Okay okay, I'm a converter!!!!!
I will NEVER NEVER use an all shortening recipe again for my icing!!!!! I just tasted leftovers of both, with and without butter and there is no contest!!!!!!!!! How could I have ever EVER made my icing without butter!
UGHHHH!!!!!!!!
Amy 
Okay okay, I'm a converter!!!!!
I will NEVER NEVER use an all shortening recipe again for my icing!!!!! I just tasted leftovers of both, with and without butter and there is no contest!!!!!!!!! How could I have ever EVER made my icing without butter!
UGHHHH!!!!!!!!
Amy
Oh, I am soooo with you on this one! I've never been able to agree that the butter flavoring people say to use with all crisco tastes the same as using real butter. I also think the icing has a creamier consistency or something like that.
As for the heat, I've never had a problem with the 1/2 and 1/2 recipe melting on me, but then, in CA, we don't have the same kind of heat as other areas of the country.
Sarah
do y'all use the viva method with the 1/2 and 1/2?
i just used viva for the first time but chose to use an all crisco recipe (first time for that also) and it smoothed out Much nicer than the 1/2 and 1/2. i didn't find the taste terrible although i did Not use it in the filling. my recipe uses butter, almond and creme broquet flavors.
also, does IMBC crust?
buttercream is just a mystery to me 
I used the Viva on my TRUE buttercream and no problems.
freddyfl~ the wedding cake turned out great! It's in my pics! Apparently, according to my BIL, my cake was the most "grandeouse" thing (is that a word?) 
at the wedding. It "outshined" the rest of the wedding. I thought the reception site was decorated very nicely but I wasn't there for the ceremony so that could all be true since the bride and groom wore cowboy boots with their dress/tux! 
Thank you for asking!!!
Amy
Thanks for your reply Amy I was really interested.
PS I love your cakes, your shell borders and fantastic, I just can't get mine to look right.
There's a trick we use here for the slight yellow tinge to the icing that butter gives. I add a couple of drops of violet coloring, and it neutralizes the yellow to make the appearance of white, white icing.
The interesting thing is that after I've added the violet, the icing looks the slightest bit gray in the KA, but when I put it on the cake, it looks white, white. I did a test by crumb coating a cake with my 1/2 and 1/2 icing. Then, I added the violet and iced over the crumb coating. It was amazing how much whiter it was!
Sarah
Thank you!!!!! I still need practice. Everynow and then I get a shell smaller than the others. That happens when I have to stop and then start again!
White margarine! HMMMMM!!!!! Do we have that here anyone?
Amy
That's my problem too, I need more consistency when I'm piping, mine tend to start out one size and gradually get bigger and bigger. LOL. My course 1 instructor gave me a great tip last week about counting as I pipe. She said if you're piping a shell, count out and then stop and at that point you'll have a guide to keep the other shells the same size. Make sense??
I wanted to comment on the buttercream versus all shortening. OMG, I could not believe the yucky taste. I have only ever used the 1/2 and 1/2 and the flavor just does not compare with the real thing. The butter flavoring does nothing to enhance it. To me it's like eating plastic. JUST MY OPINION. If it works for you, then that's great! I don't even like the flavor of BC without milk. It really lacked flavor without it. I will thin it down with water, but not make the base recipe without milk.
I don't even like the flavor of BC without milk. It really lacked flavor without it. I will thin it down with water, but not make the base recipe without milk.
I know what you mean! I used water once instead of milk because I couldn't refrigerate the cake, and the icing ended up being really dry and yucky. It also didn't taste nearly as good, imho.
Sarah
I have to charge more for my cakes now that I'm using an all butter buttercream but hey, it's a better taste!!!!!!
Now I just need to try the IMBC!!!!!!! I really can't wait to try that one.
BTW, the counting for the shells sounds like a great idea. I move pretty fast so I don't know if the counting will slow me down but maybe that's what I need!
Amy
I love IMBC. You can lighten it by adding the wilton white coloring, but it's still off-white. If someone wants white-white, I have bright white Choco-pan fondant. It's tasty, and they don't give up the IMBC because it is there underneath a thin layer of fondant.
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2075-14-Crusting-Buttercream-Icing-VIVA-Method.html
This is the first recipe I used with butter in it! It is really delicious!!!! It's smooth and easy to work with.
It's been in the 80's to high 90's here the last two weeks so I used this one because there is still shortening in it but it doesn't have the same yucky coating in your mouth that 100% Crisco leaves!!!
Amy
I just tried the buttercream Dream and LOVED it!!!!
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2075-14-Crusting-Buttercream-Icing-VIVA-Method.html
This is the first recipe I used with butter in it! It is really delicious!!!! It's smooth and easy to work with.
It's been in the 80's to high 90's here the last two weeks so I used this one because there is still shortening in it but it doesn't have the same yucky coating in your mouth that 100% Crisco leaves!!!
Amy
I don't have it in front of me but isn't this similar to Wilton's? More butter and flavoring in this one?
Thank you, by the way!
Why not try using hi-ratio shortening instead of Crisco? There is a big difference in how it tastes. Doesn't have all of the greasy taste like using Crisco will have. I tried and first hi-ratio buttercream a couple weeks ago and everybody said how good it was; some people even said it tasted like wedding cake frosting.
does imbc crust? i've been wanting to try it, but i really prefer a crusting bc
I have to second (or third) the comment about using Wilton's bright white coloring in the half and half BC. I won't make anything but the half and half (can't stand the thought of using all shortening--it just has a plastic mouth-feel).
The only time I really need to whiten my BC, though, is if a bride gives me a chintzy plastic topper that is white--that's the only time that it seems really noticeable that the BC is slightly off-white. If you use enough of the coloring, you can get the icing perfectly white; just remember to adjust your liquid a little because the coloring is a liquid not a paste/gel.
I only ever use a 100% butter buttercream (I still can't see how you can call something that doesn't contain butter 'buttercream' !). Here's the recipe I use, the important thing is that it is made by weight NOT volume (cups). Very simple - 1 part butter to 2 parts powdered sugar (so, for example 8oz (2 sticks) butter to 16oz powdered sugar). For every stick of butter you use use one tsp of your choice of flavouring and 1 tbsp of milk. Everyone loves this buttercream (flavoured with strawberry or lemon are my favourites!)! Only drawback is that it will melt in high heat, but will be OK under fondant, and cakes will need to be kept in the fridge until needed (but I do this with all my cakes anyway!).
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%