Need help with icing.

I don't bake professionally, just for the pleasure of my firends and family. But I would love for my icing on my cakes to be like the kind in bakeries (well, I'm sure all would!). I took Wilton classes, and the icing is not the best tasting. How do the bakeries make it? I've also heard that some may get it in a tub "pre-made" or partially made. Where might I be able to get that? Thanks for any help, I enjoy this so much!

[momoreg]

Hi SaronLee, nice to meet you, and I hope you enjoy cheftalk. To answer your question, I'm not sure what kind of icing you are referring to, or what kind of bakery for that matter. Many bakeries use buttercreams made with shortening, or whipped topping instead of whipped cream. Chances are, if you are looking at something stark-white, it's one of those two things. If it's a good quality buttercream, it will be a shade of ivory or pale yellow, and probably very smooth. Those are obviously more expensive to make, and you'd more likely find them in more expensive bakeries. Can you be more specific as to the look and flavor you are after?

[mudbug]

I agree with momoreg. There are endless possibilities. If you frequent a particular bakery, they should be more than happy to tell you what kind of icing they use. (Or if you call and ask.) They may not tell you how they do it, but then we'd be better able to answer your question.

Some bakeries sell supplies like flours, sugars, etc to the public.

In the meantime, the following icing is by far one of the best icings I've ever had.... (with or without the nuts)

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Makes 6 cups

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place cream cheese and margarine in a medium bowl. With a handheld electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar, pecans, and vanilla. Beat, on low speed to combine. If too soft, chill until slightly stiff, about 10 minutes, before using.

I've found that for wedding cakes, and other applications where I want a snow white icing, I use a super fine shorteneing, such as Sweetex, and the finest powdered sugar I can find. This makes the icing very white, and the fine grained shortening doesn't impart that "lardy" flavor. It also takes color very well without breaking down.

[Mezzaluna]

CampChef, you hit on the reason I usually just scrape off cake icing: it looks pretty but tastes like sugary lard, and often gritty as well. When I ordered our wedding cake I asked the chef to let me taste her offereings for icing, and a well-made buttercream was the winner. I also like an icing called Swiss buttercream at a high-end grocery/bakery near my home. It's extremely rich- tastes almost like eating sweetened butter!- but it's excellent.

Mezz:

I agree. Most commercial icings I've had tasted like sweetened lard. Yuk. Maybe those crazy Ukranians aren't so crazy afterall what with their chocolate covered lard bars they are now selling. I guess some people will eat anything.

[momoreg]

Italian buttercream with 100% butter is the only way to go.

I was at my local bakery last night, and asked about their icing. They have a base, and then add ingredients, but wouldn't tell me what or where to get the base. They would sell me the made icing for $4.00 a pound though. I was making a Wilton white buttercream with shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla and powdered egg whites. I don't mind if it isn't totally white, I just want it to taste good. Like the white one at the bakery!! Thanks for everyone's help.

Several icings to consider
the "Jewel" (grocery store bakery) cream: made with Crisco powdered sugar and imitation whip cream.
Italian and Swiss: cooked sugar poured into a meringue then butter and/or shortening added.
french: an anglaise whipped until pale yellow then butter added

My fav is the french, unfortunately, most of my clients like the Jewel cream.

I think your Wilton recipe would be greatly improved simply by using unsalted (sweet) butter instead of shortening, and using a high quality vanilla. If it is cloyingly sweet, you might add a pinch of salt. The many other buttercreams are more difficult to make, it depends upon what you are used to and what it is for. My last boss disliked me for calling the stuff in the can "**** -in-a-can", or in a take on a brand name "bettercrap". I hope I'm not offending anyone...... I'm very opinionated on this subject . Nothing beats a good scratch icing. Any good cook book will give you several variations. Try & taste! For wedding cakes I used an meringue buttercream, but have noted that the terms Italian meringue, Swiss meringue, or French meringue seems to vary according to their source (one book calls a method Italian, another called it French, etc.. I could be more specific but it's really just a matter of semantics. Any cooked sugar method will be more stable stand up better ). Shortening has a higher melting point than butter, therefore the butter melts in your mouth, whereas shortening may leave a film. Shortening stands up better in hot weather, due to its higher melting point, but you sacrifice taste - a combination of both might be desirable if weather is a consideration.

I hope I have not bored you too much. It feels like I running on, but this is one podium I like to jump on!

Recipe for Jewel Cream:
1# Sweetex (crisco etc.)
1# soft butter
3# powdered sugar
1qt. imitation whip topping (in liquid form)

Whip first three ingredients for several minutes (original recipe called for all sweetex. I added the butter to take the lardiness out of it).Scrape sides. Add liquid whip topping. Whip for as long as you would like. Will withstand most nuclear blasts, or earthquakes under 3.5

Is there such a word as lardiness?

[bakerchik]

a trick i learned when making buttercream is to add light corn syrup. it makes the finished product glossy and adds a special touch to the flavor. also use unsalted butter .