Hi Everyone,
Many  butter cream recipes call for milk or some sort of creamer. It can be very confusing; some options include water, milk, soy milk, non dairy creamer, coconut milk, or a non-dairy whip topping. In a butter cream all these choices actually do make a difference to how your butter cream will turn out.
Water can be used but it will make the frosting thin and runny and you will need to either use less liquid than the recipe suggests or use more confectioner sugar.  You may also find that your butter cream lacks flavor and may need extra vanilla.  Regular milk is a good option and will give it a creaminess without adding flavor. If you do not want your butter cream to be dairy soy milk is also an option. It is healthier than creamers, although a little more costly. Soy milk will make your frosting more of a cream color than white, some will actually turn it a  very light brown. Rice milk works like water, making the butter cream very runny.  Coconut milk is also considered by some to be a healthy option, and adds a creaminess that we have found people love. It has a slight coconut flavor but not much; mostly we have had rave reviews when using coconut milk. It is also very easy to spread.  Non dairy creamers act like soy milk; some may give it a slight color but it adds a thickness that you can’t get with water. Lastly using a non dairy whip, can also give your butter cream a very nice texture, an added flavor making it easy to use to pipe designs because it holds up pretty well. Just watch out that it isn’t a non dairy whip that can solidify on its own because then you would want to use half whip and half water, or your butter cream will become very thick and stiff and may need some”watering down”.
If you are wondering why it makes a difference using a liquid that may give your butter cream a color the reason is if you are trying to get a specific color it will be difficult because you are not starting out with a white palette or clean slate, instead you are starting out with something that already has a color in it.
We hope this has been helpful. If you have any questions or tips you would like us to talk about please email us.
~Love From Our Kitchen to Yours