My Friend Won't Stop With The "it's Sooooo Sweet"
Decorating By MrsMom Updated 20 Apr 2007 , 6:54pm by Suebee
It's starting to drive me crazy. 
(referring to the frosting)
The first cake I made for her was the Easter one, since we went to their house for Easter lunch. She says "oh that was good, but soooo sweet...and I LIKE sweet things, so you know if I say it's sweet it must be REALLY sweet!" OK. Then she came to my son's first bday party and made the same comment. Same thing when I brought leftover cake to her house a couple days later.
Now, I have gotten nothing but positive comments about my cakes. I don't know if people are keeping shut or if they really like them, though! 
I asked my husband to be honest with me and he said he thought it tasted good, not too sweet. His comment "It's frosting, what does she expect? It's gonna be sweet!"
Here is my recipe (basically buttercream dream). Am I missing something that would make this overly sweet?! I mean, I even add salt!
1 cup crisco
1 stick butter (unsalted)
1 stick margerine
2 tsp flavoring (I use 1.5 tsp vanilla and .5 tsp butter)
2 T water (to make stiff...I add another 4T to make thin, to frost)
1 bag powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Anyone ever get these comments? How do you deal? I feel a little attacked!
that's just the nature of buttercream......there are just some people that don't like it........make her a cake with an IMBC or something (Italian meringue buttercream)....they're much less sweet than a basic buttercream..........oh also the buttercream for frozen transfers on this site is not SOOO sweet , but hey your DH is right it's buttercream what does she expect????
i only rec'd that comment from on person.. a bride to be and she opted to go with the cream cheese icing instead of buttercream for that reason.
the recipe is similar to mine and i dont think it is that sweet..unless she overly sensitive to sweetness.. i know during certain times of the months i can taste the salt in foods more than other times
I occasionally have the same problem. One of my students wouldn't eat my demo cake I do on the first night of class because "the frosting is sooo sweet." Fine, more for us! 
I once had a loyal customer ask me to change my recipe for the same reason, but I made her sign a paper "recipes cannot be altered". It's sugar, what do they expect?? I understand Italian meringue buttercream isn't as sweet, but it is much more difficult to work with (very thin). Don't worry about her -- if you are happy with the frosting then leave it be, it's your reputation out there!!
Yes, "American" buttercream is sweet. Really sweet. That isn't a bad thing - it just is how it is. Many people like it. Apparently your friend thinks that is maybe too sweet (a little weird why she won't stop saying it). But like your husband said, frosting is sweet!
Any American BC recipe will be sweet, even if you are adding salt, etc. If you want to try a less sweet frosting, you may want to try an Italian, French or Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I recently tried ShirleyW's IMBC and it was HEAVENLY!
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2426-Italian-Meringue-Buttercream--Shirleys-Method.html
Smooth and creamy - like a high end bakery. But be aware - it is a very different taste than the usual "too sweet" American buttercream. 
Yes, I have had those comments from my MIL 
She and I get along really well BUT..it was getting on my nerves. She would make a fuss in front of everyone and scrape the icing off her cake explaining to EVERYONE that she just does not like sweet things....this from a lady that eats a candy that is made from marshmallow and then coated with coconut...it's that sweet too???? Anyway, I had always wanted to try Italian Meringue Butter Cream (IMBC). I tried it, fell in love with it, and she no longer complains! So, I got rid of two things....my "overly sweet icing" and her Golden Globe preformances 
Give IBMC a try and see what you think....I bet this would make her ask for another piece and she won't be complaining.
I also wanted to add that there is a thread on her somewhere about using pasterized egg whites in the IMBC just incase you are worried about that.
HTH
Chrissy
rofl...I love your comment, darandon!
My dad is that person in my life. If he doesn't like something I make, he will be sure to mention it at large gatherings and not just once.
Your buttercream MrsMom is pretty close to the same as mine but I add a bit more milk/water and I've never gotten any comments on it being TOO sweet. Especially if she's the only one that says that, don't let it bother you and I wouldn't change your recipe either.
See, it never stops her from eating a good-sized chunk of it! The last time we had it, we ate it with triple chocolate ice cream and she commented on the sweetness of the cake! I (half-jokingly) said "it couldn't have anything to do with ice cream, huh?"
Maybe I'll give the IMBC a try...though I really do like the regular ol' buttercream for most things. It's very easy to work with, and darn it, I think it's yummy too!
ha ha ha! Once, someone really got on my nerves and at a large gathering she complained that the icing was too sweet (now note, this was not the first time she had complained -- it's just her way evidently) and she complained loudly. Well, I was so annoyed that I complained back, just as loudly, "Then don't eat it!" ha ha ha! I did notice that her outburst and my response didn't stop anyone else from eating the cake that day either!! 
You have to remember that most people dont make their own frosting... they frost from a can... all the frosting i make is sweet but not overly sweet.... maybe she just thinks its really good and is trying to give you a complament (sometimes it gets anoying) i would just smile and say yeah thats what you said last time, thank you. hopefully she'll get the hint!
Try with salted butter. I also experimented for one of my wilton class cakes. I just kept adding an a sprinkle of salt and mixing until the sweetness was cut to my satisfaction. It never got too salty - but I was careful to add very small amounts and mix well. Even my hubby who is sensitive to salt didn't pick up on it - but said it did take the edge off.
I use a tablespoon of flour, and my liquids are the clear vanilla, clear butter and buttermilk. cuts the sweet factor.
Yes, if you could e-mail me the recipe, I would love it since I get the same comment about "it's toooo sweet". Thanks!
Okay, sugar=sweet! I made French Buttercream for a friend's mom's 90th birthday. My cousin got to eat a slice of cake. She said "It was REALLY buttery, then I got a taste of the white chocolate wrap WITH it and it was wonderful!" I told her that butter usually DID taste buttery! LOL
It's the nature of the beast. Sugar is sugary and butter is buttery and I LIKE my coffee HOT and my sun BRIGHT! LOLL
Beth in KY
Yep, my mom doesn't like any of the bc's I have made...."...too sweet..."
So now, I just buy the Rich's bettercream, Pastry Pride or Frostin' Pride for her.
And for fillings, I've been doing a box of pudding of her choice with 2 cups whipping cream....now she is happy....finally!!!!
"...if mom ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!..."
You might try using almond instead of the butter flavor, and I also use salted butter..... Haven't had one complaint yet.... AND I would stop giving her cakes or even left overs.... when she asks "why"?, Tell her she said she didn't like it, so why would you want any of it.....
Some people make the same comment and I have someone where I work that just eats the icing (his favorate part). It's all about the individuals taste. Your friend will never be satisfied and seems to always want to comment. Like your husband said, it's icing. Some buttercreams have so much butter it's like eating a stick of butter. With some people you will never win.
Suebee, your right....cuz I could eat the icing alone....some people can, some can't....my mom is the only one who has ever complained...I'm a sugar junkie...like my dad....
I have to admit that I love icing and before I dump the left over in the trash, I will eat it right out of the bag 
So to me, there is no such thing as too sweet icing.
misslady...true, most people are used to canned frosting, which isn't as sweet (but also not as good, IMHO).
Flour? Really? Maybe I'll try that sometime.
music...how much lemon juice would you add to the recipe I posted? Could you PM it to me?
See, she always says "Mmmm, that was really good but...." so she probably is trying to compliment. I just didn't think it was that sweet. I even called my sister today because it was bugging me. She didn't think it was overly sweet either. I asked my mom and she said yes it was. I asked what she uses to make it not so sweet and she said marshmallow fluff. 
Does that make sense to anyone?
I hesitate to use salted butter because depending on the brand you never know how much salt is in it. Maybe I'll try adding another 1/4 or 1/2 tsp and see what happens.
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There are two types of people I think, sweet and salty. She's a salty I think. She's the kinda girl that would prefer the whipped cream icing - ick! There is nothing wrong with your icing so don't sweat it. I'm not a fan of potato chips and such but give me some chocolate or a bowl of ice cream YUM! She just doesn't prefer sweets - poor girl 
Some of us were blessed with a sweet tooth and some weren't...
Relax and don't change your icing!!
The only thing I have to say is that you will not be able to please everyone that you come into contact with and if you try to change your recipes everytime someone is unhappy, displeased, or dislikes the taste you will be changing something for every customer. It's best to find out what works for most people and the few that don't like it, so be it. As long as the majority rules.
Cynita
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