Crusting Buttercream

Thanks for sharing!

Crusting buttercream frosting is light, fluffy and great for piping.  It forms a light crust making it good for holding its shape, traveling and keeping those details sharp.

If you need a frosting with staying power, crusting buttercream is it! As it sets, it forms a light crust on the outside helping it to keep its shape. 

It has decent staying power in warmer temperatures and can easily be flavored a million different ways.  You can easily adjust its consistency making it perfect for spreading or piping.

It is also great for using with your Russian piping tips. This is a recipe you should definitely have on hand for decorating cakes and cookies.

Why butter and shortening?

We all know by now that I love frosting.  Especially super soft and fluffy frosting. 

Or really dark and fudgy, but that is a whole different subject altogether!  I also love my butter. 

I love the taste, texture and idea of butter.  I love the way butter works in frosting. 

But sometimes you have to do things a little bit different in order to get the results you want.  In this case I wanted my buttercream to form a bit of a crust.  I know, crazy right?

I love everything about butter based classic buttercream and I love white chocolate buttercream even more!   The thing is sometimes you need a frosting that really holds its shape and will also hold up to the elements and have a bit more staying power.  

I was making deviled egg cake balls and I wanted the “yolk” to hold it’s shape while I was taking them to their final destination.

I also was picturing them as being a fun treat for BBQs and picnics during the summer (or for a super fun April Fool’s Day dessert!)  So I wanted them to hold up to a little heat and humidity and maybe even a brief ride in a picnic basket.

This frosting is perfect for applications such as this.  It is also perfect for summer cakes and cupcakes.

The secret to getting the enhanced staying power is plenty of powdered sugar and some shortening.  I like to still use some butter for the flavor, but as you increase the ratio of shortening to butter you increase crusting ability as well as some insurance against warmer temperatures.

To me, this frosting tasted exactly like I remember the icing on the clown cones at Baskin Robins as a kid.  YUM!

When to Use Crusting Buttercream

This frosting is great for cupcakes and layer cakes you plan to transport. It pipes great and holds it shape. It also packs well and is very versatile.

I used some to top some devilishly good chocolate cupcakes and turn them into pumpkins for a work bake sale. They didn’t last long and were super easy to do!

It is also fabulous piped on chocolate sour cream cookies.  I used an open star tip to pipe on big rosettes and Russian piping tips to do smaller flowers.

If you are serving your desserts outdoors when it is warm out, you want to use this style of buttercream. It is great for intricate decorations or for smoothing over the outside of your cake.

This frosting really is super versatile.  There is almost no application it can’t be used for! 

Thanks for sharing!