I use this recipe when making my rose cake,
my hydrangea cake,
or any cake that I want the frosting to be able to hold its shape!
This makes quite a bit, but can be refrigerated quite easily.
Crusting Buttercream
1 bag powder sugar (two pounds or about eight cups)
1 cup shortening (I used original Crisco)
1 tsp vanilla extract (use clear if want white frosting)
1/2 cup – 3/4 cup milk
Cream shortening and vanilla in mixer for 2-4 minutes. Add in powder sugar, one cup at a time. If you find your mixer struggling, slowing add in milk. Use more milk for a creamy consistency, use less milk for a stiff consistency.
And yes, I sometimes use half crisco half butter. Â This recipe is SWEET. Â Super sweet. Â If you dont like sweet, simply use less sugar.
Enjoy!
*Some people seem to get very upset that I call this frosting a buttercream.Â
I’m sorry. Â I dont have a much better answer. Â You are welcome to yell at me all you want in the comments. (Some already have!)
*****
See more examples of how I use this frosting on my Rose Birthday Cake and Royal Wedding Cake.
So helpful Amanda! I really want to do one of each of those.
Hi there. Do you have to use shortening? never used it for icing before. would butter do the same or not really. thanks!
I use this same* recipe for my buttercream, but I use butter. I think it tastes better and I’m generally opposed to using shortening unless it serves a functional purpose in my recipes. Shortening will be cheaper to use than butter, but it doesn’t taste as good. I use salted butter, although some recipes specify to use unsalted. I just never have any in the fridge.
shortening is necessary if youre looking for perfect white frosting and it holds better than butter. the problem is you will end up with plain-yet-too-sweet frosting and it doesnt tastes good.but you can always overcome this problem by adding enough amount of fine salt.it may not tastes as good as butter but it should be better.
Curious about butter, too. I hate shortening.
I was wondering if you can add a flavor to this recipe and if I do, do I need to take something out, like the vanilla or just not add as much milk?
Butter works just fine in place of shortening
Those rosettes give me goosebumps. I love them.
butter can be used in place of shortening….but it wont hold its shape as well, especially in the warmer temps. i tried to make her hydrangea cake but bc i used just butter i couldnt get the shapes to hold. i now use a recipe that is similar to hers but i use 1 stick of crisco and 2 sticks of butter. it crusts and hold its shape better then just butter but also taste more like regular buttercream. : )
The son of a friend of ours got married at home, and I offered to make the wedding cake as a gift. Mother of groom insisted she wanted to do it, even though she had never done this sort of thing.
She used butter instead of Crisco, and the entire cake slid apaort before the ceremony was over. Another woman and I had to take a large spatula to remove the top and sit it beside the cake, before it fell on the floor.
If you INSIST on using butter, add about 2 tablespoons of dry Dream Whip to the recipe to help it hold its shape, especially if the weather is hot and/or humid.
Oh, I had never heard that bit about Dream Whip. I may try that some day.
Great solution! Thanks for sharing that idea…I will try it!
As a flavor snob and a purist who believes that treats should taste as good as they are beautiful, I have to agree that if it doesn’t have butter and either egg yolk or egg white then it is not a buttercream! It is frosting. Might not sound as fancy, but an important distinction to make in order to maintain the integrity of the craft.
Hello, I just wanted to say thank you for contstantly amazing and inspiring me with your fantastic baking.
For the first time this weekend, I filled a cake and iced it with buttercream – I’ve never had so many compliments!
I really appreciate you posting such great recipes, sharing your tips and showing such beautifully decorated cakes and cookies.
@Alycia then you should have a more constructive comment than telling this wonderful blogger something she already acknowledged in her post, like another name for this excellent, helpful recipe.
You’re right. How about “Crusting Crisco Frosting?” Fortunately, it is actually possible to make these roses with an Italian meringue buttercream, and they will taste as good as they look.
Amanda does have a fun design sense and blog style.
Touche Alycia.
please give a recipe for this Italian Meringue Buttercream…thanks!
i know this post is 8 months old, but i just wanted to interject.. that’s known as a “decorator’s buttercream”, hence the perfect crusting and consistency for flowers.. a “real” buttercream is more of a filling/coating
This stuff is wonderful, I especially love giving it a citrus spin with lemon and orange extract and a bit of butter flavoring!
I made this today and loved it. Consistency is amazing. I substituted chai latte concentrate for the milk and added 2 bags of chai tea to it. Mmmmmmmm!
Used butter flavored Crisco though and not sure about that…wanted butter flavor in a frosting that would hold up better than buttercream. Way strong butter aftertaste. Suggestions, anyone?
you can get butter flavoring in a bottle. Of course it is yellow in color but will give you that hint of flavor, about 1/4 tsp is what I use. I mix it with the Crisco before adding anything else! Hope this is helpful
Can I add Lorann’s Marshmallow Flavoring and if so, how much?
I was wondring if you have a good sugar cookie on a stick. We want to make a sugar cookie bouquet for my daughters baby shower this week. We bought a airplane cookie cutter and we wanted to put them in a vases for our center pieces. Also can I use buttercream frosting for decorating or should I use icing ?
http://iambaker.net/christmas-cookies-cookie-recipe Here is my favorite sugar cookies recipe, and you can most definitely use it for cookies on a stick! I use both buttercream and glaze icing for cookies, and find they both work great. Hope the baby shower is wonderful!
Stunning cakes!!! Almost too pretty to eat
I’m making a champagne cake for a Chanel-themed baby shower and wanted to do a champagne icing as well. Can I substitute champagne for some of the milk in this recipe and have the icing still stand up or will that affect the consistency too much?? THANKS!!
Champagne buttercream sounds delish! I think you could easily add it in place of milk, but I would start with a small amount, like a tablespoon, and go from there. Have a wonderful day!
If you are making champagne flavored icing, I would look into reducing the champagne down, so you don’t have to use all the water that comes along with the champagne. I boiled my champagne down from 2 cups to 4 tablespoons. It seemed to work out fine.
I love the rose cake, it is beautiful. The recipe for the “butter cream frosting” could be called “White Icing” The CIA recipe for butter cream is quite simple, 2#butter 1/2-3/4# crisco 4# confectionery sugar, any flavoring you would like, it holds up well to piping, doesn’t get crusty and makes enough to frost and decorate a half sheet cake, sides and top
1/2 butter, 1/2 crisco + butter flavoring (near the vanilla) + a 1/4 t. almond extract = Great taste and excellent texture.
I am new to this ans want to try the rose cake but I have a question. Is the # symbol in the CIA recipe meaning cups? Thanks!!
Hi! Can anyone tell me if I use this crusting buttercream to frost a cake…can the cake be refrigerated? Will the crusting buttercream “crack” ? Hope someone can reply me
!!
Brandie, I often see the # symbol used to indicate weight, as in “#” meaning “pound”. Hope your cake is wonderful — both visually and flavorfully
!
I’m going to try the strawberry version substituting a seedless blackberry puree I made and froze last summer. I’m guessing it will be a light purple, doesn’t that sound enticing?
I absolutely love this rose cake. It’s simply gorgeous. I do have an issue with the icing however. I decided to go by this recipe rather than using my usual recipe for buttercream frosting. When I made this recipe, I found the frosting too grainy and it tasted way too much like sugar straight out of the bag. It also reacted funny when I tried to color it. I ended up doubling the amount of crisco because in my usual recipe, it was 1 cup of crisco to 4 cups of powdered sugar, rather than 8 cups. When I added the extra cup of crisco, everything balanced out and it was perfect.
I love the rosette cake and have pinned it about 22 times!
I am curious what tip you use when making the rosettes on the large cake?
I Love the cake!!! I do have one question though. In your very first pictures i see this is a tiered cake…how did you tier the cake without messing up the bottom tier’s roses? Did you use any pillars for this?
You have a wonderful blog which is not only inspiring but also easy to follow. Im new to this so I have a basic question about buttercream. Whenever I tried to frost my cake with buttercream made with butter or eggs, and put the cake in fridge to cool, the buttercream hardens like solid butter and when it comes time to eat it then it tastes really bad. This happens especially when there is leftover cake…it almost always spoils it. So I was wondering what they use in the bakeries because traditional bakery cakes which are in the displays always have smooth white frosting which doesn’t harden…thanks, I appreciate your time!
i dont think putting the cake in fridge is necessary if your main intention is to preserve the cake (including leftovers).if your buttercream holds well when youre decorating the cake,then it should be fine in room temperature (normal room temp,not too hot) in terms of maintaining the shape of the cake.and most buttercream wont spoil/become poisonous if you left them covered/stored in airtight cont for a day or two in room temp.
I love this frosting technique, it looks very elegant and Victorian. My daughter wants me to use it on her wedding cake; however, I have two questions:
Does adding Dream Whip aide in the crusting ability of the frosting, in much the same way as adding meringue powder? Could Swiss Meringue Buttercream be used successfully with this rose technique?
Any help that could be offered would be greatly appreciated!
i think shortening is used if you want your icing to be white. If you use butter it wouldn’t turn out to be super white. it’s a matter of how you want to make it look.
Thank you! I was looking for a easy crusting buttercream and this is it.
This is a great tutorial and those rosettes are just beautiful. Although, I do have to agree that the icing is not very indicative of buttercream. I would definitely classify it in the sugary frosting category. I’m sure it holds up to decorating much, much better than true buttercream, but if taste outweighs appearance, swiss meringue buttercream would be the better alternative. I’m sure it may be hard to get those rosettes to look half as good with the real deal, though.
I make mine the same.. To make it to where it taste like buttercream, use 1 tablespoon of butter flavor extract
To make it have the butter flavor, add 1 tablespoon of Butter Flavor Extract. Makes the frosting taste just like the bakeries..
Hi
Firstly thanks for this recipe, I’ve done the rose cake a few times now. I’ve looked around but can’t find the older buttercream recipe you used to show for this and was hoping you could help? I know it had similar ingredients but had heavy cream and some salt in it. I just can’t remember the quantities? Thanks
Could these roses be made using a cream cheese icing?
Hello,
Can I use “butter flavor” Crisco shortening rather than the “regular” Crisco shortening?
thank you,
The butter-flavored Crisco has a very strong butter flavor to it. It’s a pretty artificial flavor too. I would suggest using a bit of butter extract instead, from what I have heard that’s how a lot of bakeries make their frostings so yummy. Hope this helps a bit, good luck!
I am thinking out loud here, so to speak, I would like to do these roses all over a flat cake (2 9×13 cakes placed beside each other) for an anniversary cake. What would you suggest in creating a space that I can write Happy Anniversary? Some sort of a flat surface to write on? Any suggestions appreciated.
By the way LOVE the way this cake looks.
I use a 1/2 and 1/2 recipe for my cakes 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening and they always taste great and hold up great.
This is almost the exact decorator’s icing recipie that my grandmother passed down to me. She has been using it to decorate birthday, wedding and occasion cakes for over 50 years! The only adjustment I have made to it (because I do like a little butter flavor in my icing) is that I use buttavan from sugarcraft as opposed to regular vanilla or clear vanilla extract. I find it gives the icing a more creamy buttery-vanilla flavor that is unique to this area. People tell me my cakes taste like cakes from expensive bakeries in the city! I know sugarcraft is sold out of buttavan right now and I am freaking out because I am almost out, but hopefully they will have it available again soon. You should give it a try!
My problem is the following: Crisco is not available in my country. what could I use instead of shortenings? Butter or margarin maybe?
Thanks a lot
,,I have my Grandmas cookbook.In this cookbook is a yellowed newspaper clipping with a recipe for buttercream frosting,MADE WITH SHORTENING..That is what buttercream is,,,scrape the frosting off before you eat the cake or don’t think about it..(It does sound gross)..also,where I live, Crisco and butter cost about the same ..
This is the PERFECT recipe for yummy frosting! I tweaked it slightly (added a tablespoon of butter extract to the milk, as several people suggested), but I also added a bit of almond extract and a few dashes of salt too. It was DELISH and was perfect for the rose cake. I made a “Barbie” version (you know, where the cake forms the dress) and had to transport it about 45 minutes, so I was worried about regular buttercream sliding off the steep sides of the cake as soon as the sun hit it in the car. The slight crust this frosting formed ensured the cake was way more stable than I was expecting and made transport so much easier. I’m a sweet freak, so I didn’t mind that it was super sweet, but utilizing the extracts gave it a bit of a flavor beyond just “sugar” and I’m thinking experimenting with other extracts for the future…peppermint would be devine…
THANK YOU for providing a simple AND sinful icing recipe! This one will hold a spot forever at the front of my recipe box.
Hi , THANK you so much for your wonderful blog ! I’m glad to found it ..
Yesterday I made a cake to my brother and I wanted to decorate it by roses but the recipe that I used from the you tube wasn’t good maybe because it’s with butter not Crisco ..!
but I’ll try your frosting nearly ..:)
I seen a lot of blogs and websites in my day, and I have to be honest – your cake decorating is outstanding. I have 3 favorite bloggers and I am adding you today.
I offer homemade recipes on my website and my cakes are just that – cakes. These are masterpieces. You should be very proud of your skill. I am amazed at the talent you have and want to thank you wholeheartedly for your tutorials and recipes. God Bless…
My goodness! You are beyond kind to say such things!! Thank you so much!
To those of you screaming this isn’t a buttercream. How about you take a course and you’ll learn that this is used to decorate. The reason buttercream isn’t used is because it wont hold it’s shape very long. Rather than critizie someone for their contribution how about be appreciative cause I’m sure half of you complaining used the recipe.
Who cares what it’s called?! All I know is that it turns out right every time, without fail. I use half butter and half shortening because I need it to freeze when I make a butter cream transfer. The frosting won’t freeze and set if there isn’t any butter in the recipe. I also need it to be white and not off white so using the shortening makes it nice and bright white (along with using the clear imitation extract). Really read what’s in the cake frosting at your local grocery store bakery, lots of preservatives. This may not be true butter cream frosting, but at least you know what is in it. Thank you for posting this recipe, I come back to it every time!
Excellent point Veronica!! I love it for the same reasons you have listed. Thanks for the great feedback!!
I use shortening all the time. It is the ONLY way you can get the pure white. I guess everybody turns up their nose at Crisco, because it is bad for you or it tastes bad–Crisco basically tastes like nothing. Which is why it is the perfect vehicle for adding flavors. They have ruined Crisco for the bakers by taking the trans fat out. Now we have to buy high ratio shortening which has the fat added in or put in lard (YES–lard). The only other way you can get the pure white (if you use butter) is to use Icing White, which is a dye–so much better for you. and the heart of a good tasting icing butter or otherwise is the flavoring you use. I use a flavoring called Creme Bouquet which has a mix of Vanilla, Lemon, Almond and other flavors. I am known for my pure white buttercream frosting because of this flavoring.
Best line ever… (YES-lard) Ha! Love it!! Great tips, thank you Susy!
I just made a batch of this and I like it. The taste is different but I think it is good. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I took a Wilton cake decorating class and this is the buttercream recipe they also use.
Really? That is so interesting! I checked their site and could not find this specific recipe. I wonder if they updated?
I took the wilton class as well.. same buttercream recipe
I call it american buttercream 
and whenever i visit L.A I always encounter this type frosting 
This is the recipe for pure white frosting. If you don’t need pure white frosting use butter. I make my buttercream with crisco. I use 1/2 vanilla and 1/2 almond extract. I also add 1/2 teaspoon of butter extract. As suggested I add salt. It makes a difference. I also use fine salt, such as popcorn salt.
Love this cake! You are right, so EASY! Made the butter cream icing recipe and decorated, came out amazing. Thank you!!!
Hello, I am Dutch,
beautifull rose cake!!!!
1 cup shortening (I used original Crisco)
can you please tell me what is “shortening”?
thank you very much!
Nicky
I may have a question that seems to be a little weird to you. I´m sorry about it but I am not a native English speaker; I am Czech and live in the Czech Republic. I would love to try it but I am not sure about what “shortening” means in fact. I looked it up and found the translation that it´s a quite hard white fat. But in that case I don´t think it´s the right expression. I assume you are talking about yellow soft vegetable fat that is often used instead of butter. Could anyone of you explain me what Crisco is? Thank you.
Crisco is a hard white vegetable fat. Some shortening is made with animal fat, but you have to use the vegetable fat when making this frosting. Hope that helps!
I`’m sure the soft yellow stuff you are talking about is margarine.
Your rose cake looks absolutely beautiful! how do you make all those roses? I usually make my roses on a baker’s nail and then move them onto the cake, but yours looks like they were made right on the cake…?
http://iambaker.net/rose-cake-tutorial Here is a link to my tutorial!
Is there something i did wrong? I’m putting on the the crumb coat and the “buttercream” won’t stick to the cake.
I had the same problem last night….different cake though….not Amanda’s pretty rose one which I am going to make for our Mother’s Day brunch. I think my slippery icing problem was due to the humidity, honestly. I’ve used this, and Wilton’s exact recipes all winter long with no problem at all. I think with more moisture in the air, we need too add our liquids small amounts at a time to make sure the consistency is just right.
Also…everyone is so hung up on the butter/shortening debate, but powdered sugar makes a difference too. My Wilton instructor told me to always make sure the package says “pure cane” powdered sugar. If you can find 12x, that’s the best but 10x is usually easier to find at the grocery without going to a specialty store. If it doesn’t say “pure cane”, then it has corn starch in it and it’s hard to get the right consistency with that filler in there…
Hope this helps! Happy Baking! :0)
Thank you for sharing with us ,I have been wanting to try it since i read your blog on pinterest. It s not as good as yours but i am pleased for my first time trying it. The icing was the perfect consistency I don’t care what you call it, I call it amazing.
Thank you so much for posting this! This is the prettiest cake I have ever seen in my life!