thought this was the most silky smooth icing he'd ever tasted.
I am so glad I read this thread, and found this recipe. It's been years since I'd tasted this one. It's a keeper!

Glad you liked it Getus! It is a deceptively simple yet elegant frosting, isn't it? And it's cheap, cheap, cheap to make!! I've used the saran wrap idea on custards before but haven't tried it on this recipe yet. I will do so next time, and thanks for pointing it out!

I think if a person is really used to buttercream, they might find this bland simply because it's not nearly as sweet. As for me, I don't find it bland at all, and I especially wouldn't have done so with the good amount of extracts you used! That's just my personal taste, though.

This frosting does sublimely compliment a cake in a very understated way, doesn't it? I like to actually taste the cake as well, and sometimes I can't when my tastebuds are so overwhelmed and assaulted with an overly-sweet frosting. Just an alien, I guess.

mellee/Getus:
Will this frosting crust? I will making cupcakes to sell at a local farmer's market, so I need a frosting that will crust so it won't become a mess in the transportation.

Can you use Crisco with this recipe or is hi-ratio better? I use hi-ratio but if Crisco works just as well with this it would be much cheaper!
Thanks!