Wedding Cakes 5: All About Frosting
April 4, 2008 by Marye Audet
Filed under Cakes, Tutorials and Basics, Wedding
Image: Morguefile
Buttercream is a luscious frosting, but if you are making your own wedding cake I would not suggest using it. Why?
Buttercream has alot of butter (duh!) and if you use it you must keep it refrigerated until just before the reception unless the building is very cool. While confectioners icing made with crisco is not as delicious, it is temperature friendly and you can set the cake up and not worry about it. In fact, you could set the whole thing up in the reception hall the night before the ceremony, and only check on it to make sure everything was still o.k. and your best friend’s cousin’s nephew didn’t run his hot wheels cars through it.
The confectioner’s frosting is also easy to decorate with, takes colors well, and holds it’s shape. Again, you can make your own wedding cake but you really aren’t going to want to take a lot of chances with it.
The best icing recipe I have found for wedding cakes is this one:
1 c crisco
1 tsp clear vanilla extract
1/2 tsp butter extract
1/4 tsp almond
1 lb confectioners
2 tbs cream
Mix the crisco and flavorings. Add the confectioners one cup at a time. Stop to scrape sides and bottom of bowl once in awhile. When all the sugar is mixed in the icing will be dry looking. Add cream, a little at a time, until you achieve the correct consistency. You want it to be slightly stiff.
3 cups
You can vary the flavors easily by adjusting the flavorings. Remember that if the flavoring has a color to it the frosting will not be totally white.
Review
That kind of sucks because Crisco frosting does not taste as good. Hmmm, not that I’m making a wedding cake soon, but still. I think over Crisco, I’d go with plain flowers and some sprinkled sugar. Of course flowers have to stay cool too.
I agree. But way back in the day I did a wedding cake (not mine) with butter..and when we went in to the reception the frosting had all melted off the cake.
Thank God for vodka soaked watermelon. No one even noticed.
oh god am so sorry to hear! the icing melted
(
LOL aamena, it was in San Angelo Texas 1980 during a heat wave… so I am over it now.
I’m making an anniversary cake today (pray for me). I plan on using the wilton recipe that is half butter and half veg. shortening. It isn’t supposed to be that warm today so hopefully I’ll just get lucky!
Good luck Carrie. Are you going to post pics of it?
I’m going to make this receipe tonight. I’m brought the cake pans, and the items I need. I’m considered to be a good cook, now I’m going to time my time and make a cake.
The best icing, in my opinion, is made with Crisco. The priority is for the icing to be WHITE and HOLD. My mother’s Swedish friend made the most beautiful decorated cakes using Crisco.
Sheron..
It is..sort of. It does work the best but the taste and health aspects aren’t so great.
Hi all,
Thank you so much for publishing this. I am getting married next year and am doing all I can to save money. Our two big price tags are location and photography. Anyway, I have been playing around with cake ideas and it just dawned on me…I am a great cook, I love to bake (it actually relaxes me!) and I am pretty darn good at that too! Why not make my own cake? So I have been searching high and low for recipes and advice…Most of the people saying anything say dont make your own cake..I have 15 months to work this out…so why not?!? I am going to play with this. THANK YOU!
Awesome Katherine! With 15 months to plan, especially if you enjoy baking it should be a simple thing for you! I know you can do it! Let me know if I can help. And keep me up to date!
Hi, I am doing cupcakes and a 9 inch square cake for a wedding. They need 200
cupcakes. Can i freeze buttercream icing made with crisco. Help!!!
Cheryl
Sure! Jus make sure your freezer is clean and you have baking soda in the freezer for any stray odors..the frosting will pick it up.