Shortening\Butter Frosting Foaming

I have made this shortening and butter frosting several dozen times over the last 6 years for various cakes and cupcakes. It has always turned out beautifully. However.... I have made it 4 times this year, and it has gotten foamy every time. The shortening (Crisco brand sticks) gets in little flecks throughoyt, and the icing is full of tiny bubbles i.e. foamy looking. I have not, to my knowledge, altered anything I do. I have tried with generic butter, and with expensive imported butter. All 4 times it has done the same thing. I wanted to get some suggestions before I attempt again, rather than ruin another recipe. of
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, room temperature
2 cups shortening
½ teaspoons plus a pinch more coarse kosher salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 pounds powder sugar
Milk, about 2-3 tablespoons

Kate McCuen Smith
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1 Comment

Lori T.
Lori T. January 1, 2019
Did you use a whip attachment or a paddle for this? A whip tends to bring in too much air to the mixture, which could make things foamy. Do you fully mix the shortening and butter together before you start adding in other things? Butter and shortening have different melting points as well, and it may be you are getting warm enough to emulsify the butter, but not the shortening. They've also slightly altered the formulation of shortenings now, to eliminate the dreaded trans fats. But a fully hydrogenated oil is too solid, so they mix in other oils to achieve the same old consistency. That makes it most likely the culprit in your situation- not the butter. To get your mixture to come together, you are probably trying to beat it more, and that over whips the butter and introduces the excess air. I don't have a good fix to offer you, other than to go with either an all butter formula, or an all shortening formula with a butter-vanilla flavoring added in.
 
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