I can't think of one, but I suspect your husband won't like one if he finds it. "Healthy" and "cake/frosting" just don't seem to go together. I consider desserts to be a from time-to-time luxury, so I want all the yummy-ness I can get! Anyway, here's a bump for you.
Butter is transfat free and a natural product that the body utilizes properly (unlike shortening) - so if your weather can handle it, use an all butter recipe (I only use this, never have used a shortening recipe as they taste vile to me). If you have melting problems than swap some of the butter for a non-hydrogenated fat margarine (available in health stores), as marg has a higher melting point. You can also add some melted white chocolate to stabilise an all butter buttercream in hot weather (again, solid at room temp, unlike butter).
I always make buttercream with pure butter - it's gorgeous with a dab of vanilla essence to tone down the richness of the butter. Just yum. I think you could mix in a bit of meringue powder to help it set.
I always make buttercream with pure butter - it's gorgeous with a dab of vanilla essence to tone down the richness of the butter. Just yum. I think you could mix in a bit of to help it set.
i agree, all butter, and meringue powder for stability. i use about 1 and 1/2 tb per 3 cup recipe.
1 cup butter
1 lb p. sugar
1 tsp-1 tb pure vanilla
1-1/2 tb meringue powder
2 tb milk (med. thick consistency icing)
salt- aaack- cant think of how much salt- 1/4 tsp?
I sadly have to burst the bubble that the health naz
's have created on the trans-fat issue, but butter IS NOT trans-fat free and items containing butter, according to the FDA cannot be sold as trans-fat free because they(FDA) CHOSE to not distinguish between trans-fats that are naturally occurring in the environment (dairy/butter), from artificially created trans-fats...
In other words, if he wants trans-fat free, according to the FDA, he can have...well... a... um... ah... well... a lemon...
I can't wait for this phase of the health police to go away, besides being an obese society, we are living a LOT longer than when butter and lard were the only two shortening options. We have way better healthcare than ever before in the world's history, and, even water can kill a person, Ugh 
... Sorry, I just want to eat my butter containing party size slice of cake 
in peace 
...
In my family we've always used 100% butter for buttercream. (and used salted butter as bc made with unsalted seems to be so very much more sweeter - too sweet for me to stomach anyway -and DH prefers salted butter version).
I tasted a tray bake cake my sister bought from Costco and found the bc not to my taste - so would I be right in assuming this was made with shortening?
The problems with trans fat is not that you eat in a treat like cake - but that it is in so many products out there, that you get it every day in too large quantities, without even realising it. And that is what makes it so unhealthy - the massive use in the food industry, not your once-in-a-while cake 
All butter BC works great for me, but then again, I wouldn't call Scandinavia a warm climate. Tastes awesome though. I just use all butter instead of crisco in any recipe I find and it works really well 
LOL... We've all got to die from something, at least if I die from eating a piece of chocolate cake every few months they can say "she died happy" 
It's like how Atkins was SO pushed a couple years ago as the end-all-be-all-for-everyone diet/eating lifestyle, then Atkins died of a heart attack at an early age, and now we don't hear much about the Atkins diet (except for research coming out that has 50% with a steady cholesterol and 50% who went up while maintaining the diet)... Prior to that it was absolutely no proteins... Prior to that it was deiuretics(sp?)... The thing is to ride the tide until the next phase of "oh that wasn't as bad as we thought but this is worse (remember a while back when all-purpose flour was the enemy???)..
If the Potato growers can survive so can Crisco... And the potato growers haven't changed the product they produce either.
There is a shortening on the market that contains no trans fats/hydrogenated oils (as far as I know).
http://worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=189238&prrfnbr=198982
I did attempt a frosting with this, though, and it ended up grainy. However - I think I messed it up by adding butter that I had microwaved to soften (bad idea). I still think I can get a good frosting from this and I hope to give it another try soon.
You can find this shortening in the organics aisle or a store like Whole Foods.
CoutureCake...... Naturally occuring is the key. DO NOT BELIEVE THE GOVERNMENT. GEEZE. Dairy butter is the healthiest of our options. Eat your margerine and crisco if you want, but please don't be conned into believing that it doesn't matter...and that real dairy butter is bad. It is not. We've been screwed by the FDA and all of it's associates. Believe it or not....it doesn't change the truth. Not trying to be rude or pushy, but your comments really hit me hard. I've studied this for over 20 years. Do some research...and not govt. influenced writings.
Best to you~
and yes, a percentage of the potato growers have changed their product...not to the naked eye. Check out genetically developed foods. Tastes much better......is causing cancers and all kinds of illnesses that have been on the rise and "we just can't figure out why"......
I experimented with this during my Wilton Course last month.
I made some BC with "Smart Balance" spread plus trans-fat free crisco, just to see if it could be done. It was just okay...really sweet since I didn't add the pinch of salt. I used the Wilton's class recipe. My roses held up, but they wanted to slide right off the rose nail!!! It was really challenging for a beginning rose-maker. But it was good for icing the cake. Next time I would add the pinch of salt to cut the sweetness.
Notice that trans-fat free crisco claims to have 0 grams trans fat per serving (1 TBSP), which means it can technically have up to .4 grams per serving and still list it as 0 grams. If you eat more than one serving, such as 3 tbsp, then you have 1.2 g of trans fat. The fat that they add to the crisco and smart balance (plus the shortening that freakgirl mentions) is palm oil...a saturated fat. 6 Grams of Sat fat in that so-called "Healthy" Spectrum brand of margarine in that link above.
The media has gone overboard with the trans fat message. People who are trying to prevent or treat obesity and heart disease need to watch their total calories and fats, not JUST trans fats.
Now I should get off my butt and go exercise instead of reading about food on CC! Just kidding, it's bedtime.
CoutureCake...... Naturally occuring is the key. DO NOT BELIEVE THE GOVERNMENT. GEEZE. Dairy butter is the healthiest of our options. Eat your margerine and crisco if you want, but please don't be conned into believing that it doesn't matter...and that real dairy butter is bad. It is not. We've been screwed by the FDA and all of it's associates. Believe it or not....it doesn't change the truth. Not trying to be rude or pushy, but your comments really hit me hard. I've studied this for over 20 years. Do some research...and not govt. influenced writings.
Best to you~
I can't remember what it was that I was watching this weekend, I don't think it was the Farm Report, but it could have been that was reporting the craziness of the FDA on this one because naturally occurring versus artificial, there's a HUGE difference from what I have read from CREDIBLE sources IMNSHO... Honestly, 99.999999999999999999% of the time, I NEVER believe ANY statistic, except for 98.275% of all statistics are created on the spot to support whichever angle someone is trying to make to their side of the issue. Much less trust food recommendations put out by the government, they're also the ones telling us we need to do some unachievable even in an agrarian non-mechanical society amount of exercise each day in order to stay healthy (if I was in the gym for that long on a daily basis I can assure you I would not be healthy mentally).
Think about it, people got fatter since they put the impossible to understand food pyramid into place, but it's supposedly MUCH healthier than 4-2-4-4... I personally don't care if it is or not, I still can't figure the thing out, hence, I'm not going to follow EITHER ONE! I'm going to consider what's in my food and make the healthiest decision based upon all factors. If that means Pizza Hut once in a while, so be it! I just don't want to have you thinking that I agree or believe the FDA on this issue that trans-fat is a trans-fat is a trans-fat, they've ruled on this WAY too early in the focused research to truly have an accurate answer other than being an office full of people who need a PIECE OF CAKE shoveled in. I just wanted to mention that until the tide has gone out on this issue that the ruling is to watch out if you're labeling food as "Trans-fat Free" if you're using butter, I think it was Starbucks that was using "artificial trans-fat free" until they flat out said it's too wordy 
..
And, btw, I believe this stuff just SO much that I haven't changed my Crisco containing recipes either and haven't mustered the courage to open up that green can of the stuff I've got upstairs in the kitchen.. As I have said before... "Give me Lard or Give me DEATH!"... Everything in moderation..
and yes, a percentage of the potato growers have changed their product...not to the naked eye. Check out genetically developed foods. Tastes much better......is causing cancers and all kinds of illnesses that have been on the rise and "we just can't figure out why"......
LOL... You reminded me here of my first weeks in Research Statistics in college... We learned how to correlate the consumption of Carrots (or anything we weren't a fan of) to be the leading cause of Cancer... Get 4 out of 5 Dentists to Agree.... and, and, and... Hence, correlational research, especially when it comes to the cause of cancer and disease is usually bunk because there are so many extraneous variables when it comes to humans and our behavior (did the person work in an asbestos plant... genetic predisposition.. arsenic/chemicals in the water... overconsumption/exposure...).. Of course, I also spent some time in the Agriculture Department so have spent some time learning about the processes involved with improving plant species...
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