Does anyone add cornstarch to their half butter/half Crisco buttercream recipe? I don't think the new 0 trans fat Crisco agrees with the butter in my recipe. I don't like the consistency or look of my buttercream now that they have changed Crisco.
I really don't want to change my recipe because it is very good. I noticed on the Wilton website that they add 2 T. of cornstarch to their half butter/half Crisco buttercream (yields 3 cups of icing) to make it High Humidity Buttercream.
Does anyone have any thoughts as to whether it will help with the problems a lot of us are having with the new Crisco in our buttercream that has real butter in it?
I would think that this would dry out the buttercream. When i was inclass and they wanted us to flatten things out and such they suggersted we but cornstarch on our fingers and use that. Eventually it will evaporate into the icing. By like I said my guess is it would dry things out. Jen
With everyone saying that the new Crisco makes the icing slide/ melt down the sides of their cakes, I'd say give the cornstarch a try. Maybe it will dry it out to the point of NOT sliding off (giving it some stability).
Let us know how it goes, if you try it out.
JMO 
I have done this in the past, you can use flour also. I too was not liking my icing with the new 0 trans fat Crisco. So I bought Walmart brand of shortening & it works & taste Great!! I was so excited!! 
I wish all cake decorators would email Crisco & let them know about the problems. I don't see why they can't offer both kinds. I think thier going to lose a lot of business. I like the Hi ratio Shortening, but its expensive & I can't get anybody to order it for me & postage is to high!
Well, I am going to give it a try tonight. I had thought about switching to an "off" brand as well, but someone mentioned that they will probably all eventually be 0 trans fat. So, I figured I'd better experiment a little.
I'll post later to let everyone know how it feels, spreads and crusts for smoothing.
Ok everyone......I have to tell you, I think this may be the answer to our buttercream that calls for half butter/half Crisco that uses the new 0 trans fat Crisco. This is the recipe that I use, but I added 2 T. cornstarch as directed.......it worked like a charm. I just iced 2 square cakes, I have never had such square corners, and it didn't take a long time to crust over.....and, it wasn't greasy...and it clung to the cake...oh, and my parchment paper wasn't sticking to the icing like before (when they changed the Crisco). Now, we will see how it does after I bring it out of the refrigerator tomorrow night to decorate.
Here is the recipe (I use water instead of milk).
Ooops...I hit submit before I pasted it.....
Wilton's High Humidity Icing Recipe I
Ingredients:
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening (0 Trans Fat Crisco)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 pound)
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
In large bowl, beat shortening and butter with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla; mix well. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar mixture has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. In small bowl, combine milk and cornstarch; stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Add to icing mixture; beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Keep icing covered with damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Re-whip before using
Makes about 3 cups.
Well, I think my excitement was a little short-lived. I ended up with some cracks on the sides of my cake. Same as before I tried it with the cornstarch. So, I just went to Walmart and bought a container of the Great Value All Vegetable Shortening in the blue can as others have suggested. They said it is just like the Crisco was before they changed to 0 trans fat. I hope they are right.
Someone on the Wilton site posted this
Try using a part butter, part crisco recipe, this is what I use and haven't had any of those problems:
1 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
6 c. pwd sugar
1 1/2 tsp clear vanilla
3-5 tbs half and half
3-5 tsp corn syrup
Cream butter and shortening, then add sugar one cup at a time. Add vanilla, then add half and half a tablespoon at time until it reaches a somewhat stiff consistency. *at this point I take some out, put it in a bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap for when I'm ready to do my roses* Add corn syrup a teaspoon at a time until frosting is spreading consistency.
Hi Manning, just want to ask about the recipe that you posted. What is the half and half means to your recipe? sorry just a bit confuse.Thank`s in advance.
Half and Half is a dairy product, of 10% M.E.
I use whipping cream in my buttercream recipe, but half and half would probably work too... and it tends to be less expensive than whipping cream too! yay! I think I may try this recipe... thanks
So, I just went to Walmart and bought a container of the Great Value All Vegetable Shortening in the blue can as others have suggested. They said it is just like the Crisco was before they changed to 0 trans fat. I hope they are right.
Crisco changed ALL their shortening to zero trans-fat. The entire USA can only purchase Crisco in the zero trans-fat formula. Crisco used to have 2-3 grams of trans-fat just like the WalMart version. (Probably ALL shortening had trans-fat because it works better and is cheaper to manufacture.)
The WalMart Great Value All Vegetable Shortening in the blue can you purchased may STILL contain 2-3 grams of trans-fat. Other "store" brands probably also contain 2-3 grams of trans-fat. That trans-fat is what allows the buttercream to be creamy. The molecules have been hydrogenated which allow two substances that don't normally "play well with each other", liquid and fat, to blend nicely. This is called emulsification. (My 'science' explanation may not be 100% correct, but it's close enough for a quick, down & dirty paraphrase of pages of material.)
California was the first state to "outlaw" trans-fat. The others will follow soon enough which is why Crisco changed their formula. If your supermarkets still carry shortening with 2-3 grams of trans-fat, buy now and stock up!
I went to the Crisco site right after they changed and everyone was up in arms about how soft it was. Crisco advises to use a little flour in your buttercream as a fix. They couldn't tell you exactly how much flour as they don't know how large a batch you were making. So cornstarch would work too.
Does anyone know the shelf life of unopened cans of shortenings containing trans fats? Several months ago I purchased 4 or 5 cans of a store brand and am considering purchasing more with the anticipation of our "nanny state" outlawing it everywhere. I do mostly fondant cakes over ganache so don't have as high a turn-over as some of you buttercream experts, but I don't want to end up with cans of rancid fat.
Thanks,
Jan
If you do a google search for shortening shelf life you get ALL sorts of responses. Typically you get the manufacturer's response (which I believe is "weighted" to encourage consumers to buy more product, and the "average Jane" response which isn't scientific.
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Crisco FAQ says 2 years unopened (assume the newer, non-metal packaging):
http://www.crisco.com/about_crisco/faqs.aspx
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Here's a chef column which answers the question (sort-of):
http://www.ochef.com/1465.htm
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Here's an "average Jane" response from a survival site. (NOTE: The difference in storage of METAL cans and cardboard or plastic is significant. Personally, I haven't seen a metal can of shortening in quite a while.....)
http://www.survival-center.com/foodfaq/ff10-fat.htm)
"If you have no particular problem with using it, the culinary fat with the most shelf life as it comes from the store is hydrogenated shortening in its unopened metal or metal lined can. The brand most familiar in the U.S. is probably Crisco (tm), but there are many others. Solid shortening is usually composed of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, but there are some that also contain animal fats. Some brands will also contain anti-oxidant preservatives as well. All other conditions being equal, those with preservatives will have a longer shelf life than those without. It is not possible to give an exact answer, but it is reasonable to expect an unopened metal can of shortening to have a shelf life of eight to ten years if kept reasonably cool, particularly if it has preservatives in it. "
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Here is an excellent, well-written, well-researched excerpt from a book, "How Baking Works: Exploring the Fundamentals of Baking Science, By Paula I. Figoni.
This excerpt says that LIQUID HIGH-RATIO has the longest shelf-life of any shortening product, but cake decorators typically use what this author calls, "high-ratio plastic shortening".
http://books.google.com/books?id=XqKF7PqV02cC&pg=PA229&lpg=PA229&dq=shelf+life+high+ratio+shortening?&source=bl&ots=hpuXghRcAI&sig=UKuMLqN0Eqy37_XCd3udEMSUju4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=SEzVT-SEAcrg2AWKxZmDDw&ved=0CHkQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=shelf%20life%20high%20ratio%20shortening%3F&f=false
---------------
Sweetex with trans-fats recommends a one year shelf life. However, here's a particularly nice thread on CC on the topic. (There are tons of threads online about the shelf life of Sweetex.)
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-671383.html
Thank you for your response. (I haven't seen shortening in metal cans for years either, something I used to bemoan when I was in the habit of pouring hot deep frying fat back into the can for the next use.) It looks like I will be doing some reading tomorrow.
Jan
Hi Manning, just want to ask about the recipe that you posted. What is the half and half means to your recipe? sorry just a bit confuse.Thank`s in advance.
Half and Half is a dairy product, of 10% M.E.
I use whipping cream in my buttercream recipe, but half and half would probably work too... and it tends to be less expensive than whipping cream too! yay! I think I may try this recipe... thanks
Thank`s 3beautygirls for your reply.
I made some this evening with two TBSP of cornstarch and two of milk and it came out good. At first I didn't notice a big difference, but it doesn't have a greasy aftertaste.
I actually made it chocolate using cocoa powder, added a little instant espresso powder to make it mocha and added a tspn of bourbon.
Do I understand well? You mean you put raw cornstarch in the buttercream?
Do I understand well? You mean you put raw cornstarch in the buttercream?
Yeah I was a little worried about it, but you mix it with milk and it doesn't taste like what raw flour would taste like, in fact you don't taste it at all.
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