I Need Your Help With Buttercream Icing Recipe.....
Decorating By Dundrumgal Updated 11 Oct 2006 , 3:15am by Dundrumgal
Hi everyone,
Took my first Cake Decorating class last week and I have to take an iced cake to my next class on Tuesday. Teacher gave us a Buttercream Icing recipe and I remember her saying it was Buttercream Icing without any BUTTER!!!!
Well, I'm going to make the cake and ice it on Monday, but my recipe reads thus:
2 cups solid vegetable shortening
1 tsp. clear vanilla
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp meringue powder
SO FAR SO GOOD!!!
Instructions read thus:
Cream BUTTER AND SHORTENING!!!!
But the recipe doesn't say to use BUTTER!!! Am I missing something??? Should I used 2 cups shortening and 2 cups butter??? We are supposed to ice a cake and take enough shortening so that the teacher can teach us how to make flowers.
I don't know what to do!!! Please HELP!!!
Thanks
No you're not missing anything!
If you want, for better flavor, use 1 cup butter and one cup shortening...tastes much better...in warmer humid climate all shortening works better to hold shape for decorating but all shortening is a little bland. (I use half shortening half butter for at least icing the cake and if it is really warm and humid use all shortening for at least the major decorating.
Hi: Is this the wilton class?
If so, I took the class and their recipe does not call for butter. It works out better for decorating the cake. Butter makes the frosting too soft. I like it with butter. But wilton wants you to make it their way.
I have it as follow;
1 cup shortning
1 tsp flavor (van/almond)
2 tbsp milk or water
4 cups conf sugar
1 tbsp Meringue powder
pinch of salt optional.
Hope it helps
Class Buttercream Icing
1 Cup Solid WHITE Vegetable Shortening
1 tsp Flavoring (I use 1/2 tsp Vanilla, 1/4 Almond, 1/4 butter flavoring)
2 Tbsp Milk or Water
1 lb. PURE CANE Confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp Meringue Powder
pinch of salt (I use 1/2 tsp dissolved in the water or milk)
Cream shortening, flavoring and water. Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed together. Blend and additional minute or so, until creamy.
If you are going to use 2 cups of vegetable shortening, I believe you need 8 cups of powdered sugar, and 4 tbs of milk - that would be a double recipe.
We have to ice the cake and also take a batch for making flowers. This is our second class and we are learning how to make flowers. Do I need to use 8 cups icicng sugar??? Seems like a lot.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Lz
Yes you do need eight cups of sugar.... you will use half the icing frosting the cake if you are doing a two layer cake.
Hi: Is this the wilton class?
If so, I took the class and their recipe does not call for butter. It works out better for decorating the cake. Butter makes the frosting too soft. I like it with butter. But wilton wants you to make it their way.
I have it as follow;
1 cup shortning
1 tsp flavor (van/almond)
2 tbsp milk or water
4 cups conf sugar
1 tbsp
pinch of salt optional.
Hope it helps
Hi Cuchy
It's not the Wilton class but I believe the teacher took the Wilton class and that's why we were given this recipe. She wants us to ice the cake at home and also to bring icing to make flowers to the class.
If I use 2 cups shortening, I would have to double everything else as well, is that right???
How confusing can this get??
Thanks for your advice,
Liz
Hi: Is this the wilton class?
If so, I took the class and their recipe does not call for butter. It works out better for decorating the cake. Butter makes the frosting too soft. I like it with butter. But wilton wants you to make it their way.
I have it as follow;
1 cup shortning
1 tsp flavor (van/almond)
2 tbsp milk or water
4 cups conf sugar
1 tbsp
pinch of salt optional.
Hope it helps
Hi Cuchy
It's not the Wilton class but I believe the teacher took the Wilton class and that's why we were given this recipe. She wants us to ice the cake at home and also to bring icing to make flowers to the class.
If I use 2 cups shortening, I would have to double everything else as well, is that right???
How confusing can this get??
Thanks for your advice,
Liz
Yes - Cuchy's recipe is the correct recipe . . . looks like your instructor didn't write it out properly. So, if you take cuchy's recipe, and double it all the way through, you have the proper recipe (and I think what your instructor was trying to give you.
OMG Dundrumgal....we are so trying to help and so messing you up at the same time....
The quoted recipe that you are doubling by Cuchy (Cuchy has it in there but it is missing on the quoted version)...
it says
1 cup shortning
1 tsp flavor (van/almond)
2 tbsp milk or water
4 cups conf sugar
1 tbsp
pinch of salt optional.
That should actually say 1 tbsp of meringue powder.... then
pinch of salt optional (that's to cut back on sweetness if you choose)
_________________________________________
That being clear...you can double this recipe, and my own instructor advised the half margarine (not an oily one-something like blue bonnet is good) or butter and half shortening-tastes way better.
__________________________________________
It looks like when a highlighted word is used in a quote..the word disappears?.... Just want to make sure we don't totally confuse you with the disappearing ink trick...lol
Thanks everyone.
I think I'm going to follow the teacher's recipe and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I'll have to make another batch tomorrow morning using the shortening and butter.
Good luck - if i were you, i would only use 1 c. vegetable shortening, and follow the rest of the recipe as is - the 2 cups is definitely a typo - with 2 cups, you will have a very greasy icing. Do you have the instructor's phone number? You could call her and double check. Either way, good luck!
Thanks everyone.
I think I'm going to follow the teacher's recipe and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I'll have to make another batch tomorrow morning using the shortening and butter.
If you want to do that, go ahead. When you have added everything, you will find that icing to be way too soft and greasy...then you add another helping of everything except shortening, and you will have your double batch of what the teacher wanted to give you.... half to ice the cake and half to use for class decorating.
Good luck - if i were you, i would only use 1 c. vegetable shortening, and follow the rest of the recipe as is - the 2 cups is definitely a typo - with 2 cups, you will have a very greasy icing. Do you have the instructor's phone number? You could call her and double check. Either way, good luck!
Unfortunately she didn't give out her phone number - it would have made it a lot easier for me if she had!!!!
She definitely added 2 cups shortening, I'm pretty sure. From the large batch,she divided it into 3 and made a thin batch for crumbing, another batch that she added lemon filling to and the thickest batch to ice the outside of the cake.
I helped her clean up and when I was washing the mixer beaters, I commented about how greasy they were, but the iced cake was DELICIOUS
Dundrumgal,
Let me summarize your post. You ask for help with a buttercream recipe that you feel isn't "right".
You receive numerous responses to correct the recipe from baker/decorators with extensive experience in this area.
You post that you are disregarding all asked for "help" and going with original recipe.
You are now defending the recipe from correction from CC members.
I'm not being judgemental. Jost observing and summarizing your actions.
Is a 2 lb. bag of confectioner sugar 8 cups?
If it is, then you would definately only need to use 1 cup of shortning for 4 cups of confectioner sugar!
You should be able to tell by the consistency. If you use 2 cup, you will automatically know that you need more confectioner sugar!!
Good luck to you! 
Just to be clear - you have several options. 1 is to do a double batch or a single batch. A single batch is with 1 c. of shortening, 1 tsp. vanilla, 4 c powdered sugar, 2 tbs milk or water, etc., and a double batch is with 2 c. shortening, 2 tsps vanilla, 8 cups powdered sugar, 4 tbs milk or water, etc.
Another option you have is to do a 1/2 shortening, 1/2 butter recipe, or all shortening - this does not have anything to do with the shortening to sugar measurements - it is simply another option that can change the taste and consistency of your icing. This is something you can experiment with later (and probably why the recipe says cream butter and shortening together - your instructor probably had written a double batch of 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening, and just forgot to fully correct her instructions before printing them out - and it also explains why she forgot to fix the powdered sugar to shortening measurement).
Good luck whatever you decide to do! I would suggest that you point it out to your instructor - she might not even realize there is a typo on her instructions.
Dundrumgal,
Let me summarize your post. You ask for help with a buttercream recipe that you feel isn't "right".
You receive numerous responses to correct the recipe from baker/decorators with extensive experience in this area.
You post that you are disregarding all asked for "help" and going with original recipe.
You are now defending the recipe from correction from CC members.
I'm not being judgemental. Jost observing and summarizing your actions.
You are being judgemental!!!
I have had 1 ONE CLASS!!! AND I don't have any idea if this recipe is right or wrong. If you have read the replies, some say the recipe is right, some say it is wrong!!!!
Where do you get of saying that I'm undermining the members on this board??? If a "newbie" can't ask questions about something she can't understand without being "downed" by a "regular" then I won't visit the board and ask any questions again!!!
Sorry if I offended you and your intelligence.
Please don't be upset . . . I think people are just trying to be helpful. If you look back at all the posts here, I think all are in agreement that your recipe has a typo in it - that the recipe is supposed to read 1 c shortening, or for a double recipe, 2 c shortening, with everything else doubled. It is the Wilton buttercream recipe, and you can find it online at Wilton.com if you would like to double check it. No one is trying to scare you off this board, and it is important to ask questions and come here for help. It can sometimes be confusing sorting through the answers to get your help, but you can trust the responses you get here. Cuchy's recipe as written is correct, as is Christa's - they are the same recipe.
Good luck whatever you decide, and definitely talk to your instructor to point out the mistake in her recipe printout.
Truthfully, any buttercream icing will work . . . . the wilton buttercream icing is solid and reliable.
Welcome to C/C.
I'm sure this is all overwhelming to you. I definitley know the feeling.
tkeys is correct. the recipe they have posted is the correct class icing recipe.
It is your cake so just use your own judgement and do what you feel is right.
I would definitley look on the wilton website for the class icing, just so you can see for yourself how it should be done. Just a little confirmation might be a confidence booster. I'm sure you'll be fine. Don't get discouraged, and please don't be afraid to post anything on here. Their are a lot of helpful people on here with a lot of knowledge.
Good Luck! =)
Hi Dumdrugal, the recipe is also written in the Course I book. You may check there... and i agree with the others that there is a typo in your recipe. 2 cups of shortening makes 2 batches of buttercream.
Hi vanz,
I think the teacher did want us to make two (2) batches of cream. One for the cake and one for making flowers.
I will check the Wilton Course 1 book - I'm not trying to upset anyone on the board, I'v just never done this before and I'm trying to learn
Thanks for your support.
Liz
Dundrumgal,
I merely summarized your posts in the order you posted them.
Your most recent comments:
"Where do you get of saying that I'm undermining the members on this board???If a "newbie" can't ask questions about something she can't understand without being "downed" by a "regular" then I won't visit the board and ask any questions again!!!
Please check the posts, I never made any comments.
Just to be clear - you have several options. 1 is to do a double batch or a single batch. A single batch is with 1 c. of shortening, 1 tsp. vanilla, 4 c powdered sugar, 2 tbs milk or water, etc., and a double batch is with 2 c. shortening, 2 tsps vanilla, 8 cups powdered sugar, 4 tbs milk or water, etc.
Another option you have is to do a 1/2 shortening, 1/2 butter recipe, or all shortening - this does not have anything to do with the shortening to sugar measurements - it is simply another option that can change the taste and consistency of your icing. This is something you can experiment with later (and probably why the recipe says cream butter and shortening together - your instructor probably had written a double batch of 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening, and just forgot to fully correct her instructions before printing them out - and it also explains why she forgot to fix the powdered sugar to shortening measurement).
Thank you Tkeys,
I'm going to do the double batch as per your first paragraph, because I know we need a batch to ice the cake and she wants us to bring a batch to make flowers.
I really, really, really appreciate your help.
Good luck whatever you decide to do! I would suggest that you point it out to your instructor - she might not even realize there is a typo on her instructions.
Dundrumgal........make sure you taste your icing before you put it on the cake!!!!!! When I was in course 1 (even though I had made frosting at least 50 times before) because I HAD to have a cake ready for class......it seemed like I messed up the icing a lot LOL You would think with such a simple recipe I wouldn't but noooooo....I messed it up quite often. What I figured out is that if I made the icing when I had time to kill I could make a ton and just hang on to it ( it last for quite some time at room temp in a container) and then I always had some ready for class. One time i didn't taste my icing and I hadn't added enough sugar ( It was thick enough) and it was sooooooooooo nasty!!! Tasted like a big ball of crisco!!!! LOL Just make sure you taste it.......in the end the taste and whether or not it's thick enough is all that's going to matter. Wait til you try to figure out what thin, medium, and thick consistency are ........it's all so confusing when you're first starting!! Then after a while you figure out what works for YOU....because everyone will have a different idea of what the right thing is. good Luck!!!!! Feel free to ask more questions...that's what this site is for!!
Thank you very much K.
That's why I'm down here on the computer now. Trying to get instructions on how to "crumb" the cake. When you go to your first class, you are watching so intently and I didn't take down notes. I know there are 3 thicknesses of icing, so I'll just have to play it by feel!!
The icing actually turned out great. Going upstairs to "crumb" now!!! I'm sure it does get easier the more cakes you make. My friends are going to have cakes coming out of their ears by the time I'm finished.
Thanks for your encouragement - it is greatly appreciated.
Liz
I am fairly new here and just finished course 1 I also had trouble with Icing wasnt doubling it so I started doubling the recipe and you will be using a whole bag of c&h pure sugar it made it easier for me I used the witon course recipe. 2c crisco
2 tsp flavoring ( I like 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp almound or butter extract)
4 Tbsp water
1 bag c&h
2 Tbsp meringue powder.
I know how frustrated you are and then for it to say butter but not list I wouldof been going nuts too. It really did help my problem was it was too stiff if I didnt double and you will need a double to ice and make flowers.
hope it helps you.
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