How Do I Make White Buttercream?

Baking By willow1810 Updated 24 Mar 2017 , 8:35am by Twohanded

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willow1810 Posted 23 Feb 2011 , 10:24am
post #1 of 38

Everytime I make buttercream, it comes out a pale lemon colour, no matter how much whitening powder i put in it, it never goes white!!

I make it by 1 part butter to 2 parts icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract.

I heard somewhere to use trex/crisco in it instead of butter, but surely that would make it taste like fat?

Can anyone help please?

37 replies
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Emmar308 Posted 23 Feb 2011 , 11:11am
post #2 of 38

Hi there
Yep, to make white buttercream you need to use trex / white flora. You say wont that taste like fat? Well trex etc is vegetable fat, but what what do you think butter is?? That's animal fat!
Be aware that the vanilla extract may colour your buttercream slightly too, so maybe use sparingly? Hth xx

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CakeCrystals Posted 23 Feb 2011 , 1:48pm
post #3 of 38

To get a white buttercream, use crisco/trex, confectioners sugar and if you're going to use vanilla extract, use the clear vanilla extract is it's available to you in the UK. Always use clear vanilla to keep your icing white.

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CakeCrystals Posted 23 Feb 2011 , 2:30pm
post #4 of 38

To get a white buttercream, use crisco/trex, confectioners sugar and if you're going to use vanilla extract, use the clear vanilla extract is it's available to you in the UK. Always use clear vanilla to keep your icing white.

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bakencake Posted 23 Feb 2011 , 2:43pm
post #5 of 38
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CakeCrystals Posted 23 Feb 2011 , 2:47pm
post #6 of 38

I forgot about that. My niece uses this in her icings. It doesn't get perfectly white, but it does get it whiter. Give it a try.

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msulli10 Posted 23 Feb 2011 , 2:49pm
post #7 of 38

I make Sugarshack's buttercream recipe and it gets very white. It uses hi-ratio shortening and clear vanilla extract and butter extract.

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cheatize Posted 23 Feb 2011 , 3:01pm
post #8 of 38

I have read on here to put just a teeny touch of violet color in it to make it white.

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Jeff_Arnett Posted 23 Feb 2011 , 6:09pm
post #9 of 38
Quote:
Originally Posted by willow1810

Everytime I make buttercream, it comes out a pale lemon colour, no matter how much whitening powder i put in it, it never goes white!!

I make it by 1 part butter to 2 parts icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract.

I heard somewhere to use trex/crisco in it instead of butter, but surely that would make it taste like fat?

Can anyone help please?


Here's a little secret.....

Place your butter in your mixing bowl and beat the daylights out of it for about 5 minutes before preceding....beating the butter first will dramatically whiten its color....I never add any kind of whitener!

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Jeff_Arnett Posted 23 Feb 2011 , 6:09pm
post #10 of 38
Quote:
Originally Posted by willow1810

Everytime I make buttercream, it comes out a pale lemon colour, no matter how much whitening powder i put in it, it never goes white!!

I make it by 1 part butter to 2 parts icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract.

I heard somewhere to use trex/crisco in it instead of butter, but surely that would make it taste like fat?

Can anyone help please?


Here's a little secret.....

Place your butter in your mixing bowl and beat the daylights out of it for about 5 minutes before preceding....beating the butter first will dramatically whiten its color....I never add any kind of whitener!

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willow1810 Posted 26 Feb 2011 , 4:46pm
post #11 of 38

Great Guys, thanks for all your help. Still can't get my head around using trex, but like you say Emmar308 butter is meat fat! Here goes for brilliant white icing! Thanks again guys x

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sugardugar Posted 26 Feb 2011 , 6:05pm
post #12 of 38

If you're nervous about the fatty taste, keep in mind you can use butter flavouring (it's clear) or a recipe that uses cream cheese as well.

HTH

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jonxs Posted 9 Sep 2011 , 3:47pm
post #13 of 38

"Great Guys, thanks for all your help. Still can't get my head around using trex, but like you say Emmar308 butter is meat fat! Here goes for brilliant white icing! Thanks again guys x"

I'm not sure what sort of butter you guys have but I thought that butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk? not animal fat!!!..

anyways a tip I use is to put in the smallest amount of blue food colouring into your buttercream this with the yellow of the butter makes it go white, it really works, just dont over do it, ie a pin drop at a time.

Hope that helps, Happy baking.

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DizzyLizzy28 Posted 7 Apr 2014 , 10:18am
post #14 of 38

Butter isn't an animal fat!! 

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DizzyLizzy28 Posted 7 Apr 2014 , 10:22am
post #15 of 38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emmar308 

Hi there
Yep, to make white buttercream you need to use trex / white flora. You say wont that taste like fat? Well trex etc is vegetable fat, but what what do you think butter is?? That's animal fat!
Be aware that the vanilla extract may colour your buttercream slightly too, so maybe use sparingly? Hth xx

 Butter isn't an animal fat, animal fat comes from the animal itself as a result of it being slaughtered... for example lard/dripping. Butter is a diary product. 

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DaysCakes Posted 7 Apr 2014 , 11:15am
post #16 of 38

I just got a really good result using whitener, unsalted French butter, icing sugar and colourless vanilla.  I cannot get my head around using Trex either unfortunately.  The whitener powder was new to me (got recommended it on the UK baking thread) but it really did lighten it up.  Hope this helps.

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Siany01 Posted 7 Apr 2014 , 12:00pm
post #17 of 38

Ahttp://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pBl9Gz9eTqg&feature=youtu.be

The answer you need is her. You don't have to put trex in to make it white. Also if you start with president butter it goes really white to start anyway.

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DaysCakes Posted 7 Apr 2014 , 12:07pm
post #18 of 38

Oh Siany - I am so pleased I watched that!  (Now I have to go and buy something else.....Violet!).

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Siany01 Posted 7 Apr 2014 , 12:18pm
post #19 of 38

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaysCakes 
 

Oh Siany - I am so pleased I watched that!  (Now I have to go and buy something else.....Violet!).


I love her.  She is one of my cake heros.  Amazing talent.

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flowerpowergirl Posted 7 Apr 2014 , 10:27pm
post #20 of 38

hi all i am new to this site and cake making.

i use soya butter so has anyone got any ideas about making the buttercream white

i might try a drop of blue

????

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bakernoob Posted 7 Apr 2014 , 10:58pm
post #21 of 38

That is how I make most of my butter cream and like others suggested I beat the butter for at least 5 minutes which makes it super pale and then I add clear vanilla and the sugar. I add a good amount of the Wilton white icing color and then whip it. It is always pure white then. Before using the white color, I would add the smallest amount of violet gel coloring as possible and it also made it look ultra white because purple is the opposite of yellow :-)

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Sunflower1010 Posted 27 Jun 2014 , 1:35pm
post #22 of 38

I was very bright one day - thought I would use trex/crisco for beach theme cupcakes because it is more withstanding to heat than buttercream - yuck! Stuck to my mouth like ....yuck yuck yuck. I know butter is fat too but it is totally made different so cant compare to trex or crisco! Try whipped frosting with cream cheese and cream!

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DaysCakes Posted 6 Jul 2014 , 3:43pm
post #23 of 38

I just made my buttercream "white" using a tiny speck of grape violet - it truly works!

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roxylee123 Posted 6 Jul 2014 , 4:42pm
post #24 of 38

I have never added anything to my buttercream to make it white I just do what someone else has already said and beat the butter really well first before adding the icing sugar. I use aldi's unsalted butter.Her's a photo of some cupcakes I made with the buttercream white.

 

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cakebaby2 Posted 6 Jul 2014 , 6:17pm
post #25 of 38

Exactly, just beat the hell out of  and it pales. The very thought of using vegetable fat and calling it buttercream is quite distasteful to me and misleading to recipients of the cake.

Why not say "lovely vanilla sponge with raspberry compote and vegetable fat cream"?

Anyway whats's wrong with the natural color of food, why does it have to be tarted up like a drag act?

If the buttercream has a healthy color I know (I hope) that its real butter and real vanilla extract then I don't mind parting with hard cash.

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johnson6ofus Posted 6 Jul 2014 , 8:00pm
post #26 of 38

Butter fat:

 

The fat content of butter ranges from 80% to 86%. Butter isn’t pure fat; rather, it is an emulsion. Butter fat and milk solids. You can clarify butter (melt the butter over low heat until it separates into butterfat and milk). The butterfat, or clarified butter is poured off, leaving the milk solids behind. However, much of butter’s distinctive flavor is in the milk solids, so clarified butter doesn’t have the same taste as melted butter.

 

I love "real" butter, but vegetable fat and butter flavoring works too. A well flavored "buttercream" made with vegetable fat can be yummy too!

 

If "pure white" is the preferred color, then Crisco is the way to go!

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nannycook Posted 6 Jul 2014 , 9:20pm
post #27 of 38

ASiany, I just watched that too, make a huge difference, thats certainly on my list to buy on Tuesday, thanks for sharing.

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cakebaby2 Posted 6 Jul 2014 , 9:34pm
post #28 of 38

Hi nannycook, how you doing girl?

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nannycook Posted 6 Jul 2014 , 9:42pm
post #29 of 38

AWell cakebaby, I thought you'd forgotten about me? Hows gumpaste Steve/John coming on?

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cakebaby2 Posted 7 Jul 2014 , 12:01pm
post #30 of 38

AGumpaste John was so rugged I kept him nanny cook...I knew you wouldn't mind. I,ve been offline recently caring for elderly people and ministering to the sick in they fervent hope that when they shuffle off this mortal coil they have made appropriate provision for moi! Here I. Am again gamely wishing to try anything once(always gets me in hot water nanny) I'm staring a big lump of Trex in the eye and thinking about whipping it up with sugar and "flavouring" to taste like butter. Perhaps a few drams first eh?

Original message sent by johnson6ofus

Butter fat:

The fat content of butter ranges from 80% to 86%. Butter isn’t pure fat; rather, it is an emulsion. Butter fat and milk solids. You can clarify butter (melt the butter over low heat until it separates into butterfat and milk). The butterfat, or clarified butter is poured off, leaving the milk solids behind. However, [B]much of butter’s distinctive flavor is in the milk solids[/B], so clarified butter doesn’t have the same taste as melted butter.

I love "real" butter, but vegetable fat and butter flavoring works too. A well flavored "buttercream" made with vegetable fat can be yummy too!

If "pure white" is the preferred color, then Crisco is the way to go!

I know, my son is a dairy farmer looking after 1200 cows and calves so I get the real thing on a regular basis and have on occasion made my own butter and strained off the buttermilk you are talking about. No amount of flavouring matches real butter. However I know tastes vary x

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