I keep seeing these two buttercreams and I get the difference (the crusting) but what's the difference in their usages?
Which one can make flowers?
Which one is better to make things like grass or leaves on the cake?
Which one can be made in advance and kept in the fridge?
Thanks!
I'm not a 100% sure on this (so anyone correct me if I'm wrong), think a lot of the crusting vs. non crusting relates to whether you are trying to smoothe your BC. Like using the Viva paper towel trick. Any other suugestions out there?
You can use both to decorate with. Or both to ice with. Like Kate said the only difference is when you want to smooth your icing out.
I think the best thing about crusting BC is that it's touchable, fixable and things don't stick if you don't want them too (ribbons, cake boards, toppers...). I really can't think of many good reasons to use non-crusting other than under fondant. Maybe someone who uses it a lot can help.
I prefer the crusting buttercream. I have seen people say they don't like how it tastes and prefer the non-crusting for eating.
I prefer crusting. As mentioned before, its better to work with and fix if any problems arise.
I found another reason to use non-crusting. I was just reading that cakes with non-crusting icing freezes best. Cakes shrink when frozen and expand when thawed, so if you use an icing that crusts it will crack.
http://www.baking911.com/cakes/101tips_pg3.htm
I had a question about this too. I love the taste of the BC recipe Lisa has posted here (the BC for decorators one)...while I was decorating the cake and sampling the frosting often, it was awesome! But it seems once the "crusting" process takes place, you lose some of that delicious flavor...you notice the crusting texture and can't get the true original flavor of the frosting...does that make sense?
I just know when it was first made the frosting, it was smooth, creamy and delicious, but once it was on the cake for 1 1/2 days, when I ate a piece, I could mostly notice the crustiness and not so much the flavor. I know it had nothing to do with the recipe or anything...that's how all crusting BC's seem to taste...but I certainly preferred it when I first made it. Its too bad you can't retain that smooth taste once you turn it into stars. I think I might just try to frost the same day or just night before from now on so that more of the creaminess and flavor can come through.
Lisa, is there a non-crusting frosting you like? Your recipe is so delicious that I wondered if you have a non-crusting that can hold up to decorating with stars, but not crust as much? I trust your taste completely!!!
Are there any other times you have to use a crusting over a non crusting...maybe in conjunction with other decorations you are putting on the cake? ie. transfers, flowers, etc?
I am sure from a decorating standpoint, crusting is better, but what about from an eating standpoint?
I always used crusting buttercream until I worked in a bakery where they use non-crusting. There are pro's and con's to both. The crusting buttercream is cheaper, not so much fat in it. It holds up much better in the heat. You can touch it without messing it up. Non-crusting chills really hard overnight so the cakes hold up better in delivery, I chill them as cold as I can get without freezing and they are very solid. I put a base coat of frosting on and let it chill up really hard and add a second coat and it smooths out nicely. I've found it's best to make it a few days ahead and it smooths easier, less air bubbles. I like that the non-crusting is soft to eat. I don't like the crustiness when I eat cake either. Non-crusting will melt easily so I make my buttercream with as much powdered sugar to fat ratio as I can without it becoming a crusting icing. Non-crusting can be left uncovered, it won't get hard. Hope that helps you some 
I use crusting buttercream to get the look of rolled fondant without the nasty fondant taste. I find it to be less sweet than non crusting bc. I believe it's the small amount of flour in the mix that makes it crust. It's easy to work with and sculpt to make the nice roundes edges. I don't use dairy products in my icings so my cakes and icing don't require refrigeration. Cakes around here don't usually last a day and half so I can't say much about how fresh the cake or the icing would be. I made a cake for my bosses daughter on a Thursday and had a piece of it the following Monday and it was still very good. I just sliced a thin piece off the end where it had dried and it was still very fresh.
I have a cake to make this week and think I am going to use the crusted bc on it. I use the Crusted Buttercream II recipe from the recipe file on this site.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%