Space Case Airless Buttercream

Hey Guys!! Can I just tell you one thing that pains me the most as a cake artist??? Its watching a new cake artist struggle and almost give up because they cant ice their cake! I see it all the time! On facebook, on instagram, on pintrest fails…. (although some are a good laugh at times)

But seriously, when I see someone struggling and feeling defeated and thinking that they are incompetent, yet I am sitting on the other side of my computer sometimes a half a world away saying NO!!!NO!!!NO!!! Its NOT you! You can not be expected to preform a task without the proper gear! You can not go to space with out a proper ship! You can NOT ice a cake without the proper Buttercream. Ladies and gentlemen you just cant!

Frosting in a can was not meant to ice a wedding or tiered cake. a stick of butter and sugar in a bowel with a little milk like mom use to make is one heck of a spoon licking icing no doubt but it is NOT meant to ice a professional cake or fancy cakes you see on pinterest you are trying to recreate.

So when I see these people crying and ready to give up I just want to run to the kitchen, whip them up a batch a buttercream, throw it in a Tupperware container and ship it off and say try this! You will see! You can do it!

Well This IS the next best thing since I cant ship everyone icing lol.

Space Case Airless Buttercream

I luckily learned a while ago after many years of believing I couldn’t do anything, that if I wasn’t succeeding at something, it probably wasn’t because I couldn’t do it. It was probably because I wasn’t doing it right, hadn’t thought it through or I just didn’t have the right TOOLS!!!

Guys the right tools make all the difference and this one will change your cake life! So get out that monster mixer, google the cash and carry closest restaurant supply store, it maybe called something different in your area but you have one! Find some hi ratio shortening and get to making some life changing buttercream! Seriously! Its that amazing!

Space Case Airless Buttercream

There are several different options on the base ingredients on how it can be made. Let me explain why.

#1 All Butter -Pro: Well that’s obvious, you get a 100% butter, buttercream Con: Melts easily

#2 50%butter 50%/ High ratio Shortening – Pros: You Get the flavor of the butter  Con- Slightly less Stable

#3 100% High Ratio Pro: Very stable Con: No Butter

Now I will say this, no matter which option you use of 2 or 3, high ratio shortening is a must. I know some people may disagree or have a hard time accessing it. find a restaurant supply store. every state has a few. A cash and carry store. order it. Do whatever is necessary but…. if you are making a shortening based icing and you want professional results you need a hi ratio shortening. I use Sweetex. A shortening like Crisco will NOT give you the same results. you can still use it as a beginner. But when it is time to up your game, hi ratio is were you will need to go. so keep that in mind.

Today we are making #3. This is a awesome crusting buttercream. It can be used for fillings, flavored a 100 different ways, thickened to make a dam, pipe borders and flowers…. you name it.

Space Case Airless Buttercream

It is my go to buttercream.

Measure your shortening directly into your 5 quart mixer. Measure 2.4# (2pounds 4ounces)

Whip till creamy. (60 seconds)

Measure 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream, 2 Tablespoon Vanilla, 1/4tsp. lemon extract, 1/4 tsp. imitation almond extract, (I use imitation due to peoples allergies) 1/4 tsp. Loraine’s butter emulsion 1/4 tsp. salt. Mix well and add to shortening. Blending slowly until incorporated then turn to medium high for 1 minute.

If you have a lid place it on the mixer and have a towel ready. Pour in half a bag of powdered sugar. Pulse mixer a few times to knock it down. Pour in the rest. Cover with the towel to create a lid. Pulse a few limes then turn onto low. Let mixer run 1 minute then turn to medium for 2 minutes.

Turn the mixer off now and remove towel and lid and scrape down the bowl. Place the lid and towel back on and repeat the process with the second bag of sugar.

You know have 4 # of sugar in the bowl. The last half of a bag or last 1 # will vary slightly depending on your needs and temperature. in general you will need most of this 1 #. However not always. Or if you are piping flowers you may need more to thicken it up. It is important to note, if you add to much you can always add a little cream a teaspoon at a time to thin it back down. Just remember a little cream goes a long way! Let the cream work its way through before adding more.

Adding in the last pound can be messy! Keep your towel on! Your bowl will be full to the brim and sugar will want to come out while its working its way in. This is normal.

Once its worked in, turn your mixer on medium high and let it run 5-7 minutes on its own. Then turn it back down to the lowest setting and let it run for 2-3 more minutes.

The paddle is completely submerged and the air is forced out. You will have completely smooth airless, buttercream. The perfect base to any cake. It is so much easier to frost a cake when you have the right buttercream to work with! I cant wait for you to try this! Let me know how it goes!