Please help me!! i've been struggling with this frosting problem since the start. I havent yet gotten successful consistency and taste of the top frosting covering my cakes. so far i've only made 2 cakes. One, i used a buttercream recipe found online, and it was too sweet for me. i know the icing sugar helps make the buttercream stiffer for use, but it's too much sugar!! Then the second time i used italian meringue buttercream that just didn peak when i added the butter in...

So you see..quite discouraging. I'm baking another cake for a birthday next week and i really need the help of all you experts!!

ok, i would love to use buttercream, but it's really sweet with all that sugar, so does anyone have any idea what to substitute in so that the buttercream is stiff enough for decorations, yet not too sweet. Or, any other recipes or frosting ideas are welcome too! I just need a simple, easy to work with frosting for the top and decorations on the cake. Preferably one that comes out white, not yellowish.

THANKS SO MUCH!! AND PLEASE DO HELP!

Unfortunately for you b'cream icing is *meant* to be sweet. Some people find ways to cut the sweetness by sub'ing about 1/3 cup cornstarch (instead of sugar) and adding a dash of salt (up to 1/2 teaspoon per 2# of sugar) helps.

I have never made IMBC so can't help there.

Well, I'm sorry you are discouraged! It takes some trial & error to find what works, so keep on baking!

I'm not sure about the sweetness, as I am a sugar junkie. Usually, the icing is too sweet for most people by itself, but on the cake, it balances out. I use the Wilton recipe, but I use 1 tsp each of vanilla, almond & butter flavor, you must use clear vanilla to get the pure white.

I have heard the IMBC or Swiss MBC are less sweet, but I've never used them. Have you searched the recipes on this site? There are some really good ones, one is called "Less sweet buttercream", I think.

Good luck & don't give up!
Brenda

The buttercream recipe you have to make for the wilton class is not sweet. I prefer a sweeter bc, however my mother loves the wilton one instead so I make that for her. I looked on their site for you and low and behold, the recipe is not there. I am at work atm so can not get the recipe out of a book. Maybe do a search for the class recipe (if someone else can't post it for you quick) Even though it has all the ps in it it is not sweet. hth

This is the buttercream recipe I use:

2 sticks butter
2 c. Crisco
1 t. butter extract
1 t. vanilla extract
½ t. almond extract
2 lb. confectioners sugar
½ t. salt
1 T. meringue powder
water as necessary

It's still a little sweet, but like bkdcakes said - it tastes much better on cake than by itself. I've gotten a lot of compliments on this buttercream so you can give it a try and see how you like it! I haven' t tried any of the recipes on CC so I can't offer any opinions there, sorry.

Hello Jinius ,
I love the buttercream with real butter. If you add some actual butter and SALT to the recipe, it's much better. The salt cuts the sweet taste. My favorite icing is with all butter or half butter, but here's a recipe for something that will hold up a little better. For a stiffer icing (think roses) you could use less water or add more powdered sugar.

Basic recipe

1 1/2 cups hi-ratio (beat for a few minutes)
add on slow speed:

1/2 cup butter
1 teas. clear vanilla (or other flavor)
1/2 teas. salt
1/3 cup water
2 pounds Domino powdered sugar
1/2 teas. butter flavor (optional)

If you use salted butter (I do), you might try less salt. You can add a little at a time and taste it.

Hello Jinius ,
I love the buttercream with real butter. If you add some actual butter and SALT to the recipe, it's much better. The salt cuts the sweet taste. My favorite icing is with all butter or half butter, but here's a recipe for something that will hold up a little better. For a stiffer icing (think roses) you could use less water or add more powdered sugar.

Basic recipe

1 1/2 cups hi-ratio (beat for a few minutes)
add on slow speed:

1/2 cup butter
1 teas. clear vanilla (or other flavor)
1/2 teas. salt
1/3 cup water
2 pounds Domino powdered sugar
1/2 teas. butter flavor (optional)

If you use salted butter (I do), you might try less salt. You can add a little at a time and taste it.

Hello Jinius ,
I love the buttercream with real butter. If you add some actual butter and SALT to the recipe, it's much better. The salt cuts the sweet taste. My favorite icing is with all butter or half butter, but here's a recipe for something that will hold up a little better. For a stiffer icing (think roses) you could use less water or add more powdered sugar.

Basic recipe

1 1/2 cups hi-ratio (beat for a few minutes)
add on slow speed:

1/2 cup butter
1 teas. clear vanilla (or other flavor)
1/2 teas. salt
1/3 cup water
2 pounds Domino powdered sugar
1/2 teas. butter flavor (optional)

If you use salted butter (I do), you might try less salt. You can add a little at a time and taste it.

Oh, since the recipe is not on the Wilton site, I'll post my version here. I also add salt, as one of the previous poster said.

1 C. shortening
dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla flvg
1 tsp almond flvg
1 tsp butter flvg

Mix these together well.

4 C powdered sugar
2-4 TBSP water (or milk or coffee creamer flavor of choice)

Add the sugar & mix, adding the liquid to get the consistency you want.

Either get used to buttercream or switch to something else. Of the buttercreams, the meringues have less sugar than the uncooked versions. Everything else in the buttercream family is sweeter.

Less sweet options: Ganache either white or chocolate. It will have the sweetness of the chocolate.

Stabillized whipped cream - you can control the sweetness. Doesn't take as much color as some frostings.

Really you might want to make a frosting other people like and just chalk it up to you not liking frosting that much, but then you can still have fun with caking.

I make indydebi's buttercream (very delish)and add a dash of salt to it (I also put sub butter flavoring for some of the vanilla). That seems to help some. But as the others have already said buttercream is definitely meant to be sweet.

If you want a "whiter" buttercream, you need to stay away from recipes that contain butter (unless you can find white (uncolored) butter.) I have tried to use a butter buttercream and lighten it with wilton whitener/lightener, but to me I can still see a tint of yellow/cream.

HTH and Good luck!

Jen

LOL! I'm not laughing at you... a-ha, ha...ha... it's just that I know what you mean. In my quest to lower the sweetness last weekend, I...I...added too much salt! Pptttthhhh!!!! Bwah - ha hahaha!!!

Have you ever added too much salt?! LOL!!!! I have! Nothing like salty frosting, pthhh! Haha! It's like, "How do you do? I'd be happy to serv you the cake and brine I've prepared just for you..."

ROFLMAO!!!!

So, my only advice on cutting the sweetness (as I wipe laughing tears from my eyes) is don't add too much salt... it's supposed to be sweet. The only frosting I've tried that was virtually sweetless is a SMBC but to this day I can't figure out how the bakery does it.... and they're not telling

While we're telling salt secrets. When I was still a little baker, I mistook salt for sugar in oatmeal cookies. They turned into little lumps of sadness. How that happened, I don't know to this day.

This is the recipe that I use and it is primarily what the "class buttercream" is from Wilton.

1 c shortening
1 tsp flavoring (vanilla, almond, or butter)
1 tbsp meringue powder
1 lb. confectioner sugar
5-6 tbsp water or milk

Mix the shortening, flavor, & a tbsp or 2 of water.
Mix in merginue powder, gradually add sugar.
Add water until you reach the consistency you want.
Let mix for few minutes for smoothness.

I get alot of compliments on this icing and it is purt white.
I always double. Pick 2 flavorings and add a teaspoon of each.
I will tell you that as i made some (chocoalte) 2 days ago, I forgot to add flavoring (talking to family while working) and the flavor was alot less sweet. Took me minute to figure out why. It tasted ok, just not as sweet as usual.

This is the recipe that I use and it is primarily what the "class buttercream" is from Wilton.

1 c shortening
1 tsp flavoring (vanilla, almond, or butter)
1 tbsp meringue powder
1 lb. confectioner sugar
5-6 tbsp water or milk

Mix the shortening, flavor, & a tbsp or 2 of water.
Mix in merginue powder, gradually add sugar.
Add water until you reach the consistency you want.
Let mix for few minutes for smoothness.

I get alot of compliments on this icing and it is purt white.
I always double. Pick 2 flavorings and add a teaspoon of each.
I will tell you that as i made some (chocoalte) 2 days ago, I forgot to add flavoring (talking to family while working) and the flavor was alot less sweet. Took me minute to figure out why. It tasted ok, just not as sweet as usual.

I made Sugarshack's Buttercream and the Crusting Buttercream found here last weekend and used Store Brand Shortening WITH Transfat and my BF and I both felt like it wasn't as sweet. It's possible we were just on sugar overload, but we didn't find them as sweet.

Indydebi's is another one that while it is buttercream and it is made with 2lbs of sugar, it doesn't taste as sweet and it's nice and smooth.

Someone also asked if there is uncolored butter, I think you can get it at health or natural food stores. However, I haven't had a problem with the butter that I buy turning my icing yellow, by the time I add all the shortening and the two pounds of 10x sugar the little bit of color in the butter doesn't show up.

I always either use Indydebi's bc recipe or the Wilton with butter. My DH loves the wilton, I love indydebi's!
As for butter turning your bc yellow I have found that the 1/2 c won't turn it yellow when it get to turning yellow it's when you use margarine in place of actual butter...I have also found this does not crust as well.
Keep at op you'll got through many a recipes until you find what you love!
HTH