Reliable buttercream

[teacher123]

My buttercream icing is crap. All these years I've just been mixing butter and icing sugar and everyone else's seems to taste nicer than mine and be a better consistency I like it when it has quite a crisp shell and is smooth on the inside and can be piped easily. Help!!

[spongebunnyfatpants]

You should have twice the amount of icing sugar to butter, make sure your butter is unsalted and at room temp, never use marj.
I used 140g butter to 280g icing sugar with one teaspoon of flavouring (you may need a little more it depends how strong you want it) and that should do between 12 and 18 cupcakes depending on the size of the cake and type of nozzle.
If you want it crispy on the outside you need to leave it to set before you eat them.
Hope this helps.

[adagio]

Mine is horrific too. I was thinking maybe a fancy pants second mortgage required stand mixer might solve it?

Hopefully someone helpful will be along shortly

[LaundryLegoLunch]

I know this isn't terribly helpful and believe me I never ever buy ready made baking stuff but Betty Crocker ready made buttercream/frosting etc is truly fantastic. It tastes lovely and is really really easy to use.

Sorry if that's no help at all!

[Furball]

i alsways use this recipe - which is similar to spongebunnys

[teacher123]

Is that Betty Crocker stuff good then? Have always been a bit reluctant to try ready made icing and I think it must be minging!

[spongebunnyfatpants]

It's very sweet and strong in flavour, especially the chocolate one and you can tell its not home made, but its good for emergencies

[teacher123]

For emergencies involving having to eat buttercream out of the pot?

[IShallCallYouSquishy]

Try the hummingbird bakery butter icing recipe. I don't know it off the top of my head but its a higher icing sugar to butter ratio plus full fat milk.

Mine always turns out perfect even using my old £10 hand held electric whisk.

[LaundryLegoLunch]

I've not tried the choc one but the vanilla one is quite sweet but soft and easy to use. It lasts a month after opening and can be eaten straight from the pot with a spoon

Give it a go, see what you think. I do love baking but had no luck with buttercream so this has been a saviour for me. Even my uber-critical mum had to admit it was quite nice...

[teacher123]

Maybe I need to go and buy a tub of each flavour tomorrow. For research purposes you understand...

[hermioneweasley]

Betty Crocker icing is very chemical tasting.

I also use Hummingbird bakery one, but use less icing sugar than they say or it's too sweet.

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

Double icing sugar to butter. Have your butter very soft.

I add a few tsps of milk to mine and a drop or two of vanilla extract.

[Bunbaker]

"make sure your butter is unsalted and at room temp, never use marj."

I always used salted butter because IMO unsalted butter makes it too sickly sweet. I agree about never using margarine.

Twice the weight of icing sugar to butter is the way to go. Also, whisking it with an electric whisk for about 5 minutes gives it the right consistency.

[PinkFondantFancy]

I think part of it is that you need to whisk it for aaaages, I think at least 5 mins is what Hummingbird bakery book says. Mine improved after I started doing that.

[teacher123]

Ok-tomorrow I shall bake cakes, and buy some frosting and make some as well whipping it for longer. And then I shall do extensive testing and see what I think

[MinimalistMommi]

I use Stork marg to make mine, but I have to use more icing sugar to stork otherwise it's too 'wet'. It tastes lush though! Probably be rubbish for piping...

[Bunbaker]

"I use Stork marg to make mine"





Stork is fine for baking. It should be banned for buttercream. For a start if it doesn't contain butter it ain't buttercream, and secondly it tastes vile.

[notapizzaeater]

I always use butter but I leave it whisking in my Kenwood for at least 10 mins, it at least doubles in size and isn't sweet and claggly .

[MinimalistMommi]

Bun it doesn't taste vile to me, butter tastes too 'buttery' to me

[Bunbaker]

I hate this expression so apologies, but... each to their own. And, for heaven's sake, don't call it buttercream.

[adagio]

stork cream just doesn't have the same ring to it?.

Do you use the tub of stork or the block of stork? I agree about butter being too buttery!

[MollyBerry]

I can't believe you're using stork for buttercream!! It's vile

In terms of butter buttercream agree with whipping it for ages. What I do is whip the butter for ages and try and gently mix the icing sugar in so it doesn't fly everywhere. I then mix it some more with the mixer again

[craftycottontail]

Spreadable Lurpack every time, tastes heavenly!

It needs much more icing sugar though (not the 50/50 rule), I've never measured but for a cake I'd start with 3oz Lurpack and keep adding sifted icing sugar until it's the right consistency

[MinimalistMommi]

Molly I've had to throw an entire cake away when I used butter, it tasted absolutely vile too, ha ha!

ad not the block, the stork in the tub, it tastes lush and not all claggy and buttery like using butter does.

For my Stork cream I do 50/50 and then just shake in some more icing sugar after to get to right consistency.

Using Lurpak spreadable sounds good because of the added oil in it, it might not taste to buttery

[MinimalistMommi]

Bun I called it stork cream especially for you, oh for heavens sake
You sounded so funny Bun!