I usually use the 1/2 Crisco, 1/2 butter recipe for my buttercream, but I was wondering, can I substitute all butter instead of using any Crisco? Will it turn out the same, except probably taste better (or at least different texture, I would imagine)? What about crusting? I use the Viva paper towel method to smooth my icing. Would eliminating all the Crisco have an effect on how the icing crusts? Thanks for any tips!!!

It will make it a little on the yellow side.. And I dont imagine you could do the VIVA method.. I believe the crisco is what crusts..

I use all butter and it does crust, but not as much as the crisco kind. You can still use the viva method, but you have to wait a little longer. You can also use a spray bottle filled with warm to hot water and smooth with a spatula.

I don't know about the crisco and butter thing, but

I do know that the spray bottle method using a spatula works better than the viva method. According to my past wknd experience. I actually was told (by another forum topic) to use cold water, not cold like in fridge cold, but regular cold, like just got from sink cold. It worked good for me.

I just wanted to let ya'll know that method works for me.

I learned that the all butter dosent get as stiff for piping either, taste great though!!!!!

I use all butter...I refridgerate it and use the hot spatula method. I don't like the taste of crisco.

All butter should crust as long as you don't change the sugar to fat ratio in your icing. The amount of sugar to the amount of fat in a recipe is actually what makes it crust or not. The more sugar the dryer the icing and the more fat the longer it takes to crust, if it ever will.

A recipe with 1 cup fat (butter/crisco) to 1 lb sugar is a crusting recipes. The recipes that won't crust are the ones that get in to several cups of fat to a small amount of powder sugar.

I think the biggest thing to the all butter recipe is that it can make a bit of a softer icing. And if you have warm hands or live in a hot area it may be harder to work with. This is why you use all Crisco in the Wilton classes because the crisco can stand up longer to the heat from our hands and being used over and over.

Butter has a lower melting point than crisco, so if you live in say Texas, I'm not sure I would use an all butter icing for a out door wedding in the summer.

I'm in Kentucky, so no worries about a heat wave in March here! Although, it's supposed to hit 70 this weekend! Woo-hoo! Anyway, I don't think the heat will be a factor. And the decorations on this cake are minimal, just bead border and pearl-like swags made with tip 5 dots. Ribbon around base of each layer and roses, but I'm thinking of doing the roses out of royal icing so they will be sturdier. Do you think this sounds okay?

What is the viva method?

I failed to mention, I use all butter for icing and 100% crisco for decorations. I am in a cool climate, but have hot hands and this works out better for me.

If it's not too much to ask, does anyone have a good all butter recipie. I use the half butter half crisco, but would love to try a good butter recipie. THANKS

If you will go to the recipe requests forum click on ISO Tried and True Buttercream and scroll down to the 7th post I have the all Buttercream recipe that I use I like it and it does crust very good . You can give it a try I think you will like it. Good Luck

This is a matter that always confuses me...I do NOT have fridge space for even a single cake, let alone several at a time. I use the Wilton all-crisco (actually alpine) icing recipe with water, not milk because of my fridge space.

Am I wrong? Can real buttercream or even half/half be ok if left out? And if so for how long? I've been thinking about trying a half/half recipe.....

If I use an all butter recipe, I just replace the crisco with butter. So 1 cup of butter with 4 cups of powdered sugar. I have found that this is definately harder to get smooth than the all crisco recipe. It is much softer and does not crust as well. Using water to smooth will sometimes streak your icing color, depending on what color you use. The hot spatula idea works but it take a long time.

This is the best tasting bc I have ever treid. It has been described as the Egyption Cotton of BC

It does take more work, but it is worth it. I have yet to try and decorate with it as I have just started Wilton 1, but if anybody does try it, you will have to let me know if it works or not.

Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups sugar
13 large egg whites
3 pounds (12 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into half sticks
6 tablespoons clear vanilla extract

Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and 3/4 cup water, mixing with a wooden spoon until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Place the pan on the stove, and use a clean pastry brush to paint the area just above the water line with water. Turn the burner on to medium and heat, watching the sugar mixture to be sure it does not caramelize or burn. Lay a candy thermometer in the pan and simmer the sugar-water mixture without stirring until the thermometer reaches 240 degrees F (soft-ball state); this will take about 5 to 7 minutes.

As the sugar nears the required temperature, place the egg whites in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Using the wire whisk attachment, beat the egg whites at medium speed until they turn from opaque to white and begin to hold soft peaks. They should be at least double in volume in about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overbeat.

Turn the mixer on high and very carefully and slowly pour the hot sugar mixture in a very thin stream near the edge of the bowl and into the stiffly beaten egg whites. Beat for 20 to 35 minutes on medium to high speed. The egg whites will lose some of their volume and the mixture should resemble a very thick meringue. The outside of the bowl should be moderately warm to touch.

At this point, reduce the speed to medium or low and add the room temperature butter pieces, one at a time. The mixture will break and begin to look like cottage cheese, but don't worry. Keep the mixer running, continue adding butter, and let the mixer whip the buttercream until it begins to get smooth once again; this could take up to 10 minutes. Once the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla and beat for five minutes more.

The buttercream is now ready to be colored or chilled. (If the buttercream is too soft, chill for 10 minutes and then whip again. If this doesn't work, cream 4 tablespoons of chilled butter, and then gently whip the creamed butter into the buttercream, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until the buttercream is smooth and there are no lumps.)

Use with Classic Yellow Cake.

Makes about 12 cups, more than enough to ice and decorate most cakes; Leftover buttercream can be frozen for up to three months.

The recipe that luvalot posted is the one for Italian Meringue Buttercream. She is right, it tastes delicious. I have used it to do borders and it works fine. The other day I was trying to make roses with it and they wouldn't hold their shape very well. I put it in the refrigerator to harden a bit and then forgot to get it out so it got too hard and I couldn't test if doing that would help to make the roses more defined. I do know that once the roses are made people recommend to put them in the freezer until you need to use them or, at least, refrigerate them so that they hold their shape. I haven't done that yet either.

You also have to be careful when bringing it back to room temperature if it had been frozen or refrigerated before. You have to heat it up (you can use the microwave) in like 5 second intervals until soft but watch out so that the butter doesn't melt. I did it and it worked for me.

Also, it doesn't crust like the crisco and powdered sugar ones and if you have refrigerated a cake with IMBC you have to leave it out and let the buttercream come to room temperature before serving.

All in all, is the best I've tried so far.

Inma