I pretty much always use the regular BC recipe - 1/2 shortening, 1/2 butter - conf. sugar, vanilla, water, etc., Most of the people say it's just TOO sweet. 
When I go to the functions that I've provided a cake for - everyone rants and raves about the cake itselft but I always see them picking off the icing. 
Does anyone have a recipe for a white icing that crusts that isn't so sweet? I need to be able to do all the regular decorating techniques with it that I can now do with BC. Heck, I don't even like the taste of it - Hope you can help.
I found that when I switched to all butter in my bc people loved it. I haven't had any complaints about the icing since switching. Hope this helps.
I think it's very sweet to! Have you added the salt? It cuts back on the sweetness alot! I was making it without salt, even though the recipe called for a bit of it, but I thought, heck, what difference is salt going to do lol. But then I used it and was really surprised at the difference in the sweetness. But if you already use salt in yours and still think it's to sweet, I'm not sure of all the other recipes, I'm sure someone will help though 
I use all margarine or butter and add a titch ( a very small amount about a half a cap to a cap depending on how much flavor I want) of lemon extract to mine. People seem to love it. A lot of times I will add a small amount of almond as well as the vanilla.
Adding a pinch of salt will help cut the sweetness, but you could try one of the meringue buttercreams (Italian, Swiss, French). They are not nearly as sweet. I made an all butter BC with powdered sugar the other night because I didn't have time/igredients for an IMBC and threw it out and just served strawberries with the cake. I couldn't stand the taste, it was so sweet, even with the salt. I found pasteurized egg whites in the egg section at my grocery store. The 12 oz. container is $1.99 so it's really not too expensive (for me anyway, it might cost more in other areas)- and the taste makes it worth it!
I also use the 1/2 and 1/2 recipe to get a crusting BC and just like you, I also am not a big fan of it. Or are the people who recieve the cake! I've been toying with it and it has been getting better. Here is what I used on some mother's day cakes that were a big hit (icing included! haha)
1 stick salted butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup crisco
powdered sugar
almond extract
a couple tablespoons of all purpose flour
I also am having this problem. I did try the whipped cream BC recipe on this site but I had the hardest time getting it smooth. Everything stuck to it, even after I let it sit and tried to cool it in fridge. Would not smooth nicely. Also, I found that after a day or two, the whipped cream BC tasted sweeter (almost as sweet as the reg. BC) Any other ideas from anyone would be great!
I am curious for those who use just butter or margaring & no crisco....how can you pipe roses & borders with it?
I use the basic buttercream recipe I got from the Wilton classes, but have modified it slightly. I get raves about my frosting all the time. Here is the recipe I use:
1 cup Crisco
1 lb confectioner sugar
water (don't remember how many Tbsp - 4,5 or 6 depending on consistency)
1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring
1/2 tsp butter flavoring
1 drop lemon oil
pinch of salt
I don't find that it is too sweet and have never had any complaints that it is too sweet.
The drop of Lemon oil does not give it a lemon taste - it kind of gives it a smoothness that isn't there without it. Sometimes I substitute other flavorings. I have used Orange, Banana Cream and Cherry. I am using Watermelon this weekend. When I use other flavorings, I use 2 drops of oil instead of 1 so that the flavor is present in the frosting.
I only use the merigue powder in the summer when the hate may cause the frosting to melt - it helps stabilize the frosting in the summer.
candyladyhelen: When I use an all butter recipe (everyone raves when I use it!) I just use it to ice the cake, not to decorate. If I need to decorate, I make a small batch of the all crisco recipe because the decorations and such will not hold up due to all the butter.
I've added salt to my water before adding it to the batch and it takes the sweetness down a lot but doesnt taste salty.. some add a pinch of salt but i like it to desolve in the water first.. then at the end i add a splash of milk to really whip it up..
I've got an all crisco bc that most people tell me is not too sweet, and I think it's cuz of the way the 3 flavorings I use combine to cut the sugary flavor.
Buttercream
1 Cup Water
2 tsp. other flavor (optionalI dont use one)
2 tsp. Clear Vanilla
2 tsp. Clear Butter
3 Cups Crisco Shortening
¼ tsp. Popcorn Salt
2 Tbsp. Meringue Powder
4 Tbsp. Corn Starch
4 Lbs. Powdered Sugar
Pour flavorings in a cup measure, then add water to equal 1 cup. Stir in salt. Cream the shortening. Slowly add the water & cream together with shortening. Add the meringue powder & corn starch. Cream those together. Add half the sugar & incorporate. Add the remaining sugar. Beat until smooth. Keep covered to avoid crusting.
I use 1/2 butter 1/2 crisco and my frosting is white
I use only butter - I have used 2 different recipes, my traditional SMBC does tend to melt in my hands on occasion - I made a simple 2 tiered wedding cake with several roses on it (go figure, I don't have a photo - batteries were dead and it was 4 am!), so I had to keep refrigerating my bag in order to get all the roses finished.
I used a different buttercream recipe over the past weekend (just haven't posed a pic yet) and was able to pipe my roses with no problem...and I left it on the counter for 2 days. No melting. This was also an all butter recipe.
PS - My butter recipes do not come out white, they come out well, a light buttery color...more of an off-white, really. Check out my sheep cake for the exact color. I like Wilton's Snow White BC if I need pure white. It is okay, the salt helps with the sugary taste as does the almond flavor.
I usually add Creme Bouquet flavoring to mine. I use the all crisco recipe from the Wilton class. When I add the creme bouquet my icing is not near as sweet. The creme bouquet has a wonderful smell too!!
Anytime you use the powdered sugar variety of buttercreams, it is going to be sweet. You can add a bit of salt to help the tongue mask the sweetness, a little, but it will never mask 2 to 3lbs of powdered sugar in a buttercream.
If your clients are complaining that your icing is too sweet and you despise the taste yourself, then I suggest you look into Italian Meringue and neoclassic Buttercreams. These are smooth, not sweet and the best icings I have ever tasted. Martha Stewart has an IMB recipe on her website and here is a neoclassic version with many tasting variations;
http://www.recipelink.com/cookbooks/1999/0811817687_4.html
Also, even though your clients are pointing to the fact your icing is too sweet, they may not be able to detect that your cake as a whole might be too sweet. Are you using sugary moistening syrups, a sugar based jam or preserve between the layers, or worse, more buttercream? Does your cake contain a lot of sugar in the recipe itself, and are you using a fondant? All these things add up to one big sugar bomb. Striking a fine balance in your cake is very important.
Hope that helps...
I usually add Creme Bouquet flavoring to mine. I use the all crisco recipe from the Wilton class. When I add the creme bouquet my icing is not near as sweet. The creme bouquet has a wonderful smell too!!
Where do you find your creme bouquet? I've been looking for it and never find it.
JuLinda
I got my creme boquet at the cake supply store. It was with the other flavorings - vanilla, almond, lemon, etc. It smells wonderful. If I remember correctly it is a combination of a variety of citrus flavorings. I just finished the last of my bottle and will have to wait until I return back to the States in June to get more.
Hope that helps - Joan
I tried a recipe this past weekend that I really loved, and so did my customers!
(big recipe)
1 1/2 c. salted butter
1/2 c. shortening
4 lbs. powdered sugar
3/4 - 1 c. whole milk or half/half
1 T. clear vanilla
1 t. almond
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