Creative Buttercream Cakes: Second Collection

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi zhengyi xing.

In this recipe, the shortening used is vegetable shortening, not lard. In pastry and baking, when a recipe calls for vegetable shortening, it refers to a 100% plant-based fat that’s solid at room temperature like Crisco or other professional pastry brands. Lard is never used in buttercreams.

Vegetable shortening is a plant-based fat made from oils such as soybean, palm, or cottonseed oil, which are processed through hydrogenation or fractionation to turn them from liquid to solid.

It’s widely used in pastry and baking because of its neutral flavor, white color, high heat stability, and long shelf life. Unlike butter, it doesn’t add a dairy taste and is ideal for creams, frostings, or doughs that need to stay firm or bright white.

Can you make this buttercream using only butter?

Yes ,you can make Italian buttercream using only butter by replacing the amount of vegetable shortening with the same amount of butter (1:1 ratio).

What does vegetable shortening add to the recipe?

▪️Better stability: It holds up better in warm temperatures than butter alone, preventing the buttercream from softening or melting too quickly.

▪️A lighter, smoother texture: It helps give the cream a more airy, silky structure.

▪️A paler color: Since vegetable shortening is white, it lightens the overall color of the buttercream, making it easier to tint or achieve a clean, bright white finish.

If you don’t have vegetable shortening or prefer not to use it, you can simply leave it out and replace it with butter in the same proportion. Just keep in mind the buttercream will be a bit denser, soften faster at room temperature, and have a slightly more yellow hue, depending on the type of butter you use.

Hope this information helps!

Best regards.