On Cake...

So I thought I would share a recipe this morning. A basic, easily executed recipe... for buttercream. Buttercream is the most common icing for a cake, and the stuff you buy in a container at the grocery store for $5 is closest to buttercream. I've been experimenting with various recipes for a few years, trying to find the most promising. There are many methods to making a buttercream that range in effort from butter and powdered sugar beat together all the way to boiling sugar to "soft ball stage," whipping egg whites, and putting together one hugely precocious mess. Both of these methods can work and make a delicious icing, however, I don't have room in my fridge to refrigerate a cake that the icing may melt off because it is all butter and I don't have the patience for dirtying every dish in the kitchen just for the icing...

The recipe I've found and quite enjoy is considered, "Decorator's Butter Cream." I'm currently taking a Wilton Cake Decorating Course and this is our "class buttercream." Let me give you the recipe and then gush about what I love about it...

Buttercream Icing (Stiff Consistency) yield: 3 cups

1 cup solid white vegetable shortening
1 tsp flavoring (most commonly vanilla, but there are many options, almond, orange, peppermint, etc)
2 Tbsp milk or water (use water if you want to be able to leave out at room temperature)
1 lb pure cane powdered sugar
1 Tbsp Wilton Meringue powder
1 tsp butter extract
PINCH salt

Cream shortenings, flavorings, and water. Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed together. BLEND AN ADDITIONAL MINUTE. (doing so does make an important difference in your consistency).

Now let's talk consistency: This recipe makes stiff consistency, because you can always add water, its harder to take it away. Stiff icing is only used for 3-d flowers such as roses.

MEDIUM: this consistency is great for the decorating portion of icing your cake. Its the perfect consistency for borders, stems, and flowers with flat petals. To get your icing to medium consistency, add 1 teaspoon of water per cup of stiff icing (1 Tablespoon for the whole recipe)

THIN: This is the icing you will use to ice your cake as well as for writing and leaves. Add 2 teaspoons of water per cup of stiff icing (2 tablespoons for the whole recipe).

About some of these ingredients:
~The shortening: Shortening is preferred over butter because food safety wise, shortening is more stable at room temperature. And no one wants food poisoning over birthday cake! You can get the butter flavored and cut out the butter extract, however at my local grocery store the store brand that does not come in butter flavored is 3 times the size as the butter flavored crisco for the same price. And when you need a full cup of shortening for 3 cups of icing (which is the minumum I bring to class every week), it helps the budget to buy in bulk. Additionally, butter flavored crisco (if I remember correctly) is yellow... which will affect the "pure white" of your product.
~The powdered sugar: pure cane is preferred because anything that does not say pure cane, probably contains beet sugar (a cheaper source). Beet sugar tends to leech out water into your icing RUINING the texture. (I know you're asking how much water can powdered sugar really "leech out"? But the consistency of your icing is a very touchy subject that can be altered with just a fraction of a teaspoon. So any unanticipated moisture is too much.)
Also, the recipe calls for a pound. My recipe clarified that 1 pound was approximately 4 cups. I did the weight to volume change at http://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/sugar_amounts.html and found that 1 pound of powdered sugar is 3.63 cups. The difference os 3.63 versus 4 when you are measuring your liquid by the teaspoon is large... So, use a digital scale, buy sugar in a 1 pound incremement, or buy two pounds and double the recipe are your best bets.
~The Water: On the subject of moisture, you may need to play around with the exact amount for your locale's humidity. I had to add a few extra drops when I lived in Colorado and the air is pretty much negative humidity all the time. San Diego seems to have pretty middle of the road humidity and sticking to the exact amount on the recipe is good. 
~The meringue powder: This is the big ingredient difference in "decorator's" buttercream as opposed to different recipes. This will give your icing just a little but of crust and help it maintain the design you put into it. It is also what causes icing flowers to harden and keep their shape. You can find the wilton brand in the same aisle as cake decorating supplies in walmart or a craft store. And I just recently saw online that it is commonly available in your average grocery under the name, "Just whites." I've only worked with the wilton brand and its not too expensive, so I'm don't think I'll be taking the risk of switching for probably just a couple cents savings.
~The salt: If we've learned anything from Alton Brown, its that a bit of salt helps bother bring flavors together and accentuate them. Thats why there is a small amount in your brownies, chocolate recipes, muffins, etc. Put just a pinch in your icing as well. 
~The flavors: Go crazy here! You can use whatever you put your wild imagination to. Vanilla, almond, orange... there are so many extract options on the market these days, that you can make your buttercream any flavor at all. You could also use your favorite flavored liquor to replace the amount of water and flavoring. However, the "Wilton method" suggests using only a clear liquid so you don't affect the "pure white" of your icing. This makes coloring more true. I'm pretty impressed with my cake decorating colors in creating a true color even though I did not use clear vanilla in my recipe of buttercream. I will, however use clear extract on the wedding cake I'm icing in mostly white next week.

There are two things I really love about this recipe:

1) Its non-dairy and therefore shelf stable. Buttercream consistency is made to be best at room temperature. So if you are having to refrigerate and work with it for a limited time out of the refrigerator, you are not working with the ideal product. As well, even if your cake is completely cooled to room temperature (which it should be before icing), refrigerated icing is not going to go on smoothly or go on without you accidently take chunks out of your cake.
2) The meringue powder makes it. As a kid, my mom decorated most of the birthday cakes in the neighborhood. She used icing out of the can. And the thing I loved most about her methods was that when something went wrong, she would just let it harden a second, stick her finger in warm water and smooth it out simply and quickly. I've never been able to do this with homemade icing until I added that meringue powder. That ability give you the ability to have smooth corners and get rid of the peaks where you pulled your spatula up for more icing or whatever. Do not use too frivously because as I said earlier, extra moisture will kill your frosting.

So thats my piece for the day. Go crazy and have fun! If you are not having atleast as much fun decorating the cake as you do eating it, you're way too stressed... its cake, I'm pretty sure that fun is in the definition!

Cheers, LiA