I have a question..LOL I seem to be full of those these days. Ok I need a good recipe for the Traditional Buttercream. I am wanting the icing to have the same texture as that of a store bought cake. It looks firm....but not hard...(hope I am making sense here). I have everything I need to do my son's cake but now I just need the Buttercream. TIA

Beth

Are you just trying to get it fluffier? If so then add a tablespoon of milk to your buttercream and beat a little longer.

Hope this helps.

Maybe someone else will be able to help you more.

No, I am just wanting a firm icing ...i remember when i used to order cakes...the icing had a firm texture...I am new to this so I am not exactly sure of the wording...lol

Beth

hi MominSC: i don't have a recipe, but i think i know what you're looking for: you want a cooked sugar buttercream that crusts. cooking the sugar (making a syrup) gives you the smoothness that i think you're after. alternately, you could try making a raw buttercream (like wilton's recipe with icing sugar) and then whip some cream (or non-dairy whip) as firm as possible and fold that into the buttercream, which will lighten it and give it the consistency and feel similar to some of the commerical buttercreams i've worked with in the past.

Aunt Judy - that recipe sounds yummy - I use the basic Wilton recipe and a full batch makes 3 cups of icing (using 4 cups of conf. sugar). How much whipping cream would I add to achieve this lovely icing your referring to?

exact measures are tough, and of course it's YOUR preferred taste and consistency that matters...so, start with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of whipped cream, and then add at that increment until you acheive the texture you like... (use your electric mixture on low rather than folding in by hand, which can be a pain). it's best to add little by little, so you don't run the risk of making it too thin all at once.

Thank you. I'm going to give it a try.