Does everyone use butter in their buttercream? - Page 5

Originally Posted by sugarshack




I am going to respectfully disagree and hope I don't start a war, but ....


my recipe... and all standard icing recipes down here in the New Orleans area where I live are called "buttercream" , and very few have butter in them, including the major bakeries.

I know the authentic "term" buttercream implies butter. But some of the nomaenclature can be cultural and local. When you say Buttercream down here where I live, everybody knows and expects that it will be a shortening based decorator icing. This is where I disagree that we are misdleading people. They know exaclty what they are getting when we use that term.

We have different dialects all over the country and use different words for the same thing: ie you may say pop, I say soda. That is not the best example but you get the idea.

Buttercream may not be "technically" and "officially" the proper name for our kind of icing all over the country, but it is the common name for what we all use, purchase, consume and expect down here in our area. There is no deception involved. And I advertise my icing as buttercream proudly, and without shame. Because where I live, it is buttercream.

Where it started and how it got its roots I have no idea. Be it our hot humid climate, or who knows what.... but this is what is reginally done and accepted down here. And to be quite honest, I am a little frustrated with the negative connotations that are often implied towards those of us that use an all shortening icing. Everyone has different tastes, and I respect that. I don't like meringue buttercreams cuz they taste like pure butter to me, but I would never ever say a bad or word about that kind of icing or those that use it. It's just personal preference.

Many of us use all shortening icing because that is what our customers love and ask for, and we are not second class decorators nor dishonest because we use that type of icing. Our cakes are just as beautiful and delicious as any other type. Just different.

When I say buttercream, and my customers get all shortening, they were in fact not mislead nor dissapointed. they got exaclty what they wanted and expected.

Anyway, I needed to get the off my chest and I hope I did not offend. But I felt the need to speak up for us shortening buttercream gals, whose icings are just as good and delicious as any other kind, just different. And also that our icing is not incorrectly named. Not where I live anyway.

Thank you.

Happy caking to all!

Originally Posted by timhenk

I'm with all of you who feel that BUTTERcream should be made with real butter. If you do not use butter, you are being less than honest with your customers by calling it buttercream.

Originally Posted by sweetpea223

Me too! can't stand the taste of lard or margarine on my cake. I could definitely taste the difference of real buttercream. One wedding I attended had lard on their icing for the wedding cake. Yeah, the cake looked good, but I couldn't even eat it!

Originally Posted by indydebi




Do you mean real "lard" or are you calling vegetable shortening (Crisco) "lard"? Because they are two totally different things.

Originally Posted by sweetpea223

I know indydebi.....but in any case where I grew up white shortening for me is lard.

Originally Posted by flourbud

OK, I am a regular visitor to CC, I know THAT acronym, BUT it's hard to understand postings when you aren't up on the abbreviations everyone is using. WBH IMBC SMBC ..... H E L P M E ANyone else out there confused???