Using Margerine Instead Of Butter In Icing
Decorating By SugarBakers05 Updated 10 Feb 2007 , 5:59pm by eriksmom
Has anyone ever used margerine instead of butter in buttercream icing? I wonder if it would taste the same? I usually make my icing with butter and crisco shortening, but the margerine might be a little cheaper in cost. Any thoughts on this? 
I don't think I would try it. Buy your butter at Sam's or BJ's. If you have one in your area.
I have done this many times since my daughter is allergic to dairy and can have only 1 brand of margarine.
The margarine does change the taste a bit, IMO, and it does make the icing considerable softer than butter. I usually have to decrease the amount of liquid I add when I use margarine.
It does taste okay with margarine, though.
Also, I buy alot of my butter when it's on sale and freeze it. It freezes and thaws very well.
I used to bake with nothing but margarine. Then I did a demonstrative speech in college on making cookies and used real butter. I have not gone back. There is just something about butter. Margarine is cheaper, but there isn't a whole lot that's cheap about baking and IMHO butter is an important ingredient. That is, of course, unless you have special circumstances like allergies.
I always using margerine in my icing. People rave about my icing. But not all brands work great for icing. Try it once. You're the only one to decide what you like or not! And I also never use crisco. I did at first, but one time I was out of crisco, made my icing with only margerine, and prefered it like this. But taste it's a personal question. Try it, and you'll see what you prefer!
hth
I always use margarine in my icing. I don't think I have ever even tried real butter. I should probably try it. But my icing has always had a great taste with margarine. I use wal-mart generic brand margarine. I first Blue Bonnet but it just didn't do as well.
Texture wise, I've had no problems using margarine in a half margerine half crisco buttercream. As long as you already know what the thickness of prepared frosting should be, you will be fine. You really do just have to add less water. The only problem around here is finding salt free margarine.
I love margarine in my icings 
...IMO, it gives a richer taste than butter. Ditto with projectqueen on decreasing the amount of liquid when using it.
HTH, ~Denise
i dont think you can get richer taste than from butter...
when i started baking i used margarine because that is what we used in school....but then my recipes were dry so i tried butter and have not looked back since...
the margarine tates diff in the icing ....butter is nicer IMO. but try it and see...it cant hurt.
I use white marg in my icing you just add the clear butter flavoring to it. Everyone always ask to make sure I haven't changed my icing its like whip cream.
I also have only used margarine in my icing. I like the taste of it, it just taste like regular icing. But i find it to be too soft and i only use it to ice the cake, when i want to make flowers and such i use butter. You should try it out and see how you like it!
I really think it all depends on what you are used to. I have always baked my cookies with margarine even when butter is called for because that is what I grew up with, I do not like them with butter. Since the first day I started decorating, I used real butter in my icing, so this is what I am used to. I tried a small batch once with margarine and thought the taste was way off, I will now only use butter for my BC. In the "professional" world of baking, every chef will say to use butter. As others have stated, the water content of margarine is higher than butter so you will not have to add as much liquid to your icing.
cakesondemand, you said you use white margarine. Is there a specific brand? I've never heard of it.
Also, I live in Florida where it is very hot and humid, so using butter or margarine isn't always a good option for me, especially for outdoor occassions. Would adding extra meringue powder help with this problem? Anyone who has info on this one, I would love to know. Thanx!
I think margarine is wayyyyy too salty for baking and I can't remember ever seeing unsalted margarine anywhere. Nothing beats the taste of real butter when it comes to baking (IMHO) I just keep the margarine for my toast 
growing up, mymom always used margarine in her bc, i've used it if i'm out of butter, it makes it pretty yellow, so sometimes i'll do a ratio more along the lines of one cup of shortening to 1/2cup margarine-it gived it the taste, but helps keep the texture firm
I live in Canada so it is available to use in some stores the one I use is the store brand. My icing is a bakers icing given to me by someone that went to culinary school. I whip it for 15 min so its like whip cream and so good and smooth and it also crust. Using Hi Ratio shortening will help with the humid weather this icing stands up very well in heat. Heres the recipe but youll have to break it down I use a 20 qt mixer for it
10lbs icing sugar
1lb white marg
4lbs hi ratio shrotening
600mls water
170g skim milk powder
50 mls Vanilla & butter flavor
Mix water, flavorings, skim milk powder
mix marg and shortening together
start adding icing sugar and liquid as needed
untill all blended
1min 1st speed
12min 2nd speed
scrape bowl
3 min 3rd
I only use 1st and 2nd since my mixer is powerful
It becomes all fluffy and soft but easy to ice and smooth then decorate stands up really well and crust after a few mins. Its pure white.
If heat/humidity is a problem. be advised that margarine has a lower melting point than butter/Crisco/high-ratio shortening (such as Alpine or Sweetex), in that order.
For some reason, I'm not sensitive to butter/margarines; nor can I tell the difference between salted/unsalted butter.
However.......I have recently discovered that "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" (liquid/spray) has more of a buttery taste than butter or the butter extract. If I remember, next time I make BC, I'll try this in place of the liquid and see how it turns out. I'm hoping that it will cut down on the sweetness of BC. Has anyone tried this???
However.......I have recently discovered that "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" (liquid/spray) has more of a buttery taste than butter or the butter extract. If I remember, next time I make BC, I'll try this in place of the liquid and see how it turns out. I'm hoping that it will cut down on the sweetness of BC. Has anyone tried this???
Now that's an interesting thought. I personally don't care for the taste of butter flavoring (it smells like movie popcorn to me 
). But I do like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray. I'm gonna try that with a small amount of icing. 
Wow, the butter spray sounds interesting. what will you use it in place of? i can't see using a cup of this stuff in the icing. that sounds like butter overkill to me. i've used the spray on foods before, and a little bit goes a long way. let us know the recipe you use with it when you make it.
eriksmom,
I too have a big problem with humidity in the summer. Adding merangue powder will help your BC crust and helps it stabilize but nothing will help in the intense heat and humidity of summer. Butter and margarine both have a much lower melting point than crisco. If you can find it, hi-ratio shortening is the best to use, it has the highest melting point. I do not care for all crisco shortening but in the summer, I really do not have a choice. Even BC with as little as half a cup of butter is too soft and melts on me! My new favorite icing is IMBC but this would NEVER work because it is just pure butter.
In Canada and the US, the margerine isn't the same. We don't have same regulations.... I know that here in Quebec, yellow margarine is illegal. Because some people tried to pass it up as butter. So if it's white, it's margerine, and if it's yellow, it's butter! Beside, I don't know for the US or the rest of Canada, but here the margarine is less salty. more like unsalted butter. I use the generic brand of the supermarket. They have big plastic containers, rectangular, that reuse for something else. Great storage thing! I also add some butter flavorings sometimes, depend on the type of cake I'm baking! And my icing is always white! not yellowish!
As much as possible, I only ever use an all-butter buttercream - -the greasy taste and texture of shortening buttercream makes me want to vomit (sorry!)! In the height of summer, I will swap up to 50% of my butter for margarine as it doesn't melt so easily in the heat - however I find that even that amount will impart that greasy yucky taste (for my palate anyway!), so I'll do that when desperate!!!
I use margarine/shortening for my filling in between layers because it seems to be fluffy and creamy, but it also makes it a yellowish color, so I use butter for frosting.
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