I use the wilton recipe for buttercream. I have been having serious issues since the new Crisco shortening has appeared. Someone please tell me the best way to alter my recipe so that my frosting doesn't slide off the sides of my cake or pool around the edges. I tried cutting back on the milk at the end but maybe I need to cut back on the Crisco instead...HELP

I have hear that walmart brand still has trans fats and lots of folks are using that with success.

Thanks Sharon, I do have a Walmart right up the street. I've always been afraid to switch from tried and true Crisco because of quality but that is apparently not an issue now that Crisco is terrible

My last few cans of Walmart shortening had ZERO trans fats, so I finally had to make the switch to hi-ratio...wish I'd have done it a lot sooner!

After Crisco changed their recipe I started adding a couple of heaping teaspoons of meringue powder to my buttercream recipe. I stopped having problems with weeping.

Jibbies

I also add meringue powder to my bc. No more issues with it weeping or trying to slide off the cake.

If you have a Kroger their store brand shortening still has trans fat and I haven't had any problems using it.

Sorry, it double posted.

Well, my daughter is surprising me with a can of Aldi shortening...with transfats. I'm going to try it on my cake tomorrow............I don't know the lady I'm making the cake for so she really won't know if it's any different or not I guess. I'll have my family try it........I have also heard of adding the powder so I'll try that with my leftover 6 lb can of Criscio.

Has anyone tried the WM shortening since it went to "zero trans fat"? The reason I ask is that the new Crisco has the first ingredient listed as soy bean oil - not hydrogenated or partial hydrog...

The new WM one still has partially hydrog and fully hydrog oil listed as their first 2 ingredients. I'm wondering if they didn't somehow just changed the serving size to get the 0 trans fat labeling. I wouldn't put it past WM to do that... Just wondering.

I find the wilton recipe has almost twice the amount of fat in it that I use. HOnestly, whenever I see a thread about icing sliding off of a cake, it usually turns out that once I see the recipe they're using (and it usually has LOTS of fat in it!), then I say to myself, Wow, no wonder the icing is sliding off the cake!

I've never had a problem with the zero trans fat. I never knew there was a problem until I read about on CC.

Here's the recipe I've used for 25 years:
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-6992-Indydebis-Crisco-Based-Buttercream-Icing.html

Thanks Indy.........I know all about Indiana humidity since I live in Northwest Indiana. I'm going to give your frosting a try on the next famiily cake I make. Have you ever substituted some of the Crisco with margarine or butter?

I used IndiDebs recipe last time I needed buttercream. It held up beautifully even in the 95 degree weather with horrid humidity.

I've never used butter/margarine in my icing.

Here's a confession on my ignorance: When my friend gave me this recipe, she told me "it's wedding cake icing." So for years .... until I found CC .... I thought this was the ONLY ICING IN THE WORLD that was put on wedding cakes! I actually used to tell people, "There is no butter in buttercream." (double- )

That recipe sounds good.
I want to try it, have you ever tried water instead of Milk?

No, and I'll even share why I won't use water.

My mom was a TERRIBLE cook! It's very ironic that I make a living cooking food. Her idea of icing was powdered sugar and water mixed together. Thats it. Just sugar and water. It was nasty.

It's that silly childhood memory that refuses to use water instead of milk in my icing.

I use Bakers Rite I get it at walmart it has held up for me, the walmart brand is a little too soft for my taste.

Oh boy, I know exactly what you are talking about. My Crisco icing was sliding off my cake and leaking oil. I tried the Walmart brand that still had trans fat, I didn't like it. It almost had a lard taste. I also tried Sweetex. I ordered 5 pounds of it from a place online and it arrived in a container that was labeled with markers. Who knows if what I got was Sweetex or not but I tried that and also found that it left a slime on my tongue that I did not like.

I also tried altering my recipe, less shortening, more butter, more sugar. Nothing worked.

So, I went back to Crisco but use Dream Whip in my icing. Forgive me, I don't know who here on CC has a recipe that calls for it, but that is where I got it from. I used 3 tablespoons in a full batch...16 cups of confectioner's sugar (is that 4 pounds). Gee, I'm helpful aren't I.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that the Dream Whip has helped with the icing sliding though I still have a little oil leakage. I'm thinking that I might try adding some meringue with the Dream Whip too. I tried meringue alone and it did not fix the problem for me.

Hope this helps and hope you find something that works. I'm anxious to hear some updated fixes to this problem.

i wish i knew of a place local or even with in an hour drive (where i usually have to shop anyways- side affects from living in a small idahoan town lol)

where do you buy your hi ratio online and what are the prices usually if you don't mind my asking. i shudder to think this may be the way i have to go eventually if i get more summer time orders (i live in an area in idaho that gets triple digit temps in the s ummer)

I live in Fla. and not only have I seen the sliding problem, but the oppisite as well, to stiff. I teach at a Michaels and have always recommened Crisco, but since the trans fat free came out, Iv'e been experimenting with how to resolve the problem. Due to our weather adding extra water to fix the to stiff issue it looks fine but, becomes running after applied to the cake.

I was told to try milk since it has fat in it that it would help. However with our heat and having a child with a milk allergy I don't use it. As strange as it sound, adding a small amount of olive oil...it works wonderfully.

Sorry but I still have that "leaking" problem even with WM brand. AND I have used Indydebi's recipe--still leaking. But I do like Indydebi's recipe better than the one that I was using.

i've seen it recommended adding meringue to the bc for warmer weather but how much? lol i've yet to brave it. i've tried addin cornstarch but found that when i had to use small tips for pipin anything i constantly had to remove the tip and unclog it! last time this happend it was with the grass tip on a "soccer field" a 2 minute job took almost an hour. yup thats right i was so mad at myself. i couldn't scrap the rest of the frosting; i had no supplies left and i sampled a portion that wasn't in the t ube.. it was fine; no lumps.. could not figure out why it kept clogging the tip. (bah glad its behind me lol)

I saw the other day that the Target brand shortening still has the transfat in it. HTH.

And the real bite for all of you who use shortening in your icings is that one by one, the states are banning trans-fats in restaurant/bakery products. Don't get me wrong, the process is grandfathered so that there is about 2 years for full conversion in NYC, but now CA has the same ban (I don't have the specific details on CA). It's only a matter of time before other states jump on the bandwagon.

It will be interesting to see how all of you overcome this obstacle if/when it applies in your area.

Theresa

I use the Aldi's brand of shortening (has trans-fat in it) and it works great! If you have an Aldi's in your area, I would suggest trying that.

BTW, it's Indydebi's recipe that uses the Dream Whip.

I have started adding 1 rounded Tbsp. to my recipe which calls for 2 1/2 lbs. of powdered sugar and 1 1/2 c. Crisco, and it has made all the difference.

I've tried several buttercream recipes on CC and I stick with Buttercream Dream now. Zero trans fat is all I know, as I've never had the experience of using high ratio shortening. I've never had a problem with my icing sliding off of the cake or a puddle at the bottom.......until yesterday. We live near Houston where humidity is ALWAYS a factor and until yesterday, everything has been fine. I made a batch of buttercream dream on Friday and realized that I was way too tired to be in the kitchen because I had put in WAY too much butter. So I tried to compensate and add the other ingredients, but I knew my measurements were off and guess what??? I had puddles under my cake! So, I'm convinced that it has to do with measuring and not the trans fat. Just my 2 cents worth!!