Im in Australia and I hear so often about using Crisco in buttercream and when using fondant but Im yet to find an inexpensive alternative.

I know I can buy Crisco at international food websites but the price seems very high at $6.99/1lb

Does anyone know what I can use as an alternative?

I have been told to use Copha but also read that this leaves a nasty aftertaste in buttercream as it is more of a solid fat than the creamy textured shortening seen in videos of Crisco being used.

thanks
Nel

Hi I like high ratio dhortening mush better it is emulsified and makes better icing no greasy after taste can be ordered from a lot of places on line I know country kitchens have it. Hope That Helps

Hi I like high ratio shortening much better it is emulsified and makes better icing no greasy after taste can be ordered from a lot of places on line I know country kitchens have it. Hope That Helps

i use copha all the time... havnt had a problem with it. some one said you can use fairy margerine but if you are wanting a stiff buttercream to withstand our heat, i would go for copha, it is much harder..

I used Sweetex in place of Crisco in my buttercream frosting once, and now I use it all the time. My instructor told me about it when I was decorating a cake with buttercream in the summer. It doesn't seem as greasy as Crisco.

what is sweetex? i dont think we have the here either..

Im in the uk im also looking for a substitute for crisco anyone out their have any answers

Flowergirl1 ... best UK substitute is Trex, second best is White Flora.

Noahsmummy... Sweetex and Alpine are brand names of hi-ratio vegetable shortening. It's use results in a superior product over one made with regular veg shortening. Unfortunately, I have never found a UK source for it, or a similar product. So, I assume it's not available in Australia either.

You could try deoderized coconut oil. Not exactly super healthy but i imagine crisco isnt either.

Hi misssweetstory,coldtropics thank you so much,I thought trex was the best idea thank you both for getting back to me.

wow thanks for all the replies.

Noahmummy when you use copha do you melt it or whip it like butter?

thanks
Nel

i whip it like butter; or if the recipe calls for it to be melted..t hen obviously melt it. hth. =)

noahsmummy - How do you whip it? Does it soften at all at room temp? From memory it was a super hard block

I've been using Fairy Margarine and it's great, but it tints the icing yellow which is really annoying.

yeah, i leave it out to soften to room temp as with butter and it will generally soften a bit. it does take some time to whip up though, sometimes i will zap it in the m/c to sofetn it a bit more...

buuuut. after going throught the "wanna share a secret" thread (highly recomend it!) i came across a tip where by you grate the butter before you whip it in case you forget to bring it to room temp. i have tried it and it works brilliantly! i would assume it should work with copha as well, and will be defiantly trying it next time i need copha!

Sounds great! I'll give it a try.
I'm not keen on continuing to use Fairy Margarine because it's not vegetarian-friendly, and I don't want to have to explain to people not to eat my cake because the icing is made from animal fat (sounds gross!)