Butter Cream Icing


Bookmark and Share

Courtesy of Wilton.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine
  • 1 lb (454 grams or approx. 4 cups) sifted confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar)
  • 2 Tbsp milk or water
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

  1. Cream shortening and butter.
  2. Add sugar, water, vanilla.
  3. Blend on medium speed with a hand mixer until all ingredients are well mixed.

For Chocolate Frosting: add 1/2 ounce (about 14 grams) of melted chocolate.

For Yellow Frosting: add 1 egg yolk.

This icing can be stored up to 2 weeks if refrigerated in an air-tight container.

Icing Colour: Use only vegetable dye food colouring. Liquid should be added by the drop until the right colour and consistency are reached. Paste should be added very gradually, using a toothpick to mix the colour, until the correct colour is reached.

To Place/Change Your Decorating Tip: Unscrew the white plastic coupling at the end of pastry bag. Slip wide end of decorating tip on nozzle of pastry bag. Do not force on. Hold in place and slide white plastic coulping over tip, and screw on to nozzle of pastry bag. Decorating tips have been made with extreme accuracy using rust-proof metal. With care, they will continue to give you many years of service. Be sure to avoid bending them as this will change the desired effect.

To Fill the Icing Bag:

  1. Fold down the top of the bag approximately 2”, forming a cuff. Place icing in teh bag, making sure that it is never more than 1/2 full. This allows you room to squeeze the icing out of the bag.
  2. Unfold the cuff and twist the top of the bag shut. As you ice, continue to twist the top of the bag to keep the icing near the tip.
  3. Force icing out of the tube by squeezing the bag with your fingers.

Be sure to keep your decorating supplies clean and sanitary by washing all parts immediately after use. The metal tips should be rinsed immediately after removal to prevent the icing from hardening inside the tip.

Hand positions: For best results, practice using each tip on the back of a sheet of wax paper or cookie sheet before trying something for the first time (the icing can be scraped fof and reused). Hold your hand as close as possible to the cake/pastry when decorating. There are two basic positions:

  1. Hold bag at 45 degree angle to the decorating surface for borders, leaves, roses, etc.
  2. Hold bag at 90 degree angle to the decorating surface for drop flowers, stars, etc.