Ideal Decorating Buttercream Frosting

Name: Ideal Decorating Buttercream Frosting
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 24
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons milk; 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening; 1/2 cup butter or margarine; 4 cups sifted confectioners sugar

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Prep 10 min
Total 15 min
Servings 24

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A perfect frosting for decorating cakes and cupcakes.

by: TBSP Kari

Updated Aug 3, 2018

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 cups sifted confectioners sugar

Steps

1

Cream butter and shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla.
2

Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed.
3

Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.
4

When all sugar has been mixed in icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Expert Tips

tip 1
To thin for icing cake, add a small amount of light corn syrup and additional milk or water.

Nutrition Information

150 Calories, 8g Total Fat, 0g Protein, 20g Total Carbohydrate, 20g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Calories: 150

Calories from Fat: 70

Total Fat: 8g; 13%

Saturated Fat: 3 1/2g; 18%

Trans Fat: 0g

Cholesterol: 10mg; 3%

Sodium: 30mg; 1%

Potassium: 0mg; 0%

Total Carbohydrate: 20g; 7%

Dietary Fiber: 0g; 0%

Sugars: 20g

Protein: 0g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 2%; 2%

Vitamin C: 0%; 0%

Calcium: 0%; 0%

Iron: 0%; 0%

Exchanges:

0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 1/2 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choice

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

The shortening in this frosting may seem off-putting at first glance but it's actually the key to a bonified decorating icing. The ultra-thick texture of shortening acts as a stabilizer, ensuring your icing will hold up. Pair shortening with the rich slightly-salty flavor of butter, and you've got yourself a smooth buttercream frosting that gets the decorating job done and gets the decorating job done right. Also, starting this recipe with softened butter will greatly aid in the mixing process. While it typically takes 30 to 60 minutes for butter to reach room temperature on its own, cutting your butter in cubes before leaving it to sit out or—even better—popping it in the microwave for a quick second will save valuable time. Check out our other frosting recipes. We have everything from buttercream to royal to whipped.