I haven't used the hi-ratio yet, but I did use the tip about making a huge batch and filling my mixer with the splash guard on - it is awesome!!! I have never had smoother icing!! I also added liquid creamer (french vanilla) instead of powdered. I didn't use sugarshack's measurements, I used my usual ones, so I just subbed for my liquid!!
wow. thanks for all the great info sharon!
Thank you for the tips. Your cakes are beautiful!
Sugarshack
I am so glad to see you back, the good thing a about you is that you don't mind what i would say is teaching. I consider you as one of the best so any tips i could recieved from you would be greatly taken. I can recall pm you several times in the past about certain cakes that you had posted and you answer every last one of my question? I do have a question now and is about the wine bottle which is in the basket cake in your photos, you have already told me about the basket weave roller at an early time I am just wondering how did you make the bottle and also , what are the handle make out of .
the handle was fondant with tylose twisted and dried with sucker sticks in the ends....
bottle was made from gumpaste over a real bottle; make 2 halves, glue them together, and spackle the sem with some royal icing.
HTH
you are all very welcome! i hope this thread helps!
Hi Sharon,
Thank you so much for posting your recipe and tips. Your cakes are just incredible.
When you make a batch of your buttercream, do you measure out the shortening by volume or do you by any chance measure by weight - and know how many grams or pounds/ounces you use? I hate measuring by volume since weighing is so easy, and some shortenings weigh more or less per cup than others, so I'm hoping you might know how much shortening you use by weight per batch.
Thanks!
Sherri
as of right now i scoop it out cup by cup which is a total pia so i plan to get a scale and start doing it by weight.
Thanks!
Hi Sharon - thank you so much for this! (I have learned more reading these past few pages than all of the classes I have ever taken!) I do have one question - I made your bc recipe, I looove the consistency and feel of it, but I am having a few problems getting the flavoring right. I know you don't use regular flavorings but maybe you could give me your thoughts on what I should try since you are so knowledgable! I have a 4.5 KA so I changed the recipe to 4.5 lbs sugar and 5 c sweetex. I started with 3 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp butter flavors; I added 15 T creamer/water mix. After all my sugar was in, I added another 15T creamer/water. (It's so dry in Phoenix). The flavor just wasn't right. It wasn't too sweet, but I don't know if maybe it wasn't sweet enough. I am a little nervous to add more flavor though; I don't want to overdo it. Do you think I should add more flavor? And can I go back now, a day later, and still add to it, or should I start over? I would appreciate any of your thoughts or suggestions if you have time. Thanks again!
Well Cassie; I do not feel qualified to answer that because I have never used the regular extracts. I honestly have no idea how much it would take. I use 4 TBS per batch of my flavoring, but it is not an extract. It is a creamy emulsion, a combo of things. My icing is quite sweet too I think.
I would think you can remix it now and add more flavorings with no problem.
Good luck!
Sugarshack, thanks for this valuable tip! My bc recipe is crisco, butter, whipping cream, etc. I tried your tips using the crisco (haven't ordered hr yet). Girl you are right on the money with this one!! No air bubbles YES! I never get complaints about my bc being too sweet (I think it's the whipping cream).
I like the bc recipe I use; I will be changing to hr and I would like to see what the creamer does in the bc. My questions are:
When you mix the 1 cup plain creamer and 1 cup hot water, mix well do you add the liquid hot, room temp. or after refrigerated?
I don't want to eliminate the w. cream from my recipe; can I warm the cream and mix with the creamer?
My recipe calls for 1 tsp of flavoring per 1 recipe of bc. So if I did 4 lbs. of powdered sugar wouldn't I need 4 tsps. of flavoring or should I use more? I am confused about this.
Ok I am switching to HR shortening. Can I just use my recipe and substitute the HR where the Crisco use to be? Also
Sugarshack, could you tell me how many cups this recipe makes?. AND did you ever get a scale to weigh the ingredients?
Any one have flavors that are common to put in sugar shacks recipe as we cant get hers?
When you mix the 1 cup plain creamer and 1 cup hot water, mix well do you add the liquid hot, room temp. or after refrigerated?
I don't want to eliminate the w. cream from my recipe; can I warm the cream and mix with the creamer?
My recipe calls for 1 tsp of flavoring per 1 recipe of bc. So if I did 4 lbs. of powdered sugar wouldn't I need 4 tsps. of flavoring or should I use more? I am confused about this.
1) I add the liquid hot
2)I have no experience with using cream, so I do not want to lead you wrong. I guess just experiment maybe? You may not need both the creamer I use AND the whip cream; one or the other may suffice.
3) well it depends upon what one recipe for you is. if one recipe is one pound of sugar, then yes use 4. if one recipe is 2 pounds of sugar; then you just need 2. I don't think it has to be exact. try different amounts and see what you like.
HTH
Ok I am switching to HR shortening. Can I just use my recipe and substitute the HR where the Crisco use to be? Also
Sugarshack, could you tell me how many cups this recipe makes?. AND did you ever get a scale to weigh the ingredients?
Any one have flavors that are common to put in sugar shacks recipe as we cant get hers?
yes I use the same amount.
I have no idea how many cups it is, sorry. I just know the mixer bowl is full, LOL
I have not started to weigh the ingredients yet. Too busy to buy the scale <LOL
i would recommend trying vanilla, almond, butter and maybe creme bouquet; b but then again, I have never used those to make icing....
HTH
Hi Sharon,
Just have to say my DH got me a big mixer for my birthday-mothers day gift....and I got to make my 1st full batch of your icing. Your tip on filling the bowl up, is the best tip I have ever seen. My icing was so smooth, no air bubbles....I was so excite that I was yelling for my DH to come look at my icing how smooth it was. He look at it and said is that good 
, I said yes, thats what I want 
.
I was doing the happy dance all over the kitchen, if my children and grandbabies would have saw me, they would have said o.k. thats it granny's ready for the looney bin .
Because I knew I couldn't get the same flavoring as you, I did as you said in an earlier post and experimented with the flavorings. I use a mixture of butter flavoring & french vanilla flavoring or butuvan flavoring. Sometimes after mixing up my icing and tasting it I might have to add a little more of one of the flavorings to get the taste I am looking for.
Sharon, thank you so much for sharing your icing recipe, your tips, and your cakes are works of art....you are gifted with an eye for details, design and decorating. Who saids you can't teach an old dog new TIPS 
.
God Bless,
Sharon
My mixer is a KA classic so 4 1/2 Q.
Has anyone addapted the recipe for that size. And thank you grannys3angels for all your help too. will 1/2 the recipe or 3/4 the recipe be best?
I dont want air either.
I have the KA 4 1/2 qt mixer. I make 4 and sometimes 5 recipes at one time with no problem. The recipe I use is the one that came with my Wilton set: 1/2 butter, 1/2 shortening (I use hi-ratio), 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and 4 Tbsp (approx.) milk. Like I said you can fit either 4 of these recipes or 5 in the mixer at one time, all with no air bubbles.
Another thing to remember when making your icing this way is to add the liquid at the beginning. My Wilton recipe card says to add it at the end, but that creates air bubbles. By filling the bowl AND adding the liquid before the powdered sugar you won't have any air bubbles.
Your welcome tirby.
I agree SophieBelle this is a great thread.
Granny you crack me up!!! LOL
I am doing the happy dance with you!
Glad it worked for you!
Thank you for the tip on the liquid.
The recipe I was refering to was Sugarshacks.
I agree with adding liquid with shortening at the beginning. you can add more liquid later ona s PS is mixing in if you need to as well.
Try 4 pounds PS and 4 -4.5 cups shortening and see how that fits in your mixer.
Thanks Sharon...glad I made you laugh.
Granny & Sharon doing "The Sugarshack Cha-Cha" in their kitchen, Now Tirby has join in the dancing, "Go Tirby, Go Tirby"!
You dance around your kitchen shaking your hip to the right and yell "SUGAR" shake your hip to the left and yell "SHACK" then you shake your hips back & fourth, with your piping bag in the air yelling "CHA-CHA"!
O.K. got to stop for a second, Granny thinks she knock a hip out of place
You guy's are GREAT!, Have fun everyone!
God Bless,
Granny
Thank you all for the warm welcome here. I promised to post my BC stuff, so here it is:
I make a big batch in my 5 qt mixer. It gets the level of icing well above the paddle while mixing, and you get very little to no air bubbles in your icing this way. It is important to start with an icing with as little air as possible; so i fill my KA to the rim with this recipe:
5 1/2 cups hi ratio shortening ( sweetex)
5 pounds sifted powdered sugar
liquid which consists of 1)flavorings and 2) a liquid I make by mixing powdered coffee creamer, one cup to one cup hot water. I make this liquid up a few cups at a time and keep it in the fridge till I need it.
I let it go for 5-7-minutes till creamy and smooth on about speed 6.
I ice the tops of my cakes with the open in a pastry bag and give it a quick smoothing with a hot spatuala ( dry, not wet). I then ice the sdies regualry, then use my bench scraper to smooth out the sides. after that I pull the excess icing along the top edge in toward the middle of the cake . I get down eye level with it to make sure that top edge is level all along and not waving. i then use viva with my hands, then viva with a fondant smoother and then computer paper with the smoother to give the final smoothing; which really is the magic touch.
I hope that helped you some!!! Its hard to explain without seeing it!
I hadn't a clue about sweetex at all so I went around on the web and ran across this info thought it might others and add another one to the recipe
http://www.recipelink.com/msgid/25933
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