Perfect Buttercream Frosting for Dirty Icing a Cake

Ever find yourself with a crumby mess after carving or leveling a cake? Look no further for the perfect buttercream recipe that you can use to crumb coat the cake! I love this recipe because it has just the right amount of flavor without being overbearing. It is also perfect for a crumb coating before putting fondant over a cake. The sturdiness of this frosting allows you to create a border before adding filling inside a cake so that the filling is held in place and doesn't ooze out! It is best to make this a day or two in advance. It can be stored in an airtight container on the counter.

Yields: About 6 cups

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. good confectioner's sugar (Dominos) 

1/3 cup water

2 cups shortening (Crisco or Sweetex)

1/2 tsp. popcorn (fine grain) salt

2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. If you are using a KitchenAid stand mixer, mix ingredients with the paddle whip (disregard if you are using a hand mixer like me). Mix sugar, water, 1/2 cup of shortening, salt, and vanilla on a low speed until smooth and there are no lumps visible (approximately 2-5 minutes), scraping bowl once halfway through this first mix.

2. Add remaining shortening and beat at medium speed for 3-5 minutes until shortening is well mixed and volume has been added. 

*If you feel the frosting is too thick to spread easily, you can add a little more water until you get the right consistency, but I like the recipe as is. I use a large offset baker's spatula dipped in extremely hot water to crumb coat my cakes. I find that it spreads more easily when the spatula is hot and it smooths out the frosting as well. Refrigerate the cake after the first coating for 30 minutes, then coat with another layer so that you don't see any of the crumbs. This frosting forms a thin crust when it is set and refrigerated. I was able to form a border around my 12 inch x 10 inch cake before adding the filling, crumb coat the entire cake, and also crumb coat a smaller cake with buttercream still left to spare.

An Xbox 360 cake in the making!

Tada!

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe to follow soon! In the meantime, have fun with the recipe and make it your own! Want it more sweet? Cut the salt or add more sugar! Want a different flavor? Experiment with different extracts!