OK, I'M A BUTTER USER NOW~ - Page 2

I will definitely be trying that for class tomorrow night...half butter and half crisco. Easy enough!

Yes it can. The sugar acts as a perservative.

Agentcakebaker, try cali4dawn's recipe. It's delicious and no holes in the frosting. It crust very nicely too!

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1602-28-ButterCream-Icing-for-Frozen-Transfers.html

Ok guys, I will try both since I have a large project coming up this week and next week. I can't wait. Thanks for all the info and help!

agentcakebaker, i love that avatar! did lisa get that one for you??

FYI - covered, butter can ALWAYS be left out on the counter (except if you don't have air conditioning and it is really hot)

We keep out butter out on the counter so that whenever we need it, it is always soft and spreadable. We used to have it just in a butter dish, but I recently bought a butter bell and I just LOVE that.

As for the salted/unsalted debate <grin>......I can't stand the taste of unsalted for use on bread and potatoes, but only use unsalted when cooking. I haven't used margarine for 15 years!

Yes Diane. Lisa is the Queen. She was very helpful.

Flayvurdfun...

I'm glad you finally tried Land O Lakes butter. That is the only butter I use. I use the salted. I also use one of calidawn's icings but that one calls for 1 1/2 cups butter & (if I could find the recipe) 2 cups crisco. It makes a double batch. You add everything that the recipe you have. I add meringue powder because nothing is crusting here in La!!!!!!!!! Using butter is soooo tasty!! Glad you liked it!!!!

~TC~

I haven't bought margarine in at least 20 years... I am a butter freak!!

"She's a butter freak, butter freak....butter freak, butter freak...yeah she's alright..."
So am I, so am I.

Well, I'm convinced, and it will be butter from now on! I've been using the LOLakes tub for eating...stick margarine for baking, but if you all say "butter" I'll have to say "Parka..." no, that's not right, I'll say "butter"
too!
Janice

Agent Baker, I think your avatar is great too, Lisa is a marvel!

I use half butter half shortening and I use 5 cups, sifted before you measure, icing sugar, 1- 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla, 2 tbsp. unwhipped whipping cream and then thin with whole milk. I found by adding the extra cup of icing sugar, that the icing was less affected by the heat of my hands. I switched to part cream and part whole milk, because I found the icing incorporated more air with using all whipping cream. If you are switching to half butter than you will likely find that using whole milk or cream or a mixture of both, will give you a much better result than using water as your liquid. Aways beat a recipe like this on low power, starting by softening your butter on low before adding your shortening. This gives you a better result.
Some of you may find that it is easier to make your leaves and roses with the all shortening recipe than it is with the recipe using half butter.
Regarding salted versus unsalted, well generally salted butter has a longer shelf life, which is likely why Wilton says that icing made with the butter and cream or milk, is good at room temperature for 2-3 days, but actually they give the same time frame for all shortening icing.
The 2-3 days, though, is generally the recommended length of time to keep salted butter at a room temperature of less than 75F and is likely what they base the estimate on.
Generally, you do get a longer room temperature shelf life with the salted butter because the salt works in addition to the sugar, as the preservative. I find it is more like 5-6 days. The icing can be refridgerated, according to Wilton, for up to 2 weeks, again make sure that the best before dates for your milk, cream and butter, are well within this timeframe. I generally prefer to have the icing refridgerated for up to a maximum of 1 week before using it to ice a cake.
I have never used margarine in icing but I do use it in some cookies, but I only cook with hard margarine, the kind that comes in squares as the moisture content of tub margarine is not meant for baking and such. Generally, you should not subsitute margarine in your baking unless the recipes say you can. Why? Well margarine is affected by oven temperatures and generally was not designed for baking, especially for longer periods of time. It has to do with the effect of the heat on the break down of margarine and what happens to this margarine in the chemical relationship to the other ingredients.
Here in Canada, commercial bakers can purchase specific Baker's margarines that are each developped for a different baking purpose.
Regular domestic margarine was developped as a cheaper alternative to butter, during the depression. That is why many older cookbooks call for margarine.
I grew up with both and find that your tastebuds adjust once you get used to either one. When you are used to margarine, well butter can taste sour. When you get used to butter, well margarines can have a funny sweet taste. When you are used to unsalted butter, salted will taste noticably salty and vice versa.
One warning when switching to a icing that uses half butter, is that the melting temperature is much lower than that of shortening so this may indeed be a factore when you are making a cake that will be outside or inside on a hot day.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes