Can You Use Shortening Instead of Butter for Frosting

Vegetable shortening tin be a mysterious ingredient. I'd never plunged my spatula into the cloud-like stuff until a few months ago when I was blistering in the test kitchen. Growing up, I always reached for a trusty kitchen staple instead: butter. Merely recently as I whipped up batches of cookies and a plethora of pies, I began to wonder about the difference between using shortening vs. butter in baking.

Butter

Butter is a familiar ingredient. Nosotros know it comes from cows, and it'south delicious on toast. It's made by churning fresh or fermented cream, and so separating solids from the liquid (which is then sold as buttermilk). Information technology'south about 80% butterfat, plus xviii% h2o and 1% to 2% milk solids.

Shortening

Shortening on the other mitt is a bit more complicated, starting with the name. "Shortening" actually refers to all fats and oils, but what we're talking about hither is hydrogenated vegetable oil shortening (such as Crisco).

This kind of shortening is typically made from soybean, cottonseed, or palm oil. It goes through a special procedure called hydrogenation then information technology remains semi-solid at room temperature. Information technology's 100% fat, dissimilar butter.

Even though these ingredients are clearly dissimilar, shortening and butter are frequently used interchangeably in recipes with acceptable results. But if you're looking to make the very best baked goods, like so many of u.s.a. Male monarch Arthur Flour bakers, which should you utilise?

Shortening vs. butter: the ingredient to achieve for depends on what you're baking.

Cookies

If you've ever had a tray of cookies morph into 1 huge mess in the oven, information technology's time to listen up.

Cookies made with butter, especially high-sugar recipes, tend to be flatter and crispier than cookies made with shortening. Because of butter'southward low melting point, the dough tends to spread during baking before the construction sets.

To come across just how different the spread would be, I broiled 2 batches of our Self-Ascent Crunchy Sugar Cookies (one made with all butter, one with all shortening), for another shortening vs. butter in baking comparing.

As predicted, the cookies made with shortening spread less and remained slightly rounded, thank you to the college melting point. These cookies had what's called a "short" texture. You might recognize this slightly sandy, crumbly experience as the feature texture of shortbread. (Yum.)

If you're having problems with cookies spreading, you might endeavor replacing some of the butter with shortening. Keep in mind this is simply one reason why cookies spread; in that location'southward a multitude of factors y'all tin arrange if you're committed to using butter for its rich season.

A quick fix? Consider spooky your butter-based cookie dough to assistance control spread (and bonus, yous'll also feel a wonderful depth of flavor, too!).

Cake

What about cake? We know shortening adds tenderness since it's 100% fat, so some of us curious bakers started wondering what would happen if it was used to make cake.

Would the cake rise in the oven? Or would it collapse? Would it have a large crumb? We needed to detect out!

Our Back-to-Basics Xanthous Block was the recipe of choice for this experiment — it's a standard butter cake that uses a loving cup of fatty. 1 cake was baked using all butter, while shortening was the fat of option in the other.

The result? The difference between shortening vs. butter was underwhelming when judged by appearance alone. The pinnacle was comparable, equally were the color and crumb.

The texture of the block made with shortening, still was quite pleasant — tender, lofty, and light. When shortening is creamed with carbohydrate, it traps air molecules, which helps to leaven cakes and make them tender. A fork slides through a piece of shortening-based cake easier than one made with butter.

You might be thinking, and then why don't more cake recipes call for shortening?

Flavor. What's a cake if information technology doesn't taste groovy? The rich creaminess of a classic butter cake is hard to replace.

Buttercream frosting

It might seem like butter would be the obvious choice when making buttercream frosting, and if you lot're going for all-time flavor, information technology'due south a worthy option.

But shortening might have its place in your frosting recipe also. Because it'south 100% fat, information technology helps brand buttercream more stable than an all-butter buttercream, which tin begin to separate at warm temperatures.

It'south a sad sight to see a beautifully piped cake wilt in the sunday as the baker stands by watching helplessly. We replicated hot, summery conditions (when so many of us cake bakers are chosen upon) past putting frosted cupcakes in a low oven for 10 minutes.

The results were drastic: the all-butter buttercream melted and spread down the sides of the cupcake, while the buttercream made with shortening held its shape.

But you trade stability for flavor.

So if rut isn't a trouble, you might want to stick with a Classic Buttercream recipe.

Making the choice: Shortening vs. butter in baking

It'due south clear that both shortening and butter have their virtues and vices. They can both be used to brand succulent, tender baked goods that are full of flavor and richness.

There might be sure cases when information technology merely makes more sense to use butter, like in a classic cake perhaps. In that location are other times when a can of Crisco is now the thing I attain for: when making pie chaff, frosting, and even sandwich cookie filling.

The virtue of butter vs. shortening is a passionate topic for many bakers, and nosotros explore both here for their distinctive baking qualities. Each baker brings unique needs and perspectives to the table, and it's our sincere hope everyone will choose ingredients that best cover their personal goals.

Interested in more than baking science? Check out our post on cookie chemistry, covering how to achieve the perfect bendy/chewy/crisp/crunchy cookie texture you want!

A special thanks to young man employee-owner Nic Doak for taking the photos for this blog.

mccraywhards.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2016/11/16/shortening-vs-butter-in-baking

Share this post