No Shortening Buttercream recipe
that is super stable and pipes like a dream!
Country Crock Vegan Butter sticks made from avocado oil is basically all I can get near me
and let me tell you, I’m loving it!
Country Crock keeps the buttercream ultra white and tastes great too
many years ago I stopped adding shortening to my buttercream recipes
since I am not traveling long distances with my cakes
or leaving them out in hot climates at length there just is no need for it!
Recently I did a comparison video of Italian Buttercream & Swiss Buttercream both without shortening
Not sponsored by any product or company below
Notes for Success:
Shortening stabilizes buttercream for cakes that are to be displayed in hot climates or when transporting long distances
Since I do not do this anymore, I find the all vegan butter version to be just great!
If you do need to use shortening though be sure to use a Hi Ratio Cake Shortening like Sweetex brand is the best
Any buttercream recipe you love the most can eliminate the shortening just by adding that same amount of vegan butter
Country Crock Avocado Sticks should not get soft before mixing like we do the other vegan butters
Meaning do not bring it to room temperature, just mix it right in straight from the refrigerator cold
Be sure to sift the confectioners sugar to avoid lumps and it also aerates the buttercream and makes it lighter
The addition of Butter Vanilla Extract from Olive Nation is a real butter flavor boost and I highly recommend it!
No Shortening Buttercream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Cold Country Crock Vegan Butter 4 sticks (454g)
- 4 cups Confectioners Sugar 480g
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract 10ml
- 2 teaspoons Butter Vanilla Emulsion 10ml
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Cream the vegan butter smooth with an electric mixer so it is even and no lumps
- Add the salt and whip on high speed to smooth
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure it is evenly mixed
- Add the sifted confectioners sugar all at once.
- Mix on low speed until incorporated , scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and then mix on high speed for 3 minutes.
- Add the flavors then scrape the bowl again and increase speed to high and whip for another 2 minutes
- The air will make your buttercream whites as it whips
Notes
Have you tried Miyokos? That’s usually what I have in hand and just wondering how it compares?
I have tried Miyoko’s with disastrous results. Some people swear by it?? But for me it didn’t work & she is a bit pricey for me
So interesting to hear your opinion about Miyoko’s! To me it tastes very buttery. And I’m a novice baker, so my results are still always a little uneven, no matter what I do! I will try the Butter Vanilla extract you mention. You are such a good teacher and so generous with your advice. Thank you very, very much.
Thank you Julie!
is the lactic acid in the recipe, do you have a source
YES IF YOU READ TO THE BOTTOM I TALK ABOUT ADDING LACTIC ACID TO MAKE INSTANT CREAM CHEESE ICING THAT IS NO REFRIGERATION REQUIRED.
I GET MINE FROM AMAZON
From the blog post:
For the No Cream Cheese~ No Shortening~ Buttercream recipe
Add 1¼ teaspoon of vegan lactic acid when you add the flavors to your buttercream recipe
It’s 1¼ teaspoons lactic acid for every 3-4 cups of buttercream, adjust to your own taste
Hi, Will It work with margarine?
yes, Vegan Butter IS essentially margarine
My son is lactose intolerant. I tried to ice a cake using the olive oil country crock stick butter. I made the swiss meringue buttercream, not your recipe. Sorry! It kept getting very soft even liquified. I kept having to put it in the refrigerator. Finally I did not do any decorative designs just icing.
I am in the Deep South of Alabama. Normally we go from hot to cold within 12-24 hrs. Maybe a slight exaggeration. Sometimes when we do have cold spells like lately we do have humid weather. I try not to have the house too warm.
I remember you from following you yrs ago in hopes you may have some suggestion what I can do next time. I did see where you do or did some High ratio shortening. I like you prefer not to use it if possible.
Hey there, sorry you had trouble with the Country Crock! I did not use it in my Swiss Recipe though, just the American style which is way more friendly & forgiving in hot/humid climates – which is where I am in Florida at times too.
For the Swiss Recipe I would probably stick to Earth Balance since it is honestly the best, most stable vegan butter out there, BUT expensive. I would probably suggest to try it again with the country crock but with this American recipe instead.
I think I noted in the recipe that I don’t even get the country crock soft like we would any other butter, this is oil based, so it gets soft FAST!
Thanks Gretchen. I will go by your recipe and suggestion next time.
Super excited to make this tomorrow. Would this make enough for a 3 layer (8 inch round) cake?
Hey great! It will be a tight squeeze to fill AND ice an 8″ I would probably do 1½X the recipe
Can I add some raspberry puree to this, as is needed for your raspberry fluff cake?
yes! definitely CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO THOUGH
Hi Gretchen!! I was wondering about the ratio of powdered sugar to butter. It seems really low on the sugar side. Most seem to use at least 6 cups to 2 cups of butter. I was wondering your thoughts since you are an amazing baker! THANKS!
Hello sorry if this is a dumb question, but can I use this buttercream recipe as the buttercream in the The Best Vegan Vanilla Cake recipe?
Also in my country we don’t really have vegan butter per se, so is margarine good enough to use as a vegan butter?
Thank you!
Yes correct! Same recipe just without shortening as an option. And yes to margarine, however they are not all created equally so to find the one with the lowest moisture content is going to be the key to success!
Hola !! Buenas tardes !! El ácido láctico es lo mismo o se podría reemplazar por ácido cítrico ?
Hey there, yes but you can also use apple cider vinegar instead