Have You Ever Received Complaints About Crusting Buttercream
Decorating By Lovemesomecake Updated 1 Apr 2010 , 2:06am by Elcee
Recently I had someone tell me my icing was "stale". 
They said in these exact words, "The cake was GREAT! Moist and perfect, but the icing on the outside was...how do I say this...hard, it was stale." Then they wanted to know how long in advance I made the cake! 
I made it about 12 hours before the party! LOL I told them it was a crusting buttercream and if I made it 2 hours before the party the icing would be the same consistency. Whatever...
Have you ever received a complaint about crusting buttercream like this???
Stale??? Nope, never heard that one before. Honestly, people have no clue!
Do grocery store type cakes have crusting buttercream? Been so long since I've had one that I don't even know. Maybe they are use to grocery store whipped icing.
Yes grocery stores use crusting buttercream. I think some people just like to complain thinking they will get a refund or some sort of compensation if they have a complaint.
Elcee... I agree... I remember the bc when I was a little girl... it used to get a nice crust and when you ate it... it would be so soft inside... I loved it... I don't use her recipe... but I always remember that... as a matter of fact... it was a barbie doll (when that was THE CAKE to have... the barbie cake with the big skirt lol
Elcee... I agree... I remember the bc when I was a little girl... it used to get a nice crust and when you ate it... it would be so soft inside... I loved it... I don't use her recipe... but I always remember that... as a matter of fact... it was a barbie doll (when that was THE CAKE to have... the barbie cake with the big skirt lol
OMGosh, dalis4joe, my mother made Barbie cakes for my birthdays, too! I LOVED them. She used the old school Wilton methods (I guess not so old, I was taught them, too, just don't use them much 
) so these dolls had exquisite, almost Lambeth style skirts (baked in a bowl, not a wonder mold) and she would put on frosting bodices, hats and necklaces.
I do get that complaint, but not from my celebration cake customers. My brides, when they sample my different icings, they say, oh, this is the stuff that gets all crusty.
I don't love crusting buttercream myself, so I totally get what they meant. I hope you were able to clarify it with them that this is what the icing is SUPPOSED to do.
I haven't had anyone complain about crusting buttercream, but I myself don't like it and have been searching for a good non-crusting buttercream that I can decorate with.
Try mine:
2 cups butter, room temp
1 cup shortening [with transfats!]
2 pounds powdered sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
2-4 tablespoons HOT whipping cream
Blend butter and shortening thoroughly.
Add all sugar at one time and mix on LOWEST speed....the mixture will apprear very dry at first but be patient and it will come together into a smooth icing.....be sure to scrape the bowl often.
Thin with the hot cream until you reach desired consistency.
I make mine at the beginning of the week in huge batches and then remix a portion as need on low....you may need a couple additional spoons of hot cream if the icing has been made a day or so.
I refrigerate all my cakes but you don't have too. This icing doesn't not crust, so the paper towel method doesn't work.
I smooth mine using a 6 inch spackling knife and an oil spritzing bottle of hot water. I smooth as much as I can, then lightly mist and do a final pass or two. Once in the fridge to chill, any excess water evaporates.
You can see some of my cakes done in this icing, including my faux fondant ones by searching "jsarnett" on www.webshots.com.
I'm a "second generation" cake decorator. I have no idea what buttercream recipe my mother used but when my brother and I were little kids we LOVED the flowers when they crusted. When I use a crusting buttercream, it doesn't crust like hers did.
When I first started making icing about 30 years ago, we used this recipe:
1 1/2 cups shortening
1/2 cup cake flour
2 pounds powdered sugar
1/2 cup near boiling water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring [optional]
1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring [optional]
Sift the sugar and flour together. Blend the shortening and flavorings. Add the sugar and about 1/3 cup of the 1/2 cup near boiling water and blend on low, scraping bowl. Add the rest of the water as needed to get a good spreading consistency.
This was VERY POPULAR around here. I still use it to make air-dried buttercream roses!
I'm a "second generation" cake decorator. I have no idea what buttercream recipe my mother used but when my brother and I were little kids we LOVED the flowers when they crusted. When I use a crusting buttercream, it doesn't crust like hers did.
When I first started making icing about 30 years ago, we used this recipe:
1 1/2 cups shortening
1/2 cup cake flour
2 pounds powdered sugar
1/2 cup near boiling water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring [optional]
1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring [optional]
Sift the sugar and flour together. Blend the shortening and flavorings. Add the sugar and about 1/3 cup of the 1/2 cup near boiling water and blend on low, scraping bowl. Add the rest of the water as needed to get a good spreading consistency.
This was VERY POPULAR around here. I still use it to make air-dried buttercream roses!
Thanks, Jeff...that is just what my mother would do...air dried roses. I will try your recipe one of these days for nostalgia's sake. I usually use meringue based frostings now, but not always.
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