Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I discovered this totally by accident when I was using heavy whipping cream to thin my buttercream because it was all I had on hand - add a few tablespoons and let it "whip"' in the frosting. It's awesome and lightens it up a ton.

Not OP, but this is a great tip. Thanks!

Yes, I made a cream cheese whipped cream icing for a cake last year and it was divine. I now make a regular frosting, keeping it from getting too sweet, and I add in some heavy cream after the rest has been combined. It all whips up into a really delicious, not too sweet, light frosting. The sugar and cream cheese (if you're using) helps stabilize the whipped cream, if it gets warm.

http://www.thekitchn.com/tip-whipped-cre-18573

German buttercream made with pastry cream is the best but takes a bit longer due to letter the pastry cream cool.

Not pp butc crisco isn't high ratio.

Emulsified or High Ratio Shortening (also called Hi Ratio Shortening, Bakery Shortening, Cake Shortening or Icing Shortening) is shortening that has been changed by adding an emulsifier and whipping up the product so that it can absorb more sugar and liquid than regular shortening.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The posters who are disparaging salted butter are not experienced cooks/bakers, and are likely only parroting whatever they've heard from other people.

The other posters are right--butter (salted especially) AND shortening will give you the best possible frosting. You can also look up recipes and techniques for cooked buttercreams, such as German and Italian, but I personally like American buttercream the best.

I will also say that American butter really works best for frosting. Euro style butter such as Plugra and Kerrygold are really too heavy to really give you that clean flavor you're going for, and it also gives your frosting an unpleasant yellow tinge.

In pastry class, we practiced with a lot with frosting made from hi ratio shortening and powdered sugar, and with the right kind of flavoring (emulsion flavorings), I liked it almost as much as buttercream made with butter.

It all depends on what taste you're going for. If you like supermarket cake, know that it is shortening based frosting and that's what you should go for when making yours.

Whipped frosting however, is an abomination and should be purged from the planet.

Thanks. THis is OP. I used Kerrygold last time because I like it sooo much better than American butter for almost all purposes, but it was really not great for buttercream. I think one person (a real butter addict) liked it that way, but my kids were like "Mom, it tastes too much like butter." That recipe (from Cook's Illustrated) was one that started with a cooked base that had regular sugar instead of confectionary, so I thought it might have a better flavor...but the butterness overpowered everything. There's probably some combination of Kerrygold and Crisco that would be ideal (mix of flavor plus stiffness), but I'm not going to run the in-home Test Kitchen necessary to find it.

Can you tell me what you mean by hi ratio shortening? Is that Crisco?

Definitely try just a cheap box of American butter or cut back on the amount of Kerrygold when you combine with Crisco, that should give you the desired flavor and consistency you're going for.

Hi Ratio shortening is just a shortening with emulsifiers that professional and avid bakers use to make frosting more heat stable and just all around better than using Crisco. I find that it tastes better, less greasy, and you don't have to use as much of it to get the desired consistency. But it is a little more expensive and hard to find, and most home bakers simply don't bake enough to justify buying it. When I baked a ton, I bought it in bulk from a local cake decorating store.

Anonymous wrote:You may like this:

http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2010/03/a-tasty-recipe-thats-the-best-frosting-ive-ever-had/

It's a very unorthodox icing because it includes flour and you start by making what is effectively a roux, but it is actually my favorite frosting out there. Although it's still a butter based frosting, it's lighter and fluffier than a standard buttercream and tastes/feels far less rich.

The recipe is for vanilla frosting but plenty of variations abounds for other flavors, using the same technique.

My mother says that her MIL, my grandma, made a frosting with flour in it that was amazing. My mother never loved her cooking otherwise, so I totally believe you! (Although my grandma's came from a Lutheran church cookbook, not the Internet)

Anonymous wrote:The posters who are disparaging salted butter are not experienced cooks/bakers, and are likely only parroting whatever they've heard from other people.

The other posters are right--butter (salted especially) AND shortening will give you the best possible frosting. You can also look up recipes and techniques for cooked buttercreams, such as German and Italian, but I personally like American buttercream the best.

I will also say that American butter really works best for frosting. Euro style butter such as Plugra and Kerrygold are really too heavy to really give you that clean flavor you're going for, and it also gives your frosting an unpleasant yellow tinge.

In pastry class, we practiced with a lot with frosting made from hi ratio shortening and powdered sugar, and with the right kind of flavoring (emulsion flavorings), I liked it almost as much as buttercream made with butter.

It all depends on what taste you're going for. If you like supermarket cake, know that it is shortening based frosting and that's what you should go for when making yours.

Whipped frosting however, is an abomination and should be purged from the planet.

No, I'm not. I love salted butter on bread. In frosting I find it excessive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Salted butter? For frosting? Yick.

Are standard butter-powdered sugar-milk-vanilla ones not doing it for you?

Frosting is way better with salted butter. Salt really rounds out the flavor, and no, the frosting does not come out salty. It helps if you use a butter and Crisco mix.

I add a pinch of salt.

Anonymous wrote:The posters who are disparaging salted butter are not experienced cooks/bakers, and are likely only parroting whatever they've heard from other people.

The other posters are right--butter (salted especially) AND shortening will give you the best possible frosting. You can also look up recipes and techniques for cooked buttercreams, such as German and Italian, but I personally like American buttercream the best.

I will also say that American butter really works best for frosting. Euro style butter such as Plugra and Kerrygold are really too heavy to really give you that clean flavor you're going for, and it also gives your frosting an unpleasant yellow tinge.

In pastry class, we practiced with a lot with frosting made from hi ratio shortening and powdered sugar, and with the right kind of flavoring (emulsion flavorings), I liked it almost as much as buttercream made with butter.

It all depends on what taste you're going for. If you like supermarket cake, know that it is shortening based frosting and that's what you should go for when making yours.

Whipped frosting however, is an abomination and should be purged from the planet.

Thanks. THis is OP. I used Kerrygold last time because I like it sooo much better than American butter for almost all purposes, but it was really not great for buttercream. I think one person (a real butter addict) liked it that way, but my kids were like "Mom, it tastes too much like butter." That recipe (from Cook's Illustrated) was one that started with a cooked base that had regular sugar instead of confectionary, so I thought it might have a better flavor...but the butterness overpowered everything. There's probably some combination of Kerrygold and Crisco that would be ideal (mix of flavor plus stiffness), but I'm not going to run the in-home Test Kitchen necessary to find it.

Can you tell me what you mean by hi ratio shortening? Is that Crisco?

The posters who are disparaging salted butter are not experienced cooks/bakers, and are likely only parroting whatever they've heard from other people.

The other posters are right--butter (salted especially) AND shortening will give you the best possible frosting. You can also look up recipes and techniques for cooked buttercreams, such as German and Italian, but I personally like American buttercream the best.

I will also say that American butter really works best for frosting. Euro style butter such as Plugra and Kerrygold are really too heavy to really give you that clean flavor you're going for, and it also gives your frosting an unpleasant yellow tinge.

In pastry class, we practiced with a lot with frosting made from hi ratio shortening and powdered sugar, and with the right kind of flavoring (emulsion flavorings), I liked it almost as much as buttercream made with butter.

It all depends on what taste you're going for. If you like supermarket cake, know that it is shortening based frosting and that's what you should go for when making yours.

Whipped frosting however, is an abomination and should be purged from the planet.

Anonymous wrote:The only problem with salted butter is that the amount of salt can vary widely between brands. Starting with unsalted, and adding a pinch to your liking, gives you the most control. Some salted brands will be just fine! Others will taste way too salty.

I think using a good creamy butter (not land o lakes) is key to any icing.

Land o lakes is excellent butter. It works beautifully in icings.

The only problem with salted butter is that the amount of salt can vary widely between brands. Starting with unsalted, and adding a pinch to your liking, gives you the most control. Some salted brands will be just fine! Others will taste way too salty.

I think using a good creamy butter (not land o lakes) is key to any icing.

OP of the recipe with salted butter here - I had no idea that would cause such a controversy! Of course you can use unsalted if you prefer. But in my experience, if I use unsalted butter, then the finished product needs a pinch of salt to round it all out. It's easier to just use salted butter, and seems to blend in more smoothly/evenly than adding salt.

I actually do generally use unsalted for cooking and baking ... but that's in order to control the salt with a consistent known quantity, not because baked goods don't need salt at all. If OP is looking for heightened flavor but not too buttery or too sugary, a pinch of salt might be exactly what she needs.

You may like this:

http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2010/03/a-tasty-recipe-thats-the-best-frosting-ive-ever-had/

It's a very unorthodox icing because it includes flour and you start by making what is effectively a roux, but it is actually my favorite frosting out there. Although it's still a butter based frosting, it's lighter and fluffier than a standard buttercream and tastes/feels far less rich.

The recipe is for vanilla frosting but plenty of variations abounds for other flavors, using the same technique.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Salted butter? For frosting? Yick.

Are standard butter-powdered sugar-milk-vanilla ones not doing it for you?

Double yuck on using salted butter. Salted butter is for the table if at all. Only cook with unsalted butter.

Oh get over yourselves. Salted/unsalted...I gave used both for years and there is no difference in the quality of the icing. As others point out, you add salt anyway. When I use salted butter I just adjust the amount if salt I add. I posted the toba garret frustings earlier. They are great. They certainly can be tweaked if you prefer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Salted butter? For frosting? Yick.

Are standard butter-powdered sugar-milk-vanilla ones not doing it for you?

Frosting is way better with salted butter. Salt really rounds out the flavor, and no, the frosting does not come out salty. It helps if you use a butter and Crisco mix.

Agreed. Plus, what does "yick" mean? In 40 years of speaking the English language, I've never heard that one.