Help! A couple of years ago, California made trans-fat ILLEGAL in CA. Now I cannot buy hi-ratio shortening here, and I cannot have it shipped here either. Any ideas what I can use in its place? Oh, and not even our Crisco is allowed to have trans-fat!

I HATE the way my frosting tastes and acts now!!!!! It's almost made me leave cake decorating -- almost! lol.

Please if anyone is from CA and has found a way to duplicate what we have lost without the transfat, I would LOVE to know what you do.

THank you!

Use real butter. I've never used shortening and never will.  Tastes better too.   Unless they've banned butter too!
 

AIve read here to order sweetex z. Z is for zero trans fats but it is still high ratio shortening but you can put the fat back into your buttercream icing by using heavy whipping cream when you make your buttercream

Hi ratio shortening isn't illegal in California.  I just wanted to clarify that since you put in the title of you post incorrect information that could unnecessarily freak people out if they read it.

I just googled:

http://www.foodservicedirect.com/product.cfm/p/155608/Sweetex-Z-Cake-and-Icing-Shortening.htm

And I also got a ton of hits about it.  

I don't make shortening-based anything.  Problem solved.  

AWhen the trans-fat ban was put in place we switched from Sweetex to Sweetex Z. Bakemark sells Sweetex Z in 50# packages. The flavor of our Sweetex Z-based buttercream was just as good as with regular Sweetex, but the Z is more temperature sensitive.

Appreciate all the replies. Thank you all very much. A couple of points of clarification....

The ONLY thing I use the hi-ratio shortening for is for my crusting butter cream, which I don't think you can make with just straight butter. That is the problem...and I should have been clearer because here's the issue...

1. It doesn't crust the same without the transfat....it gets FLAKEY, which I hate.

2. It doesn't smooth the same....and if I WERE to use REAL butter ONLY (I use the WIlton 1/2 and 1/2 recipe right now)...the recipe wouldn't crust.

3. I have found that the TASTE of the non-transfat is AWFUL. Does Sweetex Z taste okay??

THank you all.
 

ADon't know about the taste of sweetex z. Jason might know that he lives in California. I use a all shortening crusting buttercream recipe and I use heavy whipping cream as the liquid in my recipe....I'm aloud to still use high trans fat shortening I just found that the heavy whipping cream makes it extra yummy. I have read other post on here that you just need to add some get back in by using either whole milk or heavy whipping cream

ASorry that should say add some fat back into the recipe

ASweetex Z tastes pretty much the same as regular Sweetex, as I said the only difference is the temperature sensitivity, at least in our crusting BC recipe (which is dairy-free). Different recipes may yield different results.

NYC maintains a list of trans-fat free shortening options, since it also has a trans-fat ban: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/transfat/english/shorteninglist.pdf

BTW it is still legal to use shortening with trans-fat for personal use, I was able to purchase regular Sweetex in a local cake supply shop in Orange County just a few months ago.

AThis was the store, in Orange: http://www.abccakes.com/

AFAIK it's still legal for a retailer to sell it as an ingredient, the ban applies to food facilities using it.

Most online retailers will probably still be OK shipping to CA, I haven't tried but it's worth a shot. For example: http://tinyurl.com/c8byuqb

AI wad told if you use it for personal use and not for selling than a suppiler doesn't have a problem shipping it to you. If you are using it for personal use I might be wrong but don't think you want 50 pounds of it. I buy the CK brand in 3 pound tubs you can find it online just Google CK high ratio shortening

I live in Sacramento, CA and I can purchase hi-ratio shortening with trans fat from a local cake decorating supply store.  You can get it with or without trans fat....I buy it with the trans fat in it.

Thank you, everyone, for the clarification.  Thank you OP for asking the question.  For about a year I've been telling people that HRS is illegal in California since 2011.  My apologies!  Since I hobby bake, it is nice to know that I can still use HRS if I wish.  I will immediately cease and desist from spreading incorrect information!

I'm amazed that this is the first time I'm hearing about the exception for home use. 

AI was wondering what is a good smooth icing i can use when i start a business in 2013.

I am in california and the cottage food law will start then, and since i cannot use hi ratio, i am trying to find a good crusting buttercream that can get really smooth. I love sugarshacks recipe and i would love to find out if there is a way i can do it without hi ratio, and if anyone has ever done that recipe without hi ratio.

Thanks, sorry if it sounds confusing

I'll second what "carmijok" and "FromScratchSF" said about not using shortening: where I come from, it isn't buttercream if it isn't made with butter (ALL butter).

(I also assert that it isn't vanilla unless it came from vanilla beans. Fake vanilla is a caricature of the real stuff.)

But back to the matter of crusting buttercream, I seem to recall another thread on the subject of whether a truly crusting buttercream can be made with all butter, and I'm pretty sure several recipes were given. As I recall, I mentioned that I'm not sure whether mine truly crusts or not (it's quite dense).

AThey say that hi- ratio shortening is smoother and holds up better because of the extra fat.

And i have noticed it as well.

I have been looking all day and night for a good crusting smooth buttercream solution to this problem, but nobody seems to have an answer.

It's either that you have hi-ratio and your good, or you have crisco and your out of luck with horrible icing.

So I guess california has got it pretty bad.

I was really excited to open a home bakery in january, but now i am questioning it, since a beautiful smooth cake will not be possible since there are no ideas on how to fix this.

So to the OP, I do not think anyone has any ideas for us:(

ASweetex Z is still hi-ratio even though it doesn't have more than the max legal level of trans fat per serving. A shortening is considered high ratio if it allows the final product to hold more sugar and liquid than standard shortening, and that does not necessarily require a significant level of trans fats.

AThanks for the info jason.

Would you say that sweetex z is better than crisco?

A

I do not speak in practice, but from what I studied -  the purpose of using hi-ratio is because it holds a lot more sugar but still stays soft enough to pipe and smooth.  And because you add so much sugar you don't taste shortening, only sweet sweet sweet.  If you used just Crisco with the same amount of sugar it would be crumbly and dry to work with - and you can still taste Crisco.

But a common misunderstanding:  shortening does not make icing crust.  The corn starch in the powdered sugar is what makes icing crust.  So it stands to reason if you are able to add more powdered sugar (which contains corn starch) into hi ratio shortening it will crust more, thus making it win=win when using it.  If you make an icing with all butter and powdered sugar you will get a very thin crust, if you use Crisco you get a little more crust, if you use high ratio you get a heavier crust.  I have read that you can get a better crust using 100% butter if you sift in more corn starch into your powdered sugar, but I've personally never done it.

When I have needed a traditional BC, I use butter and pure icing sugar (no corn starch) and it still forms a fine crust (enough to use a foam roller on). I try to avoid icing sugar mixture (confestioner's sugar + corn starch) as I don't like the chalky taste it adds.

I hate shortening with a passion and its a key distinction between mass-produced supermarket cakes and custom (home-made-tasting) cakes here. Shortening just leaves a horrible residue in your mouth.

I really only use this sort of BC on request for some cupcake orders and some birthday cakes, the rest are ganache+fondant, or IMBC or SMBC.

Also, keep in mind that (at least so far as I'm aware) the health concerns, and the laws, don't apply to trans-fats that occur in nature (of which there are, I understand, several edible examples), only to those that can only be produced artificially.

can you please tell me where you get this high ratio shortening in Sacramento with trans fat ? I am in Santa Clarita and cant seam to find it anywhere. Thank You

I just wish I could find hi-ratio shortening somewhere in my area. I do not want to pay shipping, it is outrageous!!!