“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snowflake.”
- Francis Bacon

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Desperately seeking FROSTING! Please help me!

Years ago my mother would make a frosting for her cakes that had Crisco in it. The frosting would keep its shape, didn't get hard or crusty and, here the important part (at least to me) didn't taste sugary sweet. It tasted more like lightly sugared whipping cream. A bakery here in town used to use this frosting on their cakes and cuppy♥cakes. I would buy those goodies every chance I had when a birthday or other special event would roll around. My youngest son adored the frosting as much as his mother.

I thought I had hit pay-dirt when I found out that the bakery in question was going out of business. I new the baker, because I used to work as a desk clerk at her son's motel several years' back when I was going to college. I thought the prior relationship would give me a leg-up, at least I thought so. NO, NADA, NOPE. Even though she was going out of business, she just looked at me with a smirk and refused. I don't want to tell you what was going on in my head...not nice stuff, I'll tell ya. All I can say is that the top of her head would have hurt for days if I had lost control of my emotions.

So, here is my plea and I MEAN a plea. Do any of you have any idea what I'm talking about when it comes to this frosting? The recipe does have Crisco in it, it isn't sweet and holds its shape beautifully for decorating. I have other recipes (you should see all of my cookbooks) but nothing compares to what my mom would make in her little kitchen. When mother passed away the recipe was nowhere to be found. I called all of her friends and all of my relatives...nothing. I called my sister and she told me she remembered the frosting but she never asked for the recipe because she had another that she liked better...sigh.

I have sought out this recipe on the web, but there are literally millions of recipes for frosting out there that have Crisco as an ingredient to some extent. I have also spent hours on the Crisco web site. Now, you could say, start making batches of frosting and see what you come up with for taste. First, I don't have enough money to make millions of batches of frosting and second, if what I made was yucky I'd feel horrible tossing it into the trash...money is too hard to come by for so many folks these days and I am one of them☺

Call your neighbors. Talk to your baker. Ask your sister. Give your mother a call (she'd like that☺). I would so love to locate the recipe and so don't want to have to corner my former baker in a dark alley and scare the pants off her just to find out how she made that darned frosting. Besides, once I was jailed for the dark alley incident, I don't think they'd let me cook.

Oh, and the photo? Cute, huh? It's from a little Pink Princess Tea Parties cookbook I have written by Barbara Beery. You bake your cuppy♥cakes right in the little tea cups! Adorable! Yes, I know, I'm not a little kid, but it IS pink and I DO have a grand-daughter, ya know!

18 comments:

imjacobsmom said...

OH I know exactly which frosting you are seeking and when you get the recipe PLEASE PLEASE share it with me. ~ Robyn

Susie Jefferson said...

Oooh, I'd be SCREAMING with frustration and threatening to tear her hair out. What a mean person. No wonder they are going out of business: what comes around goes around etc. I can't help much (being in the UK - our baking is very different from the US) but I wonder whether you have seen this link:
http://bakerella.blogspot.com/ From the look of her blog, I'd say she would be someone who could help you! Or point you in the right direction. Meantime, I will keep my eyes open. Hope you find the recipe - AND TELL US! This sounds too good to miss.

Eclectic Chic Style said...

My mother made a frosting (and I have made it many times that calls for butter, but I know she substituted Crisco, and this frosting is to die for, it may be the same one, it may not, but it is not very sweet at all, almost like a whipped cream but way better.

3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup butter


Put milk in a saucepan and cook slowly gradually adding flour so it will not lump.

Cook flour and milk until very thick, stirring constantly.

Cool completely.

Cream sugar, butter and vanilla until fluffy.

Add to cooked mixture.

Beat, high speed, until very fluffy.

jeanne said...

Mimi, I used to make that frosting for my red velvet cake. It is awesome and I have no idea what the recipe is anymore. I quit making that cake and threw out the recipe with the icing ingredients on it. LOL.

Good luck finding it.

Hugs...Jeanne

Four Paws and Co said...

Hi Mimi, I think I remember the one you're talking about. I took cake decorating classes 20+ years ago &
have a vague recollection of it.

Here's one, but you'll have to try a bunch to find your favorite!

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,186,156186-237198,00.html

CAKE DECORATING ICING

1 1/2 c. Crisco shortening
2 lb. sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 c. water
1-1 1/2 tsp. clear vanilla or desired flavoring

Cream shortening, sift sugar over the shortening, add scant 1/2 cup of water and flavoring. Mix on low speed to prevent air bubbles from forming. Cover bowl with damp towel and use as desired. This is my own personal recipe and I have found it enough to ice and decorate an average 1 mix size cake.

I preferred the butter cream frosting. I mixed up a batch for class one time & it was awful. The instructor remixed it with Karo syrup. It was the most delicious icing & so perfect for piping. So keep a bottle a the clear Karo in the cabinet to fix any goofs! ☺

Stephanie ~ Angelic Accents said...

I know EXACTLY the frosting you are referring to & would so love to find the recipe, too. I'll ask around. What a jerk that baker is to not share!

Caught up on several of your past posts & enjoyed them so much ~ especially the sweet YouTube kitten & then YOUR precious kitty watching YOUTUBE!! I've got several baby shoes similar to the one you use for pink qtips, & I have the same hot pink choc. bunny STILL on display, too! We must be kindred spirits!!

Hugs,
Stephanie
Angelic Accents

claudie said...

Mimi my mom used to make it also. I called her and she just could not remember it..(she's 90).
She made a butter icing to die for and it sounds like the one Electric Pink Rose gave you.
Post it on Pink Sat to get the bigger ball rolling.
Happy Monday Mimi
Love Claudie
oxoxox

The Pink Birdhouse said...

Mimi, I don't have the recipe but do now EXACTLY which one you are talking about cuz my mom made the same kind of frosting and it was to die for. Nothing today can compare to it!! I wish I could help you out, but as I see, others have found recipes for you that seem very close to what I remember too. I want to thank you with all my heart though for this post, and bringing back such sweet memories of my mother baking, which she so loved to do, and that delicious frosting she made for all the cakes and cupcakes she baked. Crisco, I still remember even where she kept it in her cabinets!! Sweet sweet childhood memories. Thanks. Debby

Eclectic Chic Style said...

Yes Mimi, I think the butter flavor Crisco would work just fine, and it was weird, I know what you're talking about, the icing my Mom made never got hard, ever and it wasn't so soft liked whipped cream that it would melt, but not "quite" as stiff and thick as Crisco. This was the frosting for her Waldorf Astoria Red Cake (to die for) and the frosting was wonderful on a simple box cake, (made it seem that much tastier) I hope that helps. ;) Let me know if you give it a try if it was "the one". LOL

Mic said...

Sounds good! Maybe I can coerce my Spokeswoman into whipping up a batch of Electric Pink Rose's recipe to top off my bowl of food!!!

T said...

Thank you so very much for your kind words on my blog. First regarding Jarie, your heart felt words, meant a great deal, and now about the cats, again, thank you so much for the nice comment.

Betty Jo said...

Oh yes, my favorite frosting, although I've never made it myself. There are recipes here for frostings using Crisco:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,crisco_frosting,FF.html

Betzie said...

Did you find the RIGHT one???
I hope so, it sounds wonderful!!! I love the teacup cupcakes...adorable! Such a pretty blog you have...

Glenda said...

Well here's one that might be the ticket.

Cake Frosting
1/2 cup milk
2 T. Flour
Place over low heat-slowly add flour and thicken. As soon as it has thickened remove from heat.

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
Beat above until creamy

Now add above mixture. Add gradually 1/2 - 3/4 cup powder sugar and flavoring.


Ciao

Claudie said...

Please let me know how and what you make this weekend.
Good luck. I'm actually laughing right now Mimi. A simple Crisco recipe has everyone wondering where the heck it is....
Love and night night
Love Claudie
xoo

buff said...

well i don't know if i can be of much help;any more than the others but i used to sell cakes and make wedding cakes and i got many a compliment on how good the icing was.....i used a bag of icing sugar, a good cup of crisco or a spoon or two more, half a can or so of Pacific canned milk and lots of vanilla. Whip it up till nice and light and fluffy but it did form a crust when laid out smooth.

Abby Lanes said...

I hear you and hopefully that recipe up there is it! My mother took cake decorating classes in the 70's so I'll ask her. I remember that type of icing. Good luck, I hope you achieve your quest!

Seams to Sew and Quilt said...

Hey, did you ever find the icing recipe you were looking for?