Recipes
Compiled by Diane Shavkin

 
 
 
Diane Shavkin's Butter Cream Frosting
3/4 cup Crisco
1/4 cup soft  butter or margarine (room temp)
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp. white vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2 lbs confectioners sugar (sifted)

Cream shortening until fluffy.  Mix flavoring and water together.  Alternately, add the water mixture and the confectioners sugar to the shortening.  Beat at slow speed for 1 minute.  Stir down the mixture with a wooden spoon before frosting cakes and cupcakes and before decorating.
Diane Shavkin's White Butter Cream Frosting
2 cups white shortening (Crisco)
1 cup warm water
1/4 tsp white vanilla
1/4 tsp almond flavoring
pinch of salt
4 lbs confectioners sugar (sifted)

Add the flavorings and salt to the water.  Stir and set aside.  Cream the shortening until fluffy (about 10 minutes on high speed).   Alternately, add the liquid mixture to the sugar using a slow speed on the electric mixer.  Remove bowl of frosting from the mixer and "stir down" the mixture with a wooden spoon to remove some of the air bubbles.
NEW! Diane Shavkin's Creamy Butter Cream Frosting
4 cups Crisco
1 stick  margarine (room temp) (Note:  1 stick of margarine = 8 tbsp. or 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup half & half
1/4 tsp. white vanilla
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1/8 tsp. Creme Bouquet
Dash salt
2 lbs confectioners sugar 
On high speed, cream shortening until fluffy (about 5 minutes).  On low speed, add half & half, flavors and salt.  On high speed, cream for 5 minutes.  On low speed, add the confectioners sugar.  Use medium speed and beat for 3-4 minutes.

Note:  Diane really does not measure her ingredients, so add more sugar if too thin.  Add more half & half, if too thick.
NEW! Diane Shavkin's Chocolate Frosting
Make "Diane's Creamy Butter Cream Frosting" as per recipe, above.
Add:
Hershey's chocolate syrup
Baker's Cocoa
1/2-1 tsp. Chocolate Flavoring
Add the above ingredients until desired color and taste has been achieved which is at least a half cup of syrup and cocoa.  Yummy!
Diane Shavkin's Butter-Fondant for Fruits & Vegetables (To use in place of marzipan.)
 1/3 c soft butter or margarine
 1/3 c light corn syrup
 1/2 tsp. salt
 1 lb. sifted confectioners sugar - about 4 cups
 1 tsp. flavoring
 Blend butter, corn syrup, salt and flavoring in a large bowl.  Add sifted sugar all at once.  Mix first with a spoon and then with hands.  Blend until smooth.  Store molded fruit at room temperature in covered container until needed.
NEW! Basic Green
(Used as an Artist's Frosting Pallet to create "realistic" green for leaves, etc.)

1/2 c white icing

To icing add:  (Use Paste Colors, only.)
1 tsp. leaf green
1/4 tsp. tulip red
1/8 tsp. lemon yellow
1/8 tsp. sky blue
1/8 orange

Mix together.  Store in a glass container.  Let sit for at least one day before using.

To use:
Add small portions to your buttercream frosting until the desired shade/color has be accomplished. 
For a winter green, add to the buttercream you are working with for your cake, a bit more blue until desired shade/color. 
For a spring green, add to the buttercream you are working with for your cake, a bit more yellow until desired shade/color.

 
Diane Shavkin's Gum paste Recipe
1.  Place 3 Tbs. glucose into glass measuring cup (not metal).
2.  Add 11 Tbs. warm water.  Let melt.  When melted, stir well to blend mixture. 
3.  Place this into a hot water bath.
4.  Heat a glass bowl under hot running water (as hot as you can stand).
5.  Dry the bowl, and grease lightly with shortening.
6.  Into this hot bowl, place 1 lb., 12 oz. powdered sugar, which has been sifted with 3 level tbs.. gum tragacanth.  (I sell an excellent gum trag.  To purchase: shavkin @aol.com or sell prices on my web site:  http://members.aol.com/shavkin/index.htm.)  Make a well.
7.  Pour liquid mixture into well, and stir till well-blended (gradually, stir the sugar in with a wooden spoon).  Mixture will be rather soft.
8.  Over this mixture sprinkle 4 oz. powdered sugar (sifted).  Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let sit for 4 hours.
9.  Knead well, cover with plastic wrap and place in covered container.  Allow to sit at least 24 hours before using!
10.  Rework before using.
Smaller Version of Diane's Gum Paste Recipe by Jaci Salisbury
3 ounces water, 1 1/2 heaping tablespoons glucose, 1 1/4 lbs. confectioners sugar (10 XXX is best), 1 1/2 tablespoons gum tragacanth, 4 ounces confectioners sugar
Place water and glucose in glass container and heat in microwave until glucose is dissolved or place in water bath and stir until dissolved.  Do NOT overheat.  Sift 1 1/4 lbs. sugar and gum trag together and mix well.  Heat mixing bowl under hot water and dry well.  Grease lightly with vegetable shortening.  Place sugar mixture in bowl and add liquid mixture.  Mix on low speed until well blended.  Mixture will be soft.  Add remaining 4 ounces of sugar slowly, mixing until well blended.  Scrape from bowl and place on greased countertop,  Knead well.  Separate into small balls.  Coat each ball with vegetable shortening and wrap with plastic wrap.  Place in covered container and allow to sit for at least 24 hours before using.  Gum paste can be left at room temperature for three or four days, but refigeration is best.  Bring to room temperature before using.  You can freeze gum paste up to a year.  Be sure to thaw well before using.
Diane's Pastillage Recipe - Use either of the Gum paste Recipes, above, and leave out the glucose.
Royal Icing
2/3 cup water (warm)
1/4 cup meringue powder (obtained in cake shops)
1 tsp cream of tartar
2 lbs sifted, confectioner sugar
2 Tbsp gum arabic (optional)
Dissolve meringue powder in water, completely.  Whip at high speed until frothy (should look like beaten egg whites).  Add cream of tartar and remove from mixer.  Fold in the sugar.  Place back on mixer, and with paddle, beat until dull looking (slow speed).  Sprinkle in gum arabic through tea strainer.  DO NOT pour.  Store in glass container only and rebeat before using.  Note:  Gum arabic is used when "strength" is required for piping work such as when making lace points or other fragile items.
NEW!  Royal Icing
From:  Lucinda Larson of Washington

3 level tablespoons meringue powder
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cups and 2 tbsp water

Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7 to minutes.

Note from Diane Shavkin:  I used this recipe and like it very much for decorating panoramic Easter eggs and for figure piping small items to go inside the eggs.  I added a bit more water for the figure piping.  When water was added,  it looked shiney and appeared that the icing might break down, but it did not.  The figures dried smooth and not shiney.
 
Rolled Fondant
Here is a rolled fondant recipe that can be used for covering cakes and as candy fillings.  Add the flavorings and colors of your choice.

2 lbs powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup glucose
1/4 cup cold water
1 Tbsp gelatin
1 tsp white vanilla flavor (I prefer almond flavor)
2 Tbsp solid white shortening
Method:
1)  Bloom gelatin in water.  Melt on double-boiler.  Don't overheat!  (Too, hot will ruin the fondant)
2)  Add glucose and shortening to gelatin mixture.  Stir until melted.
3)  Place sifted powdered sugar in a bowl.  Make a well and pour the above mixture into well.  Gradually,  stir sugar into mixture.
4)  Knead with greased hands until smooth.  At this point, add flavoring and color (if desired).
5)  Cover with plastic wrap; then place in covered container.
6)  To Roll:  Roll out on smooth, lightly greased surface such as marble or plexiglass.
Gum Arabic Glue
Mix 1 part gum arabic powder and 2 parts water together.  Clean out a nail polish bottle with nail polish remover.   (I use the clear nail polish bottle for easier cleaning).  Wash bottle with hot, soapy  water.  Rinse out the bottle.  Fill the bottle with gum arabic glue.  Note:  By using this bottle, there is always a brush for easy applying with  no need to wash the brush out each time.
NEW! Glitter Recipe
From:  Earlene Moore of Texas

Use 1 part gum arabic and 1 part water.  Sprinkle the gum arabic over the water and let it sit overnight.  (Do not stir or shake.)  Brush the mixture on a very spotless, clean, cookie sheet or glass baking dish.  Put in a low heat oven until it begins to curl off of the utensil.  Brush it onto a sheet of wax paper and crumble it up.  Store in an air tight container.  Believe me it is a lot simpler to order it already made.
Sugar-Molding Recipe
Use 1 Tbsp of warm water for each cup of granulated sugar.  (For a 5-lb bag of sugar, just count out the number of cups of sugar used and add 1 Tbsp of warm water for each cup of sugar.)  If color is to be added, stir the paste food coloring into the water and stir until well dissolved before mixing the water with the sugar.  The sugar/water/food coloring mixture can be placed into a large bowl and kneaded with the hands or placed into a zip-locked baggie, secured and kneaded with the hands from the outside of the securely-locked baggie. 

 
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