Indididebi Buttercream Question asap.

Wish I could help.

Made it for the frist time this weekend and it failed. No crust, melty and airy. I am quite sure it was U2M error and needed more PS and probably should have subbed rather than added the raspberry puree, but don't know what to do about the air.

Am very interested in what others have to say.

I am not sure how different ingredients change the final product but you doubled the powdered sugar and then tripled the Crisco. I would think somehow that might affect it but I don't know. If you were going to use 4lbs of powdered sugar it should be 2 2/3 cups of Crisco. HTH

Don't know where you got that recipe but it's NOT correct. A double batch of her recipe is 2 2/3 cup crisco, 4 pounds powdered sugar, 6 tablespoons Dream Whip, 4 tablespoons vanilla (or more) and 2/3 to 1 cup milk (I use half and half)

Your sugar/fat ratio is off for Indydebi's recipe. Way too much crisco or way too little powdered sugar.

When I make her icing I beat (pulverize) my crisco for at least 15 minutes BEFORE adding any other ingredients. It's about the same consistency as sour cream by the time I'm finished with it. After everything is incorporated I let the mixer run for at least 20 minutes more. I just walk away and let it go.

I don't know why you said you "pretty much made her recipe" because it's way off from hers.

Her recipe is awesome but you have to make it pretty much using the correct measurements or it ISN'T her recipe The caterer that I bake for ask me IF I use crisco in my buttercream. It's that good.

No crust This icing crust faster than any other I've ever made/used.

Melty? Withstands the heat and humidity (100 degrees) OUTSIDE without melting.

Air? I never have this problem either. I always make a double batch so that my beaters are covered when mixing.

I'm curious HOW you made this recipe. Did you refrigerate the icing? I never refrigerate it because it takes FOREVER to crust if you do. It requires NO refrigeration. If you added puree you probably should cut the liquid.

I KNOW!!!! Right? Everything I have heard/read about this told me it was the answer to my BC problems (I make a birth. cake every sept in a non-airconditioned house w/ 50/50 BC ) and I somehow messed it up.

The ONLY way I could get it to crust was to put it in the fridge and then it was barely there. Pretty sure it was the puree, I should have subbed some of the milk with it. It was so sweet even after the puree that I was hesitant to add too much more PS. I have some left and am going to see if adding PS firms it up. Maybe should have added another TBS of dreamwhip too?

It was really airy too, which I can't figure out - beat the H out of it.

The Just Because cake in my images is the one. You can see how it is just shiny and droopy (after being on the counter for about 2 hours) - really humid here right now. I have it in a cake carrier now, it seems to have stopped the slide but we'll see when I get home.

Hey, sometimes $^#t happens

Maybe give it another try and make it EXACTLY as the recipe reads. After you "get it right" then add things like puree to the recipe.

I don't understand the "melting" though because this icing will hold up to 100 degrees I know. I made a three tiered cake for a birthday party last week and the cake set outside for 4 or 5 hours and didn't even sweat much less melt. Maybe you added too much liquid as well. I always start out with the least amount of milk that the recipe calls for and rarely, if ever, add the maximum amount.

As far as the "crusting" goes I can't understand that one either. Since it's like 2:1 sugar to fat ratio unless you added too much crisco/liquid or not enough powdered sugar this shouldn't have been an issue.

Adding more powdered sugar won't make it any sweeter. Really it won't. It's mostly sugar anyway.

I just made a double batch of her BC today...it is heavenly! Love the texture and flavor, my daughter says it tastes like cool whip. Mines started crusting on the beater while I was transfering it from the KA bowl to rubbermaid bowl for storage.

P.S. I didn't even use Crisco and used 1% milk (that's what I had on hand)...I used Walmart brand of all veggie shortening....I've seen posts where she says to use what you like/ suits you to see if it works.


THANKS DEBI!!! YOUR BC ROCKS

Pretty sure I had it dead to rights before the puree (except for the air - beat longer next time maybe it wasn't quite "there").

Stupid, stupid, stupid... Sigh - that's why I made the practice cakes.

Thanks mamawrobin.

You're welcome. Do try again I bet you're going to love it.

Indydebi's recipe crust very well. If you want a "little less crusting buttercream" then you probably want to use a different recipe. One thing that I love about her icing is that it crust so well and like bridge72 said it also crust fast.

Maybe Indydebi will see this post and offer some insight. I just don't see how it's her recipe since it's so different. Are you adding Dream Whip to yours? I know that your climate is different than mine and what works for me may not work for you. Hope you get your icing just they way you want it. I would say that you're on the right track by adding more shortening and liquid.

mamawrobin, you guys dont' need me .... you got it covered very well!

I get a lot of questions about "air". I honestly don't see the "air" because once I put it on the cake and Melvira it, it looks super smooth.

However....... I recently reminded someone that dream whip is a "whipped" cream topping mix. And what makes "whipped" cream light and airy is when we "whip" air into it. I dont' see it .... I dont' have a problem with it. I *DO* know it looks more "air-holey" in the bowl than it does as the final version on the cake.

Also if you make it a day or two ahead of time and let it just sit, it will "settle" those air pockets you see right out of there. I just beat it a little with a big spoon to reblend everything and it's even better than day one.

With any recipe, if you add more liquid to the original recipe, you really need to offset that with more dry. So adding any kind of puree is going to throw the liquid/dry ratio off so use less milk or more sugar.

Crusting is a ratio of sugar to fat. If you increase the fat, you have less crusting. Here's how I remember: Fat is slippery .... adding more fat will make slippery icing ... slippery icing will slide off of the cake, especially in heat. Which is exactly the problem I always see when people use 1:1 fat/sugar ratios.

With this icing, I can even add more milk to make it thinner (like for crumb coating) and it will STILL crust fine because I haven't changed the fat/sugar ratio.

Mamawrobin ... keep up the good work!

Indydebi, so glad that you posted on this thread. I thought maybe I was missing something trying to figure out just how someone could have problems with your icing. I pretty much follow your recipe and have never had a problem with it. It's "hands down" my favorite .

Are you sure you aren't doing Sharon's recipe? SugarShack's Buttercream? That is what it sounds like to me. She uses cup to lb ratios, coffee creamer and the big thing behind her recipe is to have the blade covered to get the smooth icing.