I have just started decorating cakes and I have been making my own butter cream icing and everytime I make the icing it always seems to come out a light yellow instead of white. Please tell me what I am doing wrong. I have had the icing come out white only once and I just don't understand what I am doing wrong! Can someone please help?

If you need to make pure white buttercream, you need to use all shortening and no butter. If you still want a buttery flavour you can add clear butter flavouring.

HTH

Along with Jen's advice you can try whipping your butter a little longer, it lightens in color the more you beat it.

I use the Crisco all vegetable shortening sticks. My friend gave me the receipe and hers turn out perfect. So u think I should just switch to just plain shortening?

Do you use vanilla to flavor? If you do make sure it is CLEAR vanilla.

No I don't use the vanilla to flavor I use the clear butter flavor to flavor it! I am so lost guys I just don't underrstand.

Are you hand mixing or using a stand mixer?

I use a stand mixer do you think that makes a difference?

Hmmm that is odd! Are your crisco sticks white to begin with? What recipe are you using?

You could by some White coloring to add to it.

I use HRS and it still turns out off white, so I add the white coloring (I use wiltons) and it comes out true white everytime.

No the crisco sticks are yellow. the receipe was given to me like this 1 bag of confectioners sugar 1tsp of butter flavoring 1tsp of meringue powder half of a stick of the crisco and add the milk as needed?

Use a tiny bit of violet food coloring. Be careful do not add too much. This will whiten it up a bit. Stick a toothpick tip in the coloring and add a little at a time.

i also find that if you mix it a little longer it'll whiten up a little bit.

The culprit is the yellow crisco sticks. Try the violet color as people have suggested. Next time use the crisco in the tub it is white.

So do you guys think I should mix a little longer? How long do you guys usually mix the icing?? By the way thanks for everone's help! I am just learning.

If your Crisco sticks are yellow, then my guess is that you are using the Butter Flavor Crisco sticks. Make sure you have the regular Crisco sticks that are white and you should be able to get the white Buttercream just fine. I have used the white sticks and everything works out fine.

well, yes, if your crisco stick are yellow, that could be it. i would suggest the regular white crisco. but you said you've made it before and it turned out okay.

i really just mix it until i like how it looks (or until i'm done doing whatever else i'm doing -- i multi-task when making icing). i don't really believe in over mixing (or the fear of air bubbles) it usually all works out in the end for me. i've read on here that indydebi mixes hers up to 15 minutes sometimes (if not more).

It sounds like you have the butter flavor Crisco sticks. I use the regular ones, which are pure white. Usually I use the tub, and have actually started getting off brand which still has trans fat it in. There has been a lot of discussion of the "new" Crisco w/o trans fat not working as well.

So coud someone give me a good receipe on how to make GOOD buttercream icing? Thanks so much guys! =0)

Try IndyDebi's recipe:

http://cakecentral.com/recipes/6992/indydebis-crisco-based-buttercream-icing

And definitely use regular Crisco, I didn't think the regular Crisco sticks were supposed to be yellow, you must be using the butter Crisco.

yes the crisco sticks are white unless she is using butter flavored, then they would be yellow. Never heard of using violet to get white, great little tip. Search the recipe page for butter cream and you will get some to pick from.