American ‘Crusting’ Buttercream Frosting

This is a fabulous base for covering big cakes. It may seem odd at first to add shortening to icing, however, for perfectly frosted, big American-style cakes, this variety is the only answer for me. The butter adds flavour, but if you prefer an ultra white buttercream, you can replace the butter with more vegetable shortening. This recipe makes enough buttercream to cover a three-layer 30cm cake – enough to fill between the layers and cover.