Crisco Butter Sticks Cake Decorating Icing Recipe

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Easy Crisco frosting recipe

how to make Crisco frosting

Here is our classic white Crisco Frosting recipe, which is sometimes referred to as Vanilla Crisco Frosting.

A quick and easy homemade Crisco frosting recipe that tastes like bakery icing!

Did you know you can make frosting with Crisco? It may sound weird, but it is true. Crisco frosting was quite popular in the 1960s and 1970s. It was an easy way to make icing when you didn't have any butter available.

What may surprise you is how widely Crisco frosting is still used in bakeries. My Grandma called this Wedding Cake Frosting because it is often used on wedding cakes.

Why make frosting with Crisco?

Some people prefer the flavor and texture of Crisco frosting. One of my husband's cousins requests Crisco frosting on his birthday cake each year.

Shortening is dairy-free, so some people choose to make Crisco frosting because they are allergic to dairy.

Crisco is a firm solid at room temperature, where butter is soft at room temperature. Some people use frosting made with Crisco because it is more heat-resistant than buttercream frosting, so it holds up better on warmer days.

Even if you prefer buttercream frosting, Crisco is shelf-stable, so you can make frosting with it instead of running to the store when you run out of butter on your baking day.

Since Crisco and powdered sugar are white, you can get a pure white frosting if you use clear vanilla extract, which is an ideal canvas for decorating cakes and will produce crisp colored icing when you add food coloring.

Homemade cupcakes topped with Crisco frosting.

In the picture above, I made cupcakes from my Vanilla Depression Cake recipe and topped them with Crisco frosting because we were out of butter and milk.

Does Crisco Frosting taste good?

You have probably eaten Crisco frosting and not even realized it. This frosting recipe is very similar to the frosting that Bakeries use on cakes and sugar cookies. It is fluffy, holds its shape when piped on cookies and cakes, and has a delicious vanilla flavor.

Does Crisco Frosting need to be refrigerated?

Crisco frosting does not need to be refrigerated, so feel free to make your cake the night before your party. If you have leftover frosting, put it in a lidded container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

How to Make Crisco Frosting

You make Crisco frosting the same way that you make buttercream frosting, you beat the shortening until it is fluffy. Then mix in the vanilla and salt. Finally, you alternate adding the powdered sugar and the liquid, while continuously beating the mixture.

Crisco Frosting Recipe

You can double the recipe to frost a layer cake if you want to have thick layers of frosting between each layer of cake.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Crisco
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup water, milk, or dairy-free milk substitute

Directions:

1. Place the Crisco, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.

2. Switch the mixer to low speed and alternate adding the powdered sugar and the liquid until the ingredients are completely blended.

3. Beat on high speed until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

4. Use it to decorate 18 cupcakes, a 13×9 cake, or a batch of sugar cookies.

Store unused frosting in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Allow it to come to room temperature before you use it to frost other baked goods.

How to make Crisco frosting.

Printable Recipe for Crisco Frosting

Crisco Frosting Recipe

This Crisco frosting tastes like bakery frosting and can be used to decorate cakes and cookies.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Crisco Frosting

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 18

Calories 156 kcal

▢ 1/2 cup Crisco
▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla
▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
▢ 4 cups powdered sugar
▢ 1/4 cup water milk, or dairy-free milk substitute

Place the Crisco, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
Switch the mixer to low speed and alternate adding the powdered sugar and the liquid until the ingredients are completely blended.
Beat on high speed until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

More Dairy-Free Frosting Recipes

Chocolate Crisco Frosting Recipe

Fluffy Dairy-Free Chocolate Frosting

Fluffy Dairy-Free Vanilla Frosting

How to Make Royal Icing

Dairy-Free "Butter Cream" Frosting

About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.