Reviewed: Mar. 18, 2012

This is now my only recipe for buttercream. If you've only had the powdered sugar variety, this might taste strange, but this is a grown-up buttercream frosting that is subtle and satiny. It decorates great, and holds up amazingly well even though it seems too delicate. I use all unsalted butter instead of shortening.

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Reviewer:

jilllorraine

Reviewed: Jan. 22, 2012

Straight forward....I LOVE this idea...It is PERFECT for piping! But before you actually use this recipe,There are a LOT of tweaks that you might want to consider: (1) This frosting has NO taste (besides a strong aftertaste of butter); I recommend using both Almond AND vanilla extract. (2) 2 2/3 Cup of shortening was waaaay too much in the original recipe (I could tell just by looking at the darn thing), so I cut it down to 1/3 cup and it worked great. (3) Do NOT substitute margarine for butter. TIPS: (1)If you can, use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. I started off with a hand mixer, but ended up switching to my stand mixer to get the final fluffy finish. (2) Put frosting in a piping bag FIRST, then place in the fridge to cool. It started to separate when it got too warm from holding it (like all frostings do).

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Reviewer:

laydeekadybug

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Auburn, Washington, USA

Reviewed: Sep. 19, 2011

Don't take the two stars personally. I've made other desserts that involved bringing the sugar and water to softball, thread, hard stage...without any problem. But, for whatever reason, success with this type recipe eludes me. I genuinely congratulate all the reviewers who've been able to make this work. It's not just this recipe; this is very similar to a Mousseline Buttercream found in Rose Levy Beranbaum's book, as well as an Italian Meringue Buttercream found in Dede Wilson's "Wedding Cake Book." I was baking one of Wilson's cakes and decided to check Allrecipes for a simplified version. I found this one which, as I mentioned, is almost measure-for-measure identical to the other two. I did what Rose Levy Beranbaum's recipe said. I did what this one said, and wound up having to use the tips offered to make it "come back." (butter curdled) I practically set my stand mixer on auto pilot, kept it going for more than 20 minutes. But, to my utter frustration, it wasn't coming back, it was NOT GOING TO COME BACK...friends, it was LONG GONE. I had even watched a video on making this stuff and thought I had it down pat. I THOUGHT I'd followed t he instructions; but, with all the reported successes, I MUST have done something wrong. Just wish I knew what...it really sounds like a great recipe. Alas, but I'm relegated to the dreaded crusting buttercream that everyone seems to want to avoid when they turn to this recipe.

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Reviewer:

slugger

Reviewed: Jul. 8, 2011

If you are looking for a standard "american buttercream" recipe, look no further, this is sufficient. But if you are looking for the name in the title, this is not the recipe you want. I'm giving this a rather low rating because this recipe is not what it is titled. Italian buttercream is very simple and this recipe is overly complicated with unnecessary ingredients. Italian buttercream should only have four or five ingredients (should you decide that you would like to use cream of tartar when whipping the egg whites). Those ingredients should be water, fine granulated sugar, egg whites, and butter. Good luck with your searchings! I hope this is helpful.

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Reviewer:

Hannah Messenger

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Silverton, Oregon, USA

Living In: Medford, Oregon, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 28, 2011

I added 2 cups of powdered sugar at the end... sifted. and a little almond extract. next time I will only use 1 cup of shortening.

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Reviewer:

Staramaze

Reviewed: Mar. 2, 2011

I'Mm Italain and I have this recipe and it's great !

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Reviewer:

liltrukr

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Reviewed: Dec. 16, 2010

I could take a winter's nap between the billowing folds of this whipped delight! *I too left out the shortening and added more butter until I reached my desired consistency.

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Reviewer:

Jaclynnb9

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Jul. 16, 2010

This recipe is not much better then the shortening & confectioner's sugar recipes. I was very disappointed and ended up making another frosting. Too much shortening, it ended up leaving a very unpalatable greasy coating in the mouth. This recipe is not worth the effort!

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Reviewer:

StephLoves2Bake

Reviewed: May 14, 2010

TASTED LIKE I ATE A CAN OF CRISCO... NEVER MAKE AGAIN.

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Reviewer:

jgooge85

Reviewed: Sep. 12, 2009

I think it was the flavor(or lack there of) of the shortening that ruined the recipe. The consistancy was fantastic, but even my kids wouldn't eat this frosting. If you want to try this recipe... I suggest going with GRIAM01's upgrades. Happy Baking!

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