Can I use butter instead, I hate shortening.

You probably could but would not be heat stable.

Structured enough to ice under fondant?

I have used it under fondant before with no problems. And I have never used butter in this recipe. I think if I was going to try I would use half butter and half shortening.

What size mixing bowl do you use & does it have air pockets?

I use a 5 1/2 quart Cuisinart Stand Mixer and use the paddle attachment to make this. There are no air pockets. The buttercream turns out super smooth and creamy.

Thanks Cbrosado. Can't wait to try it.

Does this icing crust over well enough to use in place of royal icing on sugar cookies?

Do you sift your powdered sugar before you put it in the mixer? Can it be used without sifting?

@susiq0623 I have used it on sugar cookies but I was afraid to stack them, because my cookies had intricate designs on them and I didn't want them to mess up. It does crust over so you don't have to be afraid of the frosting transferring to the other cookies, but buttercream just does not dry as hard as royal icing.

@Niki412 I always use brand name powdered sugar (You will see that it has 10X on the bag, meaning that it has already been sifted 10 times). I do not sift before making the frosting and have never had any problems.

I will try this and let you know how it turns out.

I heard somewhere that 10X sugar means that it has been processed 10 times to make it very fine/powdery so I think I woud still sift it

I did some searching on the meaning of 10X on powdered sugar. It is hard to get a legit answer. Some say it is because it has been sifted 10X (This is what my instructor taught us), and some say that it is because it has been "milled" 10 times and is a much smaller grain. The 10X variety is mixed with 3% cornstarch so that it doesn't "cake" or form lumps. I have read that you can add the cornstarch to 6X powdered sugar to get the same mixture as the 10X, but you would still have to grind the sugar to get it finer, which is next to impossible unless you have the correct equipment. For those of you that get a gritty texture to your buttercream, it MAY be because you are not using a fine enough powdered sugar. I say MAY because it also depends on your recipe. I tried a buttercream recipe from cakecentral a few days ago using a high quality powdered sugar and it still turned out gritty, which is what prompted me to post my recipe.

Either way, sifting is up to your preference. I don't sift with this recipe and it turns out perfect every time! I never have any lumps...it always turns out nice and fluffy and smooth as silk ;-)

I sift all dry ingredients I bake with cause I leave nothing to chance, it is just a preference of mine, if u make a habit of sifting dry ingredients it is no big deal when u run into a recipe that calls for sifting but when u don't sift everything it leaves chance to forget an important step in the process! I'm just saying.

How much icing does this make approximately? How many cakes would it ice?

I just finished a batch. I took some out to make into chocolate buttercream (I mixed in some melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and some cocoa powder). I have the vanilla buttercream in a 7 cup container and it is about 1 1/2 inches from the top. I have the chocolate buttercream in a 5 cup container and it is about an inch from the top. I have filled and covered a triple layer 10-inch round and decorated and still had some left. I think it just depends on how heavy you go with it...

HI.. Can you use high ratio shortening with this?

yes you can use high ratio shortening.

Thanks so much for all the helpful powdered sugar info!!

What exactly is butter flavor?

It comes in a bottle like vanilla extract. You can find it at any grocery store or cake supply store beside the other extracts.

Just wanted to say thank you very much for all the information. I can't wait to try this recipe.

No problem HolleyRose! Hope you like it!

I actually use a version of this recipe for my buttercream. I use shortening and butter with the heavy whipping cream. The whipping cream is the trick and it still stands up very well under fondant and tastes great! I get a lot of compliments on it.

Here is a pic of a quick cake I did today using this recipe (I just added melted semi sweet chocolate chips and cocoa for the chocolate decorations and borders). I used the viva method to smooth and used a texture paper towel to imprint the design on the cake...this way you guys can see that it crusts over and you can use the viva smoothing method on it ;-) http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2277644/office-party-birthday-cake

Does adding the heavy cream shortening the time a cake can stay out of refridgeration?

oops I meant shorten the time a cake can stay out of refridgeration.

@booney According to Wilton, “using milk will result in a creamier icing. The high concentration of sugar in the icing acts as a preservative and retards spoilage” (Wilton Course 1: Decorating Basics pg. 6) They also go on to tell you to tint your icing a day ahead and leave it overnight, covered at room temp, to allow the colors to fully develop (A tip I don’t think they would give if there were a possibility of spoilage). I always use either milk or heavy cream in my buttercream, which I then leave out, covered, at room temp. I have eaten cake with this frosting on it that had been left out, covered, at room temp (And I live in Texas where it gets very warm) after 5-6 days and it tasted fine...the cake was starting to dry out, but the frosting tasted great, lol! I never refrigerate my buttercream or my cakes. Be careful refrigerating your cake as it will dry it out ;-)

Thank you for all your comments. This may be the most I have seen in a posting, just saying. You are very helpful and appreciated. Thank you again

Thanks for all the great info; I have been having problems getting my buttercream to crust over. I am definitely going to try this recipe--I live in FL so I know what you men about the cakes and the heat/humidity.

@Bubbles, no problem! I am just glad I could help ;-)

@kim1965, I can definitely relate to the heat/humidity you deal with in FL, BUT this recipe seems to stand up to it! I made 2 birthday cakes for a party held at a lake in August...and for anyone who knows East Texas weather, you know that we get temps over 100* F with 100% humidity and it just seems to get worse in the dog days of Summer. The cake held up to the heat and humidity and the frosting did not melt (after 2-3 hours, covered and sitting on a picnic table in the shade). It did soften a bit, but the decorations still held! One of the cakes was a cookie cake ( http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2274107/peace-its-my-birthday ) and after it had sat out in the heat you could still see the ridges in the icing from the tip I used.

Your office cake is nice looking, but what about the taste on the palette? I cannot imagine that the flavorings cover up the slippery feeling on the tongue from the Crisco/shortening...

Thank you lutie! This is the best tasting buttercream I have ever had and I have had alot (All butter recipes, Italian meringue buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream...and while I really like those, I prefer the taste/texture of this and it is so much easier to decorate with) I think the heavy cream goes a long way toward covering up that greasy texture. Just try it...I am pretty sure you will love it...but if you do not like it you are only out a few bucks for the supplies, right? (That is my excuse for trying out new recipes, lol)

I have a cake that I will be doing that calls for more chocolate icing than just the plain icing you get with this recipe. I noticed in a previous post, you noted that you used some semi sweet chips and cocoa for your icing. If you were to make a batch of chocolate using this recipe, what would be the breakdown of semi sweet chips and cocoa? I don't want to overwhelm it with one or the other? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I don't use cocoa alone because you would need to add extra liquid to compensate, otherwise it would be too thick. If you would like to make the entire recipe into chocolate and would like to use cocoa alone, add 1 Cup of cocoa on top of the powdered sugar when layering and increase the heavy cream by 2-3 TBSP. To use both cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate chips as I did, use 1/4 Cup of cocoa when layering and AFTER your buttercream comes together, slowly mix in 1/2 Cup melted semi sweet chocolate chips (melt in saucepan on low heat (or you can use a double boiler), stirring often to keep from scorching...let cool down (but not so cool where it hardens again). This makes a very pretty light colored chocolate buttercream. If I need the color to be darker I mix in some Americolor soft gel paste food color in chocolate brown and just a touch of super black (by the same brand).

Thank you for the response. I was definitely looking to use both ingredients, so I will definitely be trying this recipe. Take care, and thank you again for the tip.

Thanks for the recipe! When I make chocolate icing, I like to use a product I believe is made my Nestle, it's called 'Choco-Bake'. It's 1 oz. pre-melted unsweetened chocolate packets and it's so easy to use. Just cut it open and mix in icing. Have you tried whole milk? I'd love to make this tomorrow but don't have any cream. Wondering if that would make a big difference.

Unfortunately if you want that fluffy whipped texture you need the heavy whipping cream :-( Thanks for the tip on the choco-bake! I will have to look for that and try it!

Thank you thank you thank you for posting this recipe! You are a life-saver! I have been trying all sorts of buttercreams over the last few days in search of the "perfect crusting" one. This is it! My husband and brother-in-law say its the best frosting they've ever tasted. Thanks so much!

Thanks for posting this! I made a batch and my husband likes the consistency/texture better than sugar shack's crusting buttercream. I think the butter extract threw him off with taste but extracts are easy to play around with so no big deal. I have not done a cake with it yet, but will tomorrow...I also use the viva smoothing technique. I am optimistic it will hold my fondant decor. Oh, and a tip for chocolate buttercream...if you do use a cocoa in the recipe, use the Hershey special dark cocoa as it has a better flavor and it makes the color turn out darker brown, thus reducing or even eliminating the need for gel color mixed in!

So very glad you guys liked it!

I live in TX and as you know, TX has some really HOT summers, which means difficult deliveries during wedding season :-/ Does this recipe stand up really well to heat?? (Especially with the heavy whipping cream in the recipe) 8-I

>>> PS: In my previous comment, I am referring to Buttercream-Covered cakes (no fondant)

Yes! I am telling you this buttercream is awesome! It stands up perfectly...no melting and falling off the cake!

I live on a gravel road and the wedding cake I did last October got jostled around. I always drive slow and try to miss the potholes, but it's difficult because there are so many. When I got to the reception site, I had to repair some cracks in my buttercream. So please tell how well does this icing hold up on bumpy roads?

Not real sure about the bumpy roads, lol. I do live out in the country but our road is paved. My last stacked cake was delivered an hour away and it held up fine. Hope that helps!

So good! Mine is oh so slightly gritty, so next time I'll buy the name brand...I used a store brand b/c that is what I had... But it still DELISH! Thank you for the recipe!

Thank you for answering my question about the icing holding up on bumpy roads. In your response, you said "My last stacked cake was delivered an hour away and it held up fine." Does this mean you actually transport your wedding cakes assembled/stack together? Hope this doesn't sound dumb, but I transport mine unassembled and assemble at the reception hall. I don't do very many cakes anymore, so please give me your thoughts. I welcome any tips you can give me. Thank you.

@cwelling- Glad you liked it! Using good powdered sugar is key. Make sure you get 10X as it is finer. Also try cutting your mixing time down to about 4-5 minutes. That may help ;-) I have always made this using Crisco shortening. The last time I made it I used a store brand shortening that had trans fat in it and it did turn out a bit gritty when normally it doesn't. So even though most people do not prefer to use crisco brand in their buttercream, I think I actually prefer it with this recipe. Hope this helps!

@ketelsen- I do deliver my cakes already assembled...but I take emergency supplies with me "just in case" I need to do a repair. So far I have been lucky enough not to have to do repairs, but there is always a first! I always construct each layer on a cardboard cake circle cut down to size. Then i attach the bottom layer onto a thick cake board using royal icing (if I have some prepared...if not I use buttercream) so that it doesn't slide around. Then I position dowel rods into the cake every inch and a half apart where the next layer will be sitting so the cakes don't sink down into each other. After I am finished stacking I sharpen the end of a dowel rod and push it all the way through the center of all the cakes until is hits the cake board. I have heard of people using straws instead of dowel rods, but I am not that brave! You can buy wooden, plastic, or cardboard dowels. I do this with all my stacked caked whether I have to transport them an hour away or just into the next room. There is nothing worse than seeing all your hard work fall apart or topple over! :-(

Wow! I would like to try that. But the dowl rod needs to be as high as the stacked cake. I have never seen dowl rods that long that were food safe. I can go to my local Michael's store and purchase any length dowl rod I want, but they are not food safe. I have never heard of plastic or cardboard ones that are long enough either. Where exactly do you get yours?

I am wanting to use this recipe to make my husband and my anniversary cake, 12 years :). Anyways I want to use both regular buttercream and chocolate. I won't need a lot of buttercream so can I make the whole batch then add in the chocolate to make half of it chocolate or would it be better to just split the ingredients in half and make one batch regular and one chocolate and if so how much cocoa and chocolate chips would I use. Thanks.

Wilton carries some wooden and plastic dowel rods but I have only seen them as long as 12-18 inches. You can go to this website and order wooden dowel rods that have been treated so they are food safe. They have them as long as 3 ft.. I am sure you will be able to find the longer ones more easily on-line. You will just have to shop around to find the best price. I am going to post the website to order them and then a tutorial and a video showing how to do it for you!

You can order here: http://cakethings.com/dowel-rods.html

Tutorial here: http://www.allinonebakeshop.com/documents/AIOBStieredcakeconstruction.pdf

Video here (This is just a watch and learn video, but this woman does some awesome work! Oh and she gives a website where she orders her cardboard dowels in the text under the video!): http://www.designmeacake.com/id60.html

Let me know if there is anything else I can help with!

@ Luvin420Bakin: First, congratulations on your upcoming anniversary! Normally, I just make one batch of buttercream and then I just take all the buttercream EXCEPT the amount I want to be chocolate out of the mixer and put in a container. The remaining buttercream left in the mixer is ready for the melted chocolate chips and cocoa! The amount you are going to use depends on how much frosting you have in your bowl and of course how chocolaty you want it. My suggestion is to just throw a couple handfuls of choc chips in a saucepan and melt them on low heat. It is next to impossible to ruin the icing by adding the chocolate chips, so don't worry about adding too much. Add that to your buttercream (If it is too hot let it cool before adding, just keep it stirred so it doesn't become hard in places) and mix well. To get a stronger chocolate taste and color add the cocoa powder one tablespoon at a time until you get the flavor you want.

@ cbrosado thank you for the congrats :). I just made this frosting and OMG it is the best I have ever made, I am so glad that I found this website and recipe. It is perfect and the chocolate buttercream turned out wonderful. Waiting on cakes to cool completely so I can frost and decorate.

So glad you liked it so much! I would love to see a pic of your finished cake so be sure to post a pic! Again, congratulations! My husband and I just celebrated 11 years on Valentines Day ;-)

@cbrosado congrats to you and your husband and I will post a pic today.

Wow! This is the best frosting me and my family have ever tasted and the texture is amazing! I will definitely be using this recipe from now on. Thank you so much for posting this!

@ cbrosado I posted a pic of the cake I made!!!

@Luvin420Bakin: Looks Yummy! Your hubby is going to love that! ;-)

Just wanted to say "Thank You" for sharing this recipe. It is by far the best buttercream I have ever made and it is now the only one we will use. Doesn't have that sickening sweetness, just a smooth velvety texture & taste. Tks again!

You are quite welcome Maryp55! Glad you enjoyed it!

Love this! I just tried it and wow :) I do think it may still be a little sweet but definitely not overly so. I do find that there are airholes/bubbles in my icing. Do you ever have this issue and how can I work it out or will it be easy to smooth out when icing the cake? Thanks again for sharing!

First if it is still too sweet for you, try adding a bit more salt...maybe 1/4 tsp more. The salt will cut the sweetness. I always smooth using the viva method and get a perfectly smooth surface. You can try mixing at a lower speed to eliminate the air bubbles. Some people even go so far as to mix just until all the ingredients are wet and then they finish off mixing by hand using a silicone spatula to ensure they have no air bubbles.

Update: I just tried this recipe using all butter (and omitting the butter flavor, of course). For some reason, the butter brought out the sweetness. It was WAY too sweet! To save it I mixed in straight cocoa powder (because butter naturally has water in it and the frosting is softer, so the extra dry ingredients actually did it some good) to turn in into chocolate buttercream and try to cut the sweetness. The result was a chocolate mousse buttercream that was easy to pipe with and tasted amazing. I think I may actually like the flavor and texture of chocolate buttercream better using all butter. The only problem was it had lots of tiny air bubbles in it (like mousse) and while it did crust over a little, it didn't crust quite enough. I had to be super gentle when trying to smooth it over. So if you decide to try it this way, just keep that in mind.

Could this recipe be cut in half? And if so, would I just half all the ingredients? Thanks.

@Mickeebabe: Yes it can be cut in half by halving all the ingredients.

thanks for the tips! WIll try again. Also do you know how much 8 cups is by weight? Do you measure liquids in a pyrex or liquid measuring cup? Just trying to get it perfect because I think the recipe is darn good :)

8 cups is about a 2 lb bag right? i have to make like 20 batches of this and i just want to make sure i buy enough sugar

I weigh all my ingredients to insure that I get an accurate measurement every time. 1 cup of powdered sugar equals 110 grams; therefore 8 cups equals 880 grams. If I am not mistaken a 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar has roughly 7.5 cups in it...so it is pretty close. I don't think your consistency will change with that little bit of difference. I use a 2 cup Anchor Hocking "Oven Originals" glass measuring cup to measure my liquid ingredients. It is made for measuring liquid ingredients. Always read your measurements on a flat surface at eye level and make sure that the liquid is at the correct line. (it will be slightly concave so always measure at the bottom of the water tension) NEVER EVER measure liquids in measuring cups made for measuring dry ingredients! You will never get an accurate measurement that way and it can completely throw off your recipe!

This sounds like a great recipe. I was wondering how it holds up when moving the cake layers around. I find with the recipe that I use now that even when the cake is well supported with a sturdy cake board (usually 1/2" foamcore) I still get a lot of wrinkiling and cracking in my buttercream when the cakes are transported.

@vwolf: The only time I ever had any problems with this recipe cracking or wrinkling is when I tried to add meringue powder upon a customer's request. The meringue powder made it crust way to much, it was very hard to smooth, and cracked. So as long as you follow this recipe and DO NOT use meringue powder in it, you should be fine. The outside will crust over so it is super easy to smooth, but it keeps that creamy texture underneath the crust. That light and creamy texture will help the buttercream move with the cake, keeping it from cracking or wrinkling. This may be the wrong word to describe it, but think of the way elastic can stretch and then go back to the original shape. (Not this icing is not rubbery lol).

Hi, since this BC has whipping cream, I believe it does have to be refrigerated. Wilton has a similar recipe (actually exactly this recipe minus the almond extract) called Extra Special buttercream and they state that the icing must be refrigerated because of the whipping cream.

Sugar does not always preserve the ingredients in a buttercream.

Sugar does not always preserve the ingredients in a buttercream, some ingredients will necessitate that the BC be refrigerated.

Found the link: http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Extra-Special-Buttercream-Icing-1

This is the first time I have heard of Wilton's recipe. After looking at it, you are right...it is almost exactly like mine except for the butter flavoring and the addition of the optional almond extract. And their's says to refrigerate. I, however, have never refrigerated mine and have kept a cake for up to a week without refrigerating and they have been awesome. I am quoting one of my comments from above "According to Wilton, “using milk will result in a creamier icing. The high concentration of sugar in the icing acts as a preservative and retards spoilage” (Wilton Course 1: Decorating Basics pg. 6) They also go on to tell you to tint your icing a day ahead and leave it overnight, covered at room temp, to allow the colors to fully develop (A tip I don’t think they would give if there were a possibility of spoilage). I always use either milk or heavy cream in my buttercream, which I then leave out, covered, at room temp. I have eaten cake with this frosting on it that had been left out, covered, at room temp (And I live in Texas where it gets very warm) after 5-6 days and it tasted fine…the cake was starting to dry out, but the frosting tasted great"

Thanks for the comment

Exactly, using MILK not whipping CREAM. They are not the same thing. ALL the tips on page 6 refer to the Wilton Class Icing which does not contain cream. And if I remember correctly, my Wilton instructor mentioned that if you use milk, your icing expires the day your milk expires. While I agree that you have left it out and all was well, I still don't think it is appropriate to state that the icing does not need refrigeration. How it tastes has no bearing on the health hazard it poses.

If you want to get technical, CREAM is MILK that has a higher level of butterfat. When a cow is milked, you have what is called whole milk (what you buy in the gallon jugs at the grocery store). Traditionally, whole milk is left to sit out so that the milk fat rises to the surface naturally. This layer of MILK on the top has a higher butterfat concentration. It is skimmed off the top and sold as "Cream". Once the "cream" has been skimmed off, the milk underneath has turned to buttermilk and is sold as such. Here's the kicker...even though the milk has soured into buttermilk, it does NOT affect the flavor or integrity of "cream" on top! If you don't want buttermilk, the whole milk can be churned to make the cream rise to the top...then you get skim milk (again, the stuff that is sold as "skim milk" in the gallon jugs at the grocery store) after the milk with the higher level of butterfat is skimmed off. The cream that is skimmed off the top can either be sold as "cream", or it can be churned into butter. So there you have it; A lesson from a country girl on how these products that are "not the same thing" came about and are made.

Oh, and I typed the quote from Wilton's book verbatim, and sited it as such. But if it makes you feel better I will add this disclaimer:

*Disclaimer: I do not refrigerate my buttercream or my cakes covered with this buttercream. I leave my buttercream at room temperature in a sealed, airtight container for up to a week. This is my personal practice, and while I have NEVER had any issues in doing so, please understand that if you follow suit you do so at your own risk. Thank you.

How much is 6ounce of heavy whipping cream in mls or cups? Also do i first need to whip the cream until fluffy or do i just add it in? Not too sure i follow your receipe steps. Please help.

@missmos: 6 ounces is equal to 3/4 Cup. Do not whip the cream first. In your mixing bowl, first put the shortening, then pour the sugar on top of the shortening. Add your salt on top of the sugar. Pour your flavorings and the cream on the very top, and then mix using your paddle attachment.

Just made this recipe and I am a huge fan!!! I think we have found our new go to buttercream recipe. Absolutely love it. And it doesn't taste greasy at all, just tastes smooth and absolutely yummy. Thanks for the recipe.

Love this recipe!! My other buttercream ecipe is too sweet, this is just perfect and the chocolate version...yummy!! My vanilla recipe didn't crust very well...I added everything exact and mixed just until incorporated...think I should add some meringue powder?? Thans again for posting this!!

After smoothing your frosting on your cake with your spatula, let it rest for a good 15-20 minutes. It should then crust over enough for you to finish smoothing. It is easiest smoothing using the Viva method. It will not get hard, but it won't stick to the paper towel either ;-) If you do decide to use meringue powder don't use very much. I once tried to use meringue powder in it (because that is what the person I was making the cake for requested) and put too much. It crusted over so much that it was impossible to smooth and started to crack! I had to scrape it all off and start over :-( Also, be sure to mix for about 4 minutes...no less...as you will get a fluffier buttercream. Hope this helps!

just tried this - amazing my go to recipe from now on!!!!

I am making this buttercream as we speak... My bowl is only 4-1/2 (Kitchen Aid) and I could barely fit the sugar! As a matter of fact, had to get the mixer going with only half the sugar before I could incorporate the rest. I forgot to get clear vanilla extract, so I added more whipping cream and a few drops of orange extract. mix seemed very hard at the beginning but now, 10 minutes later, I think there's hope! :-)

Thanks for sharing and adding so many tips and comments on this recipe, cbrosado! :-)

no problem! I enjoy helping when I can :-)

Look forward to trying this! @ketelsen: Check out cakestackers.com They are awesome! I only do this as a small hobby right now (maybe some day more, when the ole' student loans are fully paid off!), and the CakeStackers have made me rest so much easier. I can't say enough good things about them.

I am looking forward to make this delicious recipe that my family would love to eat this. We wanted to try something different to taste and this recipe is a perfect to try. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

_______________________________________ breakfast for one

Not sure if anyone has said this in the comments or not... but, sometimes when my frosting turns out a little gritty I let it sit over night and I don't notice it so much the next day. I like to bake my cakes and let the frosting sit overnight and put it together and decorate the next day when I have time. I don't buy my powdered sugar more than a day ahead of time. It always tastes "old" when I have had it a few days (or more) before I use it. Even if I don't open it. Sometimes it tastes old even when I buy it the same day I use it. Does anybody have any advice on how to store it so it will last longer? I currently keep mine in a sealed canister when I have leftovers...

Also, thank you very much for this recipe, I am going to try it this weekend on my niece's first birthday cake :)

Thanks for the tip Jess! I buy my powdered sugar in 7 lb bags (usually 2 at a time), and as soon as I get home I pour them both into a large airtight tub. I have never noticed it tasting "old" before...but I go through it pretty quick. I am not sure if powdered sugar has a 'best if used by' date,...will hafta check that out, lol. I will try to do some research on it for ya, as I am now curious too!

There is nothing sweeter than a first birthday! My oldest just turned 9 yesterday and my youngest turned 3 the day before! So I will be making birthday cakes this weekend too ;-) I hope you and your family like this buttercream...but especially your little niece!!!

I made this frosting tonight, it turned out wonderfully! My two year old was helping me (distracting me and taste testing after each ingredient) and I accidentally put in 8 oz of heavy whipping cream instead of 6.... I added an extra cup of powdered sugar and it turned out great. Of course I had to make cupcakes to try out the frosting on and it piped on like a dream. I will never make my old frosting again.

:-) glad you liked it and it is awesome that you get your toddler get involved! All 3 of mine LOVE helping me also! I can even remember when my son was about 4 or 5 years old and he asked me if he could have the Betty Crocker 50 pc. cake decorating kit for Christmas (he saw the ad for it on tv, lol). Baking has always been something that me and my babies do together :-) Here's to creating lots of memories with our kids and sharing our love of decorating with them!

Enjoyed reading your recipe and can't wait to try this on a red velvet cake that I am doing for a friends wedding in June. I was hoping to find a buttercream that was not overly sweet and this seems to be the one. I will be making a small 3 tier cake and the bride has requested the layers have fruit as well as icing. I am adding blueberries, rasberries, strawberries and blackberries between the layers along with the buttercream. Hope it all comes together and tastes DELICIOUS! Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks again for sharing and being so kind, even to those who lack faith in your success :).

That sounds amazing! Gosh now I am hungry for cake at 10:30 in the morning, lol! I love all things fruit...have you ever experimented with flavored liqueurs? I bet if you added just a HINT of raspberry liqueur to the buttercream it would help bring out the flavor of the fruits ;-) Just don't add too much...not really enough to make the frosting taste like raspberries, just enough to know you are tasting SOMETHING, lol, that way it just enhances the natural fruit flavors. Some people add too much and it makes their frosting taste like cough syrup...yuck! (Also if you decide to do that, cut back on the butter flavoring a bit). experiment with it before hand so you are confident with the flavor. Also if it changes the color of your frosting, try adding some americolor bright white gel paste coloring to it and that should bring it back to white...let me know how it goes!

I just tried the recipe and I LOVE IT! Thank you so much! This was such a breeze to make and like you said, crusted over very well after about 20 minutes. I love that it isn't too sweet either! I'm bummed that you tried it with butter and it was too sweet. I like using butter for a buttercream recipe, you know? I am going to try it with butter anyway - just to see. Did you use the same recipe, just switch out 2 cups shortening with 2 cups butter? I have been using a crusting buttercream for over 2 years now, but for some reason, during the summer months, it would always crack. It drove me batty! I can't wait to see how this handles the summer months! I also really like that I don't have to refrigerate the cakes after they are frosted (I'm with you and NEVER put my cakes in the fridge, and I have never had any issues). Thank you again!

@Tinabarena I am glad you like the recipe! It hold up very nicely in the heat and humidity. I recently made a cookie cake and used this frosting to decorate it. The temp was in the mid to upper 90's (I live in TEXAS!) and after sitting in the heat for about 5 hours, the chocolate chips in the cookie cake were totally melted, but the buttercream looked great! No melting or cracking ;-) If you use butter instead of shortening, you may need to decrease the amount of cream you use because butter naturally has water in it. Just play around with it until you get a consistency you are comfortable with. Also, it will not crust over if you use butter. I found an easy, awesome, swiss meringue buttercream (SMB) recipe that is made with all butter that you may like. If you have never tried SMB, it is fantastic! It has a light, barely sweet flavor and is silky smooth. Just be ware that it DOES NOT CRUST OVER, so in order to get a smooth surface you will need to refrigerate it until firm and then wash wash wash your hands and use the heat of your hands to smooth it over (at least that is the method that works best for me). If you don't want to refrigerate just to get the frosting firm, you will just hafta try to smooth it over as well as you can by spatula... Before I put the link, let me first give a few tips to make a successful SMB...First, I half this recipe...the measurements were a bit difficult to work with when I tried to cut it in third. Second, when it comes time to make your meringue, add about 3/4 tsp cream of tartar even though it is not listed in the recipe (if you half the recipe as I did). I also use 100% egg whites in a carton because it is sooo much easier and you have to make sure not to get ANY yolk in your icing. Third, keep whisking until you get really stiff, almost dry peaks to your meringue and make sure it is COMPLETELY COOL before adding your butter (if you add your butter while it is warm, your butter will melt). And last, after adding your butter, do NOT mix on a speed higher than low. It will look like it is not going to come together...will even look curdled...BUT SMB is created by emulsion...all that water that I told you is naturally in butter will separate from it and will eventually incorporate back in! With all that being said (yes I almost wrote a book! lol), here is the link to the SMB recipe http://sweetapolita.com/2011/04/swiss-meringue-buttercream-demystified/

HOPE YOU ENJOY!!!

Making my youngest daughters bridal shower cake for Thursday. Can't wait to try this out!!!!!

I have a question.. Since I live in the Philippines.. it is fairly humid here.. sometimes humid and sticky hot.. Will this buttercream stand the humidty? has anyone ever tried it in humid sorroundings?

Or is there a better buttercream for humid climates?

Ohhh I just read the post above by Cbrosado! THank you! lol

Tiffany, I live in East Texas and the humidity levels are usually around 98% with temps sometimes over 100 degrees Fahrenheit! This buttercream stands up wonderfully!

This might be a silly question, but I didn't see it anywhere in the comments. How many cups of icing does this recipe yeild? I want to make sure I have enough to cover a 12x10x8 cake (two layers of 3in thickness). Thanks!

Im interested in trying this for my neices birthday friday...can anyone tell me if this icing colors well? i'll be using it to make abby cadabby...thanks :D

lgirton, I have never measured to see how many cups it yields. I can cover and decorate a 12x18x3 inch cake with one recipe...You may want to go ahead and make 1 1/2 times the recipe just to be on the safe side. You can always freeze the leftovers ;-)

sheabutter, I always use americolor gel paste colors to tint my buttercream and get beautiful results. I started out using Wilton because that is what was readily available to me. I hated it, lol. I never got reliable results, had to use a lot of product to achieve a nice color, and it would sometimes make my frosting runny. The americolor is awesome (it is all I use now). It is concentrated, so you don't need to use very much to achieve a nice rich color, it has a flip top lid so it is very easy to measure how many "drops" of gel you use, and it doesn't ruin the consistency of my buttercream. I highly recommend it....especially the colors "super red" and "super black".

Here are some examples of some of the pretty colors I have mixed up using this buttercream and americolor gel paste ;-) http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2274107/peace-its-my-birthday http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2304757/angry-birds-birthday-cake http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2174780/13th-birthday-zebra-print

thank you for the fast reply ! its good to know that the americolor works well i am also slowly switching over to them from the wilton brand :) i've been impressed so far so heres hoping everything goes smooth tomorrow. thanks again :)

no problem! Glad I could help!

As a dedicated amateur baker, I believe,that many cakes would just not be the same without good ol' American buttercream frosting. I really dislike the raw taste and texture of the powdered sugar, but was resigned to accepting this as an authentic characteristic of true American buttercream. Until I tried a simple recipe in Taste of Home magazine with ... dry powdered non-dairy coffee creamer (like CoffeeMate)! The way in which the coffee creamer smoothed out the texture and made that raw powdered sugar taste disappear was amazing!.

The correct amount of powdered coffee creamer to add to the frosting recipe is 1/4 cup of coffee creamer per 4 cups of of powdered sugar in the frosting recipe. So for this recipe for Fluffy Crusting Buttercrean, you would add 1/2 cup of dry powdered coffee creamer because there are 8 cups of powdered sugar in this recipe. The coffee creamer powder doesn't affect the keeping qualities of this buttercream frosting.

I live in CO and although we don't have to deal with high humidity, we do have days of scorching heat. We don't use our AC unless it's at least 89 degrees; instead we open the windows and run the fans. The cake I made covered with this frosting lasted beautifully on my hot kitchen counter (the kitchen is so hot that I can't make pie dough because the fat in the dough (a mixture of Crisco and butter) gets too soft to handle within 10 minutes.

Hi jctkrause, cbrosado,

I just want to ask if I still need to use the heavy cream when I use the dry powdered coffee creamer? Thanks, your comments here are most helpful.

just made this recipe and I LOVE IT!!! It is by far the best and easiest buttercream icing I have made. Thank you!!!!

Hey I just wanted to tell you I found out that the 10X on the powdered sugar means that its 10 times finer then granulated sugar. Not sure if you already addressed it but thought you would like the info if you had not! Love the taste/texture with this recipe! I did have a bit of trouble with it when I made it (it had a great taste and crusted fine but looked like (on the side) it was fatter at the bottom of the cake then the top by the end of the day!) Not sure if I missed something when making it or if it was the very high heat of the Kentucky Valley that did it (we were having a heat wave when I made it). I'm going to make it again and I'll let you know how it goes!

@WeekendBaking, I have never used powdered coffee creamer in my recipe before, so I am not sure. This frosting is fluffy because of the whipping cream, so I don't know what the texture would be like without it...

@Lydia227, I have never had any issues with the frosting sliding down the cake, and I live in SE Texas where it is very hot and humid. You can always adjust the liquid in this recipe according to the humidity level in your area. More humidity=less liquid and less humidity=more liquid. Hope this helps!

Okay I made it again and did not have any problems, I must have done something wrong the last time I made it! I tried the coffee creamer and it did take the "powered sugar taste" away but with the amount listed above it had a crazy tangy/weird taste. I used just a dash in the next batch and it cut the sugar taste and was not tangy. Thanks for the tip!

I have to make two three tiered cakes next weekend. I want to use Dawn non dairy whipped topping but I kinda wanna go towards using buttercream instead of whipped topping to get a smoother look. Would you use crisco brand, even though it has no trans fat, or store brand like walmart brand with this recipe? Thanks, I live in TX too.

@rdjr- I actually have better results using Crisco brand with this recipe, but either will work.

I gave a friend of mine this recipe and she converted it into a peanut butter buttercream. I haven't tried it yet but it sounds yummy. She always gets a lot of requests for it on her cakes and cupcakes. She says she leaves out all the flavorings and extracts and then adds 1/3-1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter when she puts her shortening in. Everything else is the same. Anyways, thought I would share her idea with you guys. Let me know if anyone tries it and how it turns out for you! Happy baking!!!

how many batches would take to ice and decorate a half-sheet cake? I'm doing a co-workers sons b-day cake in a couple weeks and want to use this icing recipe.

I would make 2 batches just to be on the safe side, although 1 1/2 should do it for you...it just depends on how much decorating you want to do. AND if you are anything like me, I always make more of every color I need because I would rather have too much than too little because you can never achieve quite the same color if you run out ;-)

I'll do that. Thanks so much!

Can this be frozen for a later use?

yes, it can be frozen. Just make sure to let it thaw completely in the refrigerator, then bring it to room temperature. After it has been brought to room temp, whip it again to bring it back to the proper consistency.

I froze my chocolate buttercream 1 week ago and was planning to thaw it out tomorrow! But, I had a loss in the family and it will be 1 more week before I can use it.:( Will it be okay, or should I make another batch?! Thanks!

Sorry for your loss. You have my deepest condolences. As long as it is still frozen you are fine!

How long do u leave it till it starts to crust?

it starts to crust within 15-20 minutes.

Love this recipe. I kind of reminds me of vanilla saltwater taffy!

Love this recipe. I kind of reminds me of vanilla saltwater taffy!

Love this recipe. I kind of reminds me of vanilla saltwater taffy!