i hope some one is still one here so late. I'm making cupcakes for my daughters class tomorrow. The teacher is allergic to shortening. So I asked the other day what to do about making buttercream icing. I was told by one person to just use all butter. So I did but now I have a a thin batter consistancy icing. I added another pound of powder sugar but it didn't help. what can I do to salvage this icing with out adding shortening???

hi im sorry this is happening to you.
how much butter did you use?
a couple of other options:
can you make your daughters class cupcakes with the shortening receipe you are used to and make a cupcake for her teacher with powdered sugar on it. or maybe some melted chocolate?
or do you have cream cheese at home and make all the cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting.
i know late cake emergencies are horrible.
i hope you can salvage your buttercream or have ingredients to make something else.
HTH

It might help to know the recipe you're using. I am not sure how buttercream gets to batter consistency unless the butter was melted.

The butter wasn't melted. my normal recipe is 1 stick butter, 1 1/2 c. crisco, 1/4 c. water, 2 lbs powder sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla. I sub the crisco with butter so it was 2 c. total butter. 1/4 c. water, 3 lbs powder suage, 2 tsp. vanilla. I think it was too much butter.

I'm wondering if it's too much water. Butter has a much higher water content than shortening. That's all I can think of. Wish I could be more help. Hopefully someone else will have some thoughts.

How about trying 7 minute frosting? It is simply, sugar, light corn syrup, egg whites and vanilla.

Recipe is on Martha Stewart.com/recipes

What specifically in the shortening is the teacher allergic to?

The teacher is allergic to the soy in the crisco. Our health food store didn't sell the soy free kind

Whole Foods should carry Spectrum palm oil shortening if you have time tomorrow to pick some up.