Grammie Bea's Special Vanilla Frosting
By Addie
"This is absolutely "THE BEST" frosting in the world... It's an old fashioned recipe that my gram used for years on all her homemade cakes including Wacky, Spice, and her Raisin Cakes. It has been a favorite of my family for over 50 years, and will be passed down to my grandaughter(s), when and if I have some :) I lost this recipe at one point and was frantic, but found it again rummaging through my cookbooks... I was SO HAPPY!!! Try this one and see why... Enjoy!"
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup solid Crisco shortening
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sift if lumpy
- 1/4 cup milk
Preparation
Step 1
In a bowl mix solid Crisco, salt, vanilla, and about 1/3 of the sugar. Add milk and remaining sugar alternately. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add more sugar to thicken, or milk to thin frosting, if needed, for a good spreading consistency.
Frosts 2 8 or 9" layers OR 1 13x9x2" cake.
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REVIEWS:
This frosting is really sweet, it goes very well with my healthy version cupcakes, since they're not super sweet. I think paired with a sweet cake/cupcake recipe it might be a little too much. Very yummy and very simple.
I put this frosting on my spiced apple cake!!! ""omg"" deelish!!!! Luv luv this recipe!!! Thank you for sharing!!
I'm sorry to say I just don't see what the fuss is about. To me this was just about the same as any other buttercream type frosting.
I tried this frosting and have to say that there is too much salt in the recipe. I don't even know why salt would be in a frosting recipe anyway. Would not recommend this recipe.
I have made this recipe twice. The first time I made it with Crisco, vanilla and almond extract. The second time, I made it with half butter and half Crisco plus vanilla and almond extract. It sets up best with 100% Crisco, of course. But what I forgot when I made it the second time is that there is way too much salt in the recipe. I'd say that 1/8 teaspoon is just right, but 1/2 teaspoon is just too salty. I added a few drops of red food coloring to the milk to tint the icing pink.
Delicious! This tasted great on recipe # #429814 Birthday Spice Cake. I took it to Guadalupe House and got great reviews.
Thank you for posting. I put it on a chocolate cake this time - delicious again!
AMAZING!!!! Tastes so good! Will be using this recipe again!
I used this recipe and although it was similar to my vanilla frosting recipe, this was much creamier. I am going to use it on cookies this weekend with my grandchildren. Thanks for a great easy recipe.
I made this frosting to top Valentine Cookie Pops for my kids for Valentine's Day. Of course I had to sample one and this frosting was just what I was looking for. It hardened up just enough so it didn't stick to the wrap I wrapped the cookies in. I look forward to using this frosting often on cakes, cupcakes etc. It's great!
Great frosting - I tried another recipe and this is much better. I used this to frost a chocolate cake with strwaberry filling-thanks nat
This frosting was awesome... I doubled the frosting and made a 9x13 white cake and chocolate cake and had the right amount of frosting. The only thing I changed was I used cream bouquet instead of vanilla. My whole family loved the texture and flavor. My daughter took the recipe home with her. Thanks!!
I used this frosting to frost Grammie Bea's Crisco Yellow Cake, and it was a great frosting that really went well together!
We made just a half batch and it was delicious. Just what I needed.
The best vanilla frosting around! I won't use any other from now on! So easy to whip up, it's a keeper! Thank you for sharing!
The best thing about this frosting is how easy it is to make - I had everything on hand, didn't have to cook anything, and just mixed it up with my hand-mixer until it was smooth and creamy. I couldn't keep my fingers out of it! SOOOOO good! Rich vanilla flavor. Will use this recipe again - thanks for posting!
Great recipe for very stable frosting to decorate cakes. I did not enjoy the flavor of the shortening (hydrogenated oil). It has a chemical flavor that I don't like. Nice stability, will keep in the fridge for weeks.
If it is easy, tasty and foolproof, it's five star. Made this to go on top of a Christmas dessert--no pieces of cake left.
This is a great cake decorating frosting. I made 4 times as much as the recipe called for and it was not only a breeze to make but a breeze to color and use. The best thing about it is that it isn't too sweet. So even a large piece of Elmo cake didn't taste like a glob of frosting with a wee bit of cake ... Thanks Grammie Bea!
I saw this frosting and with the great review just posted, I simply had to make it. I started looking through Linda's recipes and found Grammie Bea's Chopped Apple Cake, so decided what better cake to make it on than Grammie Bea's :) What a delicious frosting and cake! I will be using this frosting from now on. No more of that sweet sweet frosting for me. This one is a stellar recipe!
Best frosting on earth!!!!!! Tastes great on Wacky cake and on Red Velvet Cake.
Seriously some of the best icing I've ever had! All of my friends love it too, and even my super-picky sister. Thanks. :)
Here's an update: I have used this frosting several times now and just have to spread the word that it is definately my favorite! I love the taste, how it can be molded on the cake with a knife and the fact that it's not overly sweet like some of the other recipes I have. This is the one I am using from now on. Amazing no matter what cake you put it on! Thanks Linda again! --------I made this to top a cake that Linda posted for Grammie Bea's Crisco Yellow Cake. This frosting and cake were wonderful! I will be making this frosting on lots of cakes in the future, including more of Linda's cake recipes. Thanks Linda for another satisfied sweet tooth!
This makes such a lovely frosting that we truly enjoyed on our Wacky Cake that I made. The frosting set on the cake and we loved the fact it wasn't that sicky sweet gooey frosting that so many frostings are. I will treasure this recipe now that I have it. It is so good!
I didn't care for this frosting.
Absolutely love this frosting! It sets up nicely and is not overly sweet like a lot of other frostings. I made to top our Wacky cake and it's a winner all the way to the table! Yum!
This frosting was incredibly easy to make and it tasted great too. One thing to note is that the frosting sets/dries pretty quickly. I will definitely be making this again!
This is the recipe my mother-in-law used for 30 years when she had a bakery. It was her frosting of choice for wedding and birthday cakes. We used this when we decorated the wedding cake for my husband and I. This frosting is lighter and lasts a bit longer than buttercream. For flavor variation, you could use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon orange or lemon extract, according to preference. Thank you Linda for posting this recipe!
I'm absolutely amazed at how good this is! I used non-dairy creamer in place of the milk, also butter-flavored Crisco. Followed another reviewer's recommendation and put everything together in bowl then beat for 5 minutes. Used it on Eggless Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes. This is tasty and creamy and I'm delighted to have discovered this recipe.
I have made this recipe several times now, as everyone keeps asking me to make it! Made with Linda's recipe for Grammie Bea's Crisco Yellow Cake. We absolutely loved this frosting with the cake. I will use this often on all the cakes I bake, as this frosting is not as sweet and gooey as many are. Great frosting and one we truly enjoy on many of the cakes I make!
So delicious and rich! I made recipe#188850 Wacky Chocolate Cake, and topped with this frosting. Superb!
Really great frosting! I used this on cupcakes and it was marvelous! Just perfect!
I made Grammie Bea's Yellow Crisco Cake and made this frosting to go with it. Excellent frosting and one that I will be using often. Next time I think I will try adding some cocoa to it to try Chocolate frosting. Great recipe!
This icing was so awesome! I made it to go on a chocolate cake. I made a 9x13 pan and it was the perfect amount! It looks kind of like a glaze once it dries. It went into my favorite recipe folder. It's a keeper! Thanks for passing you gram's secret on to us! :)
I made this today to go with a cake I was making for a baby shower and it was just wonderful! Thank you for posting it here for us Linda. This really is the best! Now I can't wait to use it with some of my other cake recipes.
This recipe is almost identical to the one I have been using since 1975 that I found in the Wilton Cake decorating book! It has been my gold standard for years. I have stopped using Crisco and subbed unsalted butter when I learned about Trans-fats. But now Crisco makes a No Trans-fats version, so I am back using Crisco. If you want a perfectly white icing then go with Crisco, but if that is not an issue, you can also use half butter, half Crisco, which gives it a nice flavor. I use Evaporated skim milk which makes it creamier (with slightly less fat). One other thing that I have learned over the years that simplifies this, is to put all the ingredients in the electric mixer all at once, and let it run for 5 full minutes, scraping the sides every so often. It incorporates more air and the frosting is lighter and makes the consistency just perfect for spreading. I suppose Grammie Bea is of my generation, and I agree with Busy Kitchen that this is "The Best" frosting!
This frosting must be good,as it was reccomended on my Wacky cake recipe along with 11 others. I will give it a try sometime.
Found reference to this recipe on 12 different reviews posted on September 26 and just had to take a look for myself! This is very similar to a recipe I use to make . . . a copy cat of Fred Sanders Bakery in Detroit! I'll have to see if I can find it and see if it's the same!
Excellent! I had company coming last evening and was looking for a really good cake to serve along with ice cream. I made this frosting to go along with the cake recipe Grammie Bea's Crisco Yellow Cake. I have to say this frosting really added to this wonderful cake. This frosting is one of the best I have ever tried, and different from many others I have tried in the past. I liked it a lot! I will definately be filing both these recipes into my favorites to make again and again. Thank you Grammie Bea, and Thank you Linda for sharing it with us here!