Butter cream icing

[Sparklesandglitter]

Hi in after a bit of baking advice!whenever I make butter cream icing I struggle to get the right consistency, it is either too soft and the top layer of the cake slips off or too hard. I have tried butter, baking butter, baking margarine, lurpack spreadable and just can't get it right!!if anybody has any tips/foolproof methods they would be greatly appreciated ?? thanks!

175g butter (not margarine) and 350g of icing sugar, 3tbspns boiling water and a few drops of vanilla extract. Beat the butter a bit first to soften it, then add everything else and beat it until it's really pale - that will probably take longer than you think, espcially when you use boiling water. Use paste (or americolor) to colour it so you don't water it down. hth

I add a little milk, always works for me. And butter - proper butter.

It has to be real butter and you can add icing sugar until it's your preferred consistency. Don't attempt to use on hot/humid days.

I like this recipe.

Sorry - should have said - use unsalted butter

I always use stork

double quantity of icing sugar to stork

soften it first, and add vanilla essence to the softened stork

then I add the icing sugar a little at a time, and a tbsp of hot water when about half the icing sugar is mixed in

second the paste rather than runny food colour

Great thanks I guess I'm going to have to bake a few cakes to practice the different methods!

I use Willow butter perfect results every time, but the biggest tip i can pass on to you is, make sure the butter is very soft to start with, then when everything is mixed beat in a mixer for about 10mins or so, it will look like double cream after i promise you.

I've never weighed it out, butter (softened) add about twice as much icing sugar, a splash of hot water and mix it up - if it's too soft add more icing sugar, if it's too hard, add more water :)

I use Clover butter and icing sugar. Have the butter at room temperature (leave it for a little while before using) and sieve the icing sugar a bit at a time into the butter before whipping it together.

If it's just to top and middle a cake I do 100g butter and 200g icing sugar. If it's to do a huge load of cakes then 150g butter and 300g icing sugar. I don't tend to add extra water or milk but you can add some flavourings if preferred. Just remember that this is liquid and you might want to sieve in some extra icing sugar to offset this.

Sorry, but I'm fainting at stork. That stuff is the work of the devil and no decent cake can be called decent using that as an ingredient -either in or on top!

everyone seems to rave at stock, but have to honest i always use Willow.

The books always say, 4ozs butter, to 8ozs icing sugar, but if you do that i find its way too runny, especially if your going to pipe the icing, you need double the quantities and more.

there's nothing wrong with stork -makes great cakes

I always find if I use butter it tastes oily

I mean butter ( willow for buttercream) not cakes, i dont use butter in my cakes, usually the soft type ( like golden churn or similar).

I use good butter but the value stuff is ok too (as long as its british I'm happy) I would never consider using a butter subsitute or any magy types sound horrible. There is a water content to stoke etc.

Rule of thumb if 1:2 or 1:3. I added a drop of vanilla and almond recently and the taste is amazing. The almond improved it loads. I'm not a huge fan of butter icing as it can be soo sweet but adding the almond helps with that. Whats even more vile is adding cocoa powder.

If you pop the layer in the freezer for a few mins then this sets it, many professionals use a 'dam' method too ie strong mix around the edge and softer in the middle. In warm weather you can insert a wooden kebab stick in centre to hold the cake until it sets. Again pop in freezer just to get the setting. I always refridgerate to get the setting then remove.

Right, the cake is now "setting" in the fridge complete with skewers to hold it together :) so far so good the consistency is much better and it piped beautifully! Thanks for all the advice the final proof will be in the tasting shortly

Passed the taste test

Excellent

Hi I've tried butter icing it's all going wrong it's way to sloppy to pipe x do you have to use real butter have cheated and used clover and others no success x

Dawn this is an old thread - might be better to start one of your own as people might be resistant to posting on an old one!

I’m a baker. Don’t use clover for icing!! It’s fine for the cake itself but butter icing needs to be real butter - not spreadable as that’s partly oil and/or water so will soften too much at room temperature (that’s literally the point of it!). Whereas proper butter left out of the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, then whipped for at least 10 mins with double the weight of icing sugar and some vanilla will be perfect. You have to mix it for ages until it lightens in colour. I never add milk, as the softened butter is the right consistency after mixing and then sets solid in the fridge to make it easier to decorate

@Dawnblessthenanny

ZOMBIE THREAD

This thread is nearly TEN years old. Their cake will be a bit stale if they haven’t got the icing done yet!

Just realised it's been old thread but guess we still got the same bloody problem x no offence to any one x

Still trying to perfect it lol xxx it's just not working xx lol

Margarine is much more watery than butter so it won't set as firm for piping etc. Only hope to save it would be for it firm up in the fridge before piping