buttercream frosting

molliesassy

Can anyone recommend a recipe for buttercream frosting suitable for filling, spreading and piping? I have to make a communion cake at the weekend and any previous attempts at buttercream have been sickly sweet. I see the Wilton site recommends veg shortening in their recipe - what can I use here instead? Many thanks for any help

olaola

Does it have to be white? Or could be it chocolate, for example?

molliesassy

Chocolate won't do. I need some white and some pink.

olaola

Are you using vanilla essence?

Magic Monkey

Shortening helps stabilise the buttercream, as it has a higher melting point than butter, but leaves a greasy film on the roof of the palette.

-For a lighter frosting, there's the 7-minute frosting, however this has to be made & used on the same day
-A low-fat cream cheese frosting will avoid the excess calories of all butter, but still have a workable mixture with good taste. I'd choose this one.
-A white chocolate ganache (50:50 white chocolate:cream by weight) could also work
-A bag of royal icing from the supermarket, just add water for your desired consistency

molliesassy

Magic monkey, the cream cheese one sounds interesting. I might make up a small batch this evening for tasting Thanks!

Unwilling

I need help.. I made two batches today following a recipe I got in class - where I watched the girl do it in front of me.. and my icing turned out - lets just say NOT FLUFFY and light.
I kept adding sugar for texture but it only resulted in really sickly sweet icing.
It kinda looked the part on the cakes but it tastes yuck and its runny and gooey.

The only thing I can think of it I mixed it using a less than adequate mixer...

recipe I have is
150gms butter
250gms icing sugar
2 tablespoons of hot milk
and then essence coloring or flavouring as required....

I tried it three times - IT AINT FLUFFING

Please help me.. I've very upset over this....

tinkerbell

Try this:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/basic-buttercream?

I made it before for cupcakes, it is quite sweet but I thought it was yum yum.

smallgarden

few things with butter icing
id only use milk if need to,and only small amount at a time,id use cold instead of hot milk and dont see need for it as i find it gives it funny taste after day or two

id take butter out of the fridge in advance to soften it/ive used stork as well,not as buttery taste but it works

id whisk/beat a small amount of the sugar and butter together first until fluffy and slowly add the rest bit by bit

with the amounts ive always found i use more icing sugar than the recipe says, most recipes are double sugar to the butter