Emme is working on her Cake Decorating Badge for American Heritage Girls. Which explains why I found bright pink frosting on my kitchen ceiling.
Since A.H.G. is celebrating its 17th birthday this year, our troop threw a little party with cake provided by the Pipas (the junior and senior high girls). They made a patchwork quilt cake by each girl baking her own 9×9 cake, and applying the decorative frosting themselves. The cake was assembled together this afternoon. Thusly, a couple of badge requirements were signed off.
I’ve never tried anything so fancy as to DECORATE a cake using real cake decorating paraphernalia. So I enjoyed playing assistant to Emme’s Galloping Gourmet. She did a fantastic job demonstrating different types of roses on her cake.
And since canned frosting often doesn’t work as well in a pastry bag, one of Emme’s troop mates sent us a fantastic homemade icing recipe that I wanted to share.
People, I know frosting. I’m the same gal who when experiencing a rather horrific day, was known to dig out an old can of tinted blue frosting from the bowels of the kitchen trash, and sit criss-cross apple sauce on the floor armed with a spoon.
This might also mean that I have absolutely no taste or couth and anything goes when it comes to frosting.
But I’m here to tell you that this was amazing frosting. In my humble opinion.
Butter Cream Icing
- 1-1/2 cups of Crisco (bless the lard)
- Dash of salt
- 2 Tsp. Vanilla
- 2lbs. 10X confectioners’ sugar
- 1/3 cup, plus one tablespoon water (medium consistency)
(For a stiffer consistency-use only 1/3 cup of water)
A table top mixer is ideal for this, but since all I have is the same General Electric hand mixer that I bought in college, I must work with what I have. (It was fine.) Add the Crisco first, followed by the rest of the ingredients. It’s best to add a little of the confectioners sugar at a time. And sprinkle a bit of water around so that the 10X sugar will dissolve and not end up in your hair. Beat it for several minutes. This icing is excellent for decorating and will not spoil.
In other words, it doesn’t matter how long it sits in the bottom of the trash, it’s still redeemable.
I wonder if Martha Stewart ever rooted around in the trash for snacking opportunities? I suspect she has and I am therefore in good company.
{ 9 comments }
Emme did a great job.
I took the first two Wilton classes and I still can’t make roses from royal icing. Not decent ones anyway. So, I make mine from fondant. 
AND, the first time I tried to make homemade royal icing I burned up my hand mixer. That was during the first round of the Wilton Decorating class.
Love the cake and roses! What a great idea to make a quilt cake out of everybody’s square. Do take a picture and show us!
She did an outSTANDing job on those roses! And what a clever idea to kill two birds (or badges) with one stone, as it were….
Is that icing really edible? We took our roses off and ate the rest! Guess I am not a Crisco kinda girl.
WOW! Emme is one talented gal! Love the quilt cake idea. My one attempt at a Wilton cake decorating class resulted in the teacher deciding to pull me up to be her “helper” for the last 25 minutes. I do believe she had officially given up on me after the first 45 minutes. Or, she didn’t want me to break anything else…
What a great job she did so she has a future to make some real money and can help pay for the therapy of living with the other kids! Go EMME!!!!
I took the Wilton class and never could ‘get’ the rose. So…good job! : )
Hey, Martha has been to the big house, so her standards have definitely been lowered. She may have even tossed a fellow inmate into the dumpster to do her digging.
Oh, beautiful roses!! I’m so impressed!
(on a side note, eating Crisco is a Bad Idea. That stuff is one big pile of trans fat. If you are still recovering from a comprimised immune system and Lyme, trans fats should be a big no-no…actually a no-no for anyone. Better to eat butter or pure white sugar or chocolate than trans fats–really!)
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