Any canned frosting that’s better?

[Anonymous]

Okay, I know canned frosting is not the best. But I like to keep some on hand in case of emergency baking needs. I used to think the vanilla stuff was pretty tasty especially on top of brownies. But I recently bought some Duncan Hines and it tasted strongly of cardboard. I’m wondering if they changed the recipe in some bad way. Anyone know if any of the brands are better than others? Betty Crocker? pillsbury? Or maybe some flavors are better? Maybe I just got a bad can?

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to imagine the kind of baking emergency that would have me turn to canned frosting. I've got nothing.

Do you have a mixer and a dishwasher? A basic frosting comes together in less than 5 minutes if you keep butter, sugar, and vanilla or cocoa on hand. If you have time to bake, the frosting is the fastest part. Or just bake a pound cake or tart or something that doesn't use frosting.

[Anonymous]

A baking emergency like my kid insists on making cake and I don’t have much butter. Or something like that.
I actually hate making buttercream—it’s such a mess and uses such a disgusting amount of powdered sugar, and half the time the butter separates. I also don’t like the taste of a traditional American buttercream—it just tastes to me like eating a stick of butter. I’d prefer a Swiss or Italian meringue cream but that’s such a pain to make. The canned stuff used to have this creamy easy-spreading too-sweet but in a compelling sort of way taste to them, but the one I just bought had a really artificial back taste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm trying to imagine the kind of baking emergency that would have me turn to canned frosting. I've got nothing.

Do you have a mixer and a dishwasher? A basic frosting comes together in less than 5 minutes if you keep butter, sugar, and vanilla or cocoa on hand. If you have time to bake, the frosting is the fastest part. Or just bake a pound cake or tart or something that doesn't use frosting.

Eyeroll times 100. You are ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm trying to imagine the kind of baking emergency that would have me turn to canned frosting. I've got nothing.

Do you have a mixer and a dishwasher? A basic frosting comes together in less than 5 minutes if you keep butter, sugar, and vanilla or cocoa on hand. If you have time to bake, the frosting is the fastest part. Or just bake a pound cake or tart or something that doesn't use frosting.

Eyeroll times 100. You are ridiculous.

Sorry, I’m with PP and OP. Canned frosting is pretty gross and making it in a mixer IS easy!!! The only tricky part is leaving the butter out to come to room temp.

[Anonymous]

I keep extra butter in the freezer. Butter + confection sugar + milk = buttercream

[Anonymous]

What flavor was it? I recently bought 1 can of the "cream cheese" frosting and 1 of the creamy vanilla. The "cream cheese" frosting had a terrible aftertaste, so much so that I threw it out. The vanilla tasted exactly as I remembered.

(And I love to bake and there's a time and a place for making your own frosting, but I agree a kid's impromptu baking project is not one of them.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What flavor was it? I recently bought 1 can of the "cream cheese" frosting and 1 of the creamy vanilla. The "cream cheese" frosting had a terrible aftertaste, so much so that I threw it out. The vanilla tasted exactly as I remembered.

(And I love to bake and there's a time and a place for making your own frosting, but I agree a kid's impromptu baking project is not one of them.)

I should also note they look identical, both on the cover and in the can, so it could be very easy to overlook the "cream cheese" on the label and think you're getting the regular vanilla.

and I keep writing "cream cheese" because it tasted absolutely nothing like cream cheese frosting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm trying to imagine the kind of baking emergency that would have me turn to canned frosting. I've got nothing.

Do you have a mixer and a dishwasher? A basic frosting comes together in less than 5 minutes if you keep butter, sugar, and vanilla or cocoa on hand. If you have time to bake, the frosting is the fastest part. Or just bake a pound cake or tart or something that doesn't use frosting.

Eyeroll times 100. You are ridiculous.

Sorry, I’m with PP and OP. Canned frosting is pretty gross and making it in a mixer IS easy!!! The only tricky part is leaving the butter out to come to room temp.

+1!!

[Anonymous]

MOMs has a really good one. Can’t recall the name but it was about six bucks and actually tasted like food instead of chemicals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A baking emergency like my kid insists on making cake and I don’t have much butter. Or something like that.
I actually hate making buttercream—it’s such a mess and uses such a disgusting amount of powdered sugar, and half the time the butter separates. I also don’t like the taste of a traditional American buttercream—it just tastes to me like eating a stick of butter. I’d prefer a Swiss or Italian meringue cream but that’s such a pain to make. The canned stuff used to have this creamy easy-spreading too-sweet but in a compelling sort of way taste to them, but the one I just bought had a really artificial back taste.

I'm trying to imagine how a homemade "traditional American buttercream" is inferior to canned frosting that is a chemically altered mess of sugar, oil, and starch. If your butter separates, you are doing something wrong.

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to imagine the kind of baking emergency that would have me turn to canned frosting. I've got nothing.

This was exactly my reaction. And, if my kid insisted on making a cake when we didn't have the ingredients for frosting, they can eat an unfrosted cake.

Also, I've never had butter separate when I've made buttercream. I didn't know it was a thing.

[Anonymous]

Cupcakes without frosting are muffins. It's not about frosting, it's about branding.

[Anonymous]

Try the whipped version of the canned icing. Less sweet and chemically tasting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm trying to imagine the kind of baking emergency that would have me turn to canned frosting. I've got nothing.

This was exactly my reaction. And, if my kid insisted on making a cake when we didn't have the ingredients for frosting, they can eat an unfrosted cake.

Also, I've never had butter separate when I've made buttercream. I didn't know it was a thing.

Well that’s not the point of this post. She’s asking which store brand is best. Start another thread if you want to discuss butter cream!