Buttercream - Less Sweet
Having seen several discussions in the forums about a “less sweet buttercream,” I decided to post my favorite, since I didn’t have it written down anywhere previously, and chiming in on those discussions was, therefore, awkward. Now I can just recommend the link to this recipe. I find that butter makes a recipe cloyingly sweet…so this one is all-Crisco because of that.
Buttercream – Less Sweet
Ingredients
- Crisco – 492 grams
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Sour Cream – 2/3 Cup
- Clear Vanilla – 2 tsp
- Lorann Champagne Flavor – 2 tsp
- Powdered Coffee Creamer, DRY – 1/2 Cup
- Powdered Sugar – 2 pounds
Instructions
- Sift powdered sugar. Combine with powdered creamer and set aside.
- Beat shortening with salt until smooth and creamy. Add half of sour cream and flavorings. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add half of powdered sugar mixture and beat until well-combined and creamy. Add remaining sour cream mixture, beat until combined. Add last of powdered sugar mixture and beat until smooth and creamy. Continue beating if a fluffier icing is desired.
- This makes a very slightly ivory icing. You may wish to add a bit of icing whitener or a tiny touch of violet coloring if ivory is not the desired outcome.
- Crusts…but not heavily. Can be smoothed with Viva or Melvira method after about a half-hour. If using another Lorann flavoring instead of Champagne, add sparingly, a little at a time, as not all Lorann flavors impart the same degree of flavor. 2 Teaspoons would be awful if using their Almond, for instance.
I really want to try this recipe but I'm having a hard time finding the conversion for the 492 grams of crisco. Do you have this measurement in cups perhaps?
Crimsicle, Thanks for this recipe - I've never seen one that calls for coffee creamer (which I use everyday!). My question is does this need to be refrigerated due to the addition of sour cream? Also, I always look through the LorAnn oils at my local baking supply shop, but have never seen Champagne. I will look into it further, but if they don't carry it, can you recommend another flavour that might work? Butter Rum maybe?
I found an online coverter and after a trial it 492 is equal to 2 1/4 cups.
I'm trying to imagine the flavor! With the sour cream in there, is it as tangy as a cream cheese frosting? I want something less sweet, but don't want that much tang. Substituting almond flavoring for the champagne, do you think this would work well with a custard-filled burnt almond cake?
Big question: Can this be covered with fondant? I think the moisture content looks low enough, and in my climate I've had success covering cream cheese icings with fondant.