The Brite White Buttercream Icing on this site says to add 2 drops of vinegar to prevent cracking. However, I do not have the ingredients for this particularly BC but wondered if the vinegar could be added to the Crusting Buttercream Icing (VIVA Method) recipe without ill effect. I do want the cracks to be gone but I don't want to make the latter recipe taste bad either if for some reason it won't be disguised in this particular recipe. In my mind it seems to be okay in either recipe, but my mind has been known to play tricks on me before....so don't want to trust it.

Anyone know?

Thanks!

Great question! I also wonder if using the vinegar to keep the icing from cracking will be a problem for those who smooth icing with a Viva or the sponge roller?

I hvae tried the vinegar trick and in my experience it didn't make a bit of difference. You can add it to whatever recipe you use for crusting BC.

Works for me ! I used to have major problems with my BC cracking .... no more !

To a double-batch of BC I use about 1/8 tsp. If my board isn't sturdy enough the BC will still crust, but with the addition of the vinegar, and as long as my board is sturdy, I have no problems

I wasn't using quite that much... perhaps I'll try again and see if that helps. If I may ask... how many cups approximately does one batch of your icing make? That might be my problem, I make rather large batches, and I was only using a 'few drops' as someone told me to do.

I don't know how many cups it makes .... I just double the Wilton recipe and doctor it up to suit my tastes .... I use 4 c. shortening, if that helps

Yes, that totally tells me how much to add!! Thanks! I use the same recipe, except I use hi-ratio shortening and like you said, Doctor the heck out of it to make it good! Great minds think alike!

What brand hi-ratio do you use ? I've tried Alpine only, and it made my icing gummy

I order mine from www.countrykitchensweetart.com and it is awesome! When you first mix it up it seems a little soft and gooey, but you just turn up that mixer and let it whip for 5 minutes and it turns into the lightest, nicest (most delicious) icing ever! I love CK products... I am a faithful customer! They have treated me very well, always shipping quickly and alerting me personally to any backorders, etc. Love them!

I'll try that .... thanks and good luck with the vinegar !

Thanks so much!! I'm going to try this and see how it works for me.

No luck for me with the vinegar. I put 1/16 of a tsp in one batch of Wilton BC. Any ideas on what I did wrong and what I should do differently?

Thanks!

I wish I had an answer. In an earlier post, I said that the buttercream will still crust if the board isn't sturdy enough, when I meant to say the buttercream will still crack. It will still crack once in a while, but it's no longer a major problem. Only thing I can think of is to perhaps use more. The smell will disappear within a couple minutes and it leaves no taste.

hey ladies, i have a question, what is the difference in hi ratio shortening
and regular crisco, and also, melvira, would you be willing to give out your bc recipe, i need a good large batch recipe. thanks