please excuse me if this is posted elsewhere, but I couldnt find anything on search.
I have been making white buttercream using vegetable shortening, small amount of butter, vanilla and icing sugar and it does work well, but just wondering if there are any other ways of doing it.
Also with the vegetable shortening, do you melt it totally first or just slightly soften it before beating??? I have been softening it slightly but it seems to still be very hard and lumpy.
TIA
I have been using this recipe as an alternative to buttercream. It's yummy, holds up great in humidity and is perfectly white.
4lbs powdered sugar
2 cups crisco shortening
1/3 cup powdered milk mixed with enough water to make 1 cup
1/2 tsp clear vanilla
1/2 tsp clear butter flavor
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup corn starch
Cream shortening until fluffy (no need to melt it, just plop it into the bowl). Combine the water and powdered milk in a small bowl and add butter and almond extracts. Add mixture to shortening (beat on low b/c it will splash all over). Add powdered sugar and corn starch and beat well on low for about 15 minutes. Keeps for a/b 2 weeks and freezes well. Hope this helps!
I use just crisco/shortening. You don't melt it. For me it never comes out that hard?
I just plop what I need in the bowl, crank the mixer up for a minute or two. Then I add in the liquids and let that blend. This softens everything up for me and I don't usually have lumps in my icing.
As far as the post title, if you are using pure vanilla and butter in your buttercream, your icing will be more ivory than white. For white white icing, use white vegetable shortening and clear flavorings.
I work at a local cake supply shop and we sell whats called Liquid Whitener. So if you like the flavor of your frosting you don't have to change the recipe it to make it whiter.
And there is also the tip that has been posted several times (though I have never tried it) to add just the TINIEST amount of violet coloring to your icing. It is suppossed to counteract the off-white tint you are experiencing. HTH. 
I have two buttercream recipes that I use-Sugarshack's and tonedna's. If I need a pure white icing, I use sugarshack's, which is 100% shortening. For off white, I use tonedna's, which is 50/50 butter and shortening. Recipes that do not have butter will be white. It is the butter content that adds color. Hope that helps.
And there is also the tip that has been posted several times (though I have never tried it) to add just the TINIEST amount of violet coloring to your icing. It is suppossed to counteract the off-white tint you are experiencing. HTH.
Works every time!
I use 2/3 butter+1/3 shortening in cold weather and reverse it in warm weather. I also use real vanilla all the time. My BC is always off white, so when I want to make it whiter, I add a dot or 2 of violet to it.
Rae
oh wow, thanks for the tip on the violet colouring, would never have though of that!
Over here in Australia, the only vegetable shortening I have found is copha, which is really really hard. I can buy it in bulk from bakels but its a 15 kilo tub and a minimum of a $300 order, of course I dont need anything else from them at the moment.
Is there anyone on here from Australia that knows of a better shortening?
thanks for your help
I have two buttercream recipes that I use-Sugarshack's and tonedna's. If I need a pure white icing, I use sugarshack's, which is 100% shortening. For off white, I use tonedna's, which is 50/50 butter and shortening. Recipes that do not have butter will be white. It is the butter content that adds color. Hope that helps.
Real vanilla adds color to icing, as well. I'd rather have ivory icing than use imitation vanilla, but sometimes decorators need pure white.
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