Don't knock it 'til you try it Edna!! Hee hee

Oh no Edna! Now you've opened a whole new can of worms!

Real mayo, or Miracle whip?

LOL

bleck, I like both but not alone. My "Buttercream" is actually butter, crisco, and cream cheese....

Well, put me down for 1/2 WalMart brand shortening and 1/2 Imperial margerine based icing. My buttercream has neither butter or cream. To each his/her own.

As for mayo....you really need to come to my part of the country to get GOOD mayo. Anyone around here will tell you that "Duke's" mayo is the ONLY kind!

Sorry, folks...But Hellmann's is the only REAL mayo...LOL

Speaking of which: Did anyone see the Top Chef competition a couple of years ago where they hand-whipped the mayo?! That was AMAZING!!!!

Paul (& Peter)

Well, put me down for 1/2 WalMart brand shortening and 1/2 Imperial margerine based icing. My buttercream has neither butter or cream. To each his/her own.

As for mayo....you really need to come to my part of the country to get GOOD mayo. Anyone around here will tell you that "Duke's" mayo is the ONLY kind!

Shame on you, Edna. I only use home made mayo. Hellman's is so gauche.

Bwahahaha!

Eek!! No!! LOL!! But the real question is, do you extend your pinkie when you drink tea? 'Cause if not, this conversation is over.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you guys are hilarious.


and yes- i use salted butter and regular shortening.

hehe..Dont everyone does it!...haha..Plus I never forget to wear my Tiara when I drink my tea...
Edna

i usually wear my tiara when i clean the bathrooms! i'll have to start wearing it for other activities as well!

Edna, apparently you've been eating too much of your own cake--beautiful by the way!! It seems Jenny knows the proper place to wear a tiara. All hail Queen Jenny!

OK. We're just plain silly now.

Just so the OP doesn't get TOO mad at me for getting off subject, I will say that I while I absolutely do adore butter, I think the shortening recipes for frosting taste better. Yeah, I know, some people are cringing right now, but I really do like them. Are they BAD for you? Hell yeah! Whoever said cake was a health food? LOL! If I want a "health" snack, I'll get one of those sawdust-tasting protein bars up at the the not-health store.

I like buttercream because it has real butter in it. I have had this ongoing debate with my cake friend for a few years! I do lick her "BC" beaters though -used with high-ratio shortening and 10x. I make SMBC because I like the creaminess and shine. I really don't like the 10X feel in my mouth, which is mostly what one has to use with shortening. And I HATE measuring out 10X and working in a white cloud!! Also, high-ratio is harder to find now that Crisco changed. I easily get my butter at Sam's -unsalted.
Basically everyone in my area uses shortening based frosting -home based and big bakeries, so I'd like to target that "gourmet foodie" market, that I'm a part of. I advertise I use real butter, real eggs, and no mixes, and my customers really appreciate that statement.
BTW, I love the Cake Bible, and her butter-based cakes, which a lot of American's don't care for compared to oil-based mix cakes. Again, I like to target a different market, and make what I personally like. BTW, I do add a little more sugar into my SMBC than a lot of recipes, and less butter -so it's like 7 minute frosting with some butter -YUMMY!!!

I'll eat any of them as long as I can have cake!
Edna

I agree that "Wilton" buttercream is for teaching purposes...mainly....but also for stability in many regions where butter just won't hold up.

Unfortunately...many brides expect their cake to be delivered at 9:AM somewhere in a bayou and to last until the reception at 8M. Sometimes, butter is just not practical.

I love butter, however. I usually make IMBC. I am also a WMI who tells my class that the recipe in the book is by no means the "be all, end all" of icing recipes....it is just a tool to begin practicing with. It will help us to avoid the frustration of students trying to learn decorating with icing soup....and believe me...I've tried.

As far as "buttercream" being made with butter....most people never even say buttercream. It's icing or frosting. There's no frost...no ice.

I have searched the site for an all butter buttercream icing.  I used to have a great one that I found on here years ago but cant find it anymore.....HELP!!!

Just replace any shortening with butter they are interchangeable 

Thank you!

As you can, taste varies greatly from place to place and baker to baker....some swear by meringue buttercreams, some love powdered sugar based icings...some with butter, some with shortening and some with a mixture of both.

I use:

2 pounds powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups room temp butter (2 sticks unsalted / 1 stick salted)

1 1/2 cups hi-ratio shortening

2 tablespoons pure vanilla

2-4 tablespoons hot whipping cream if needed to thin.

I place the butter, shortening and vanilla in the bowl of my mixer and use the WHISK ATTACHMENT (not the paddle) to blend.  Stop, scrape down, then turn the mixer to HIGH for 5 minutes....you'll be amazed how white the mixture becomes.

Switch to the PADDLE BEATER.  Add all the powdered sugar at once and mix on low (if your mixer doesn't have a splatter guard cover it with a damp towel) until the mixture starts to come together.  It will look really dry and crumbly at first but it will smooth out.  Scrape the bowl down so that there's no sugar or butter mixture on the side.  

Turn the mixer to about the 2nd/3rd speed and set the timer for 5 minutes and just let the icing mix. It will become super smooth.  If it seems stiffer than you'd like, add a couple tablespoons hot cream at at time and mix in.

Wow..haven't seen this kind of spirited debate in quite some time!

I make all "butter" buttercream. But don't make SMBC, too much of a heavy butter taste. I make cooked flour icing, which is light, is devine and not the heavy butter taste. I call it the poor man's SMBC. My daughter does all organic everything, and she got me onto another form of shortening. I now use organic palm shortening. And before I get lambasted about chopping and burning trees in Philippines/Malaysia to plant trees..like someone did to me on FB, the palm shortening comes from a sustainable organic tree farm. This isn't cheap, but it's way, way healthier than Crisco. But I do cakes mostly for family and good friends. So I don't go through a huge amount of icing. And of course, it's a personal choice. My father was a milkman, the original door to door kind. We use to get our milk super fresh..and the cream..oh my. The whipped cream from that super fresh cream...yum. To this day can't stand Cool Whip because I was spoiled.  I also had a friend who had a farm, and had milk straight from the cow. And homemade butter, absolutely no comparison to the milk and butter of today. As others have said...I'm still kicking. Fun topic!!