Ok so have been making buttercream frosting and it keeps looking like cottage cheese. I have tried adding milk instead of water, meringue power, more powdered sugar and more crisco. Nothing is working. Its not smooth but it does taste good. I've beeng using half butter half crisco and powdered sugar and flavoring. then I thin it with milk. I've tried sugarshacks recipe but I had to use crisco I dont have sweetex (sp?) I dont know what else I could possibly do. When I had more sugar it just keep getting thicker and then looks like curdeld clumps of milk. HELP please

How are you adding your ingredients? The sugar comes last, did this happen when you used sugarshacks too? Cream your crisco and butter, add your flavoring. When this is all creamed together then add your sugar. Don't use the powdered sugar in the box. Add your liqued as needed. It doesn't matter if you use milk or water, neither one will make your frosting lumpy unless the milk is spoiled. I've never used merinque powder in mine so I can 't help you there.

Hope this helped.
Kathie

try sifting your powdered sugar, that will help. Also, is your butter at room temp?

I cream my shortening and butter, flavorings and liquid (water or milk) first. I then add 1/2 my sugar and beat it on low for 10 minutes and then slowly add the rest of the sugar until incorporated. It comes out smooth every time. I had trouble with the lumps before too. I learned that from the wedding cake icing recipe on here.

HTH

also -- sweetex and crisco are NOT the same thing.

each has a different capacity to absorb liquids and sugar

you can NOT directly sub one for the other in a recipe.

my basic BC recipe:

3/4 cup of crisco
3/4 cup of butter -- unless its going to warm, humid then all crisco - 1 and 1/2 cups

1 TBS of flavoring (your choice -- could be 1tsp butter + 2 tsp vanilla, or 1 butter + 2 lemon, etc. -- this is the be creative area)

1/2 cup of water

9 cups of powdered sugar

cream butter, crisco, flavoring and water until light and fluffy. (start on slowest speed and leave there for about 5 min. then gradually increase speed as you see the water and flavoring are incorporating into the crisco/butter. when fully incorporated, crank it up and beat until light and fluffy)

SIFT the powdered sugar.

then add PS to mixture cup at a time with machine at lowest speed (very important on lowest speed otherwise you'll have a kitchen that looks like it snowed!) when all stirred in -- crank it up and beat until smooth (on my KA about 3 min at speed 4)

if too stiff -- add water 1tsp at a time to get consistency you need.

I put the butter and shortening in bowl and mixed. Then I added my milk and continued to creamed. I then added half my ps mixed and added the other half. I mixed for about 5 minutes. It just came out very very airy and looked like a sponge. I added more ps and it got stiff then it looked like the ps and fats had seperated. I used 2 cups of butter 2 cups of crisco, 1/4 cup of warm milk, and 4 lbs of powdered sugar. I dont know I'm lost. oh well. TY all for your help.

I did a half butter half crisco recipe today too and the damn icing wouldn't stay on the cake... slid right off.

Where it stuck it wouldn't smooth out.

I added corn syrup, milk, water... everything i knew. It's hugely hot and humid here today and I just think the cake powers that be are saying I'm not meant to make frosting today.

It doesn't help that I woke up sick with a nasty summer cold and I'm sick as a dog.

Unfortunately it was for my son's birthday party this afternoon and it was less than an hour before the party but it's nothing that a quick trip to the market for 12 cupcakes couldn't fix. The kids don't cake if it's from me or not, heck they probably won't know the difference.

Thankfully he's used to going with the flow and knows I'll fix the frosting later once I feel up to it and give him his golf cake.

Indydebi I have tried your recipe recently it tastes very good, but it comes out very airy for me too, I am so upset with BC right now, this has been going on for me for many months! I am just not sure what I am doing wrong!

When I used a 5-qt KA, I would just turn the mixer on and let it run for about 7 minutes .... I'd even set a timer to go off to let me know the 7 minutes were up. Once in awhile, I'd be in a hurry and I wouldn't mix it for 7 minutes (sometimes just 2 or 3) .... it never came out lumpy or cheesy.

You might try beating the fat longer .... really cream it, as many have suggested, and add "just" enough sugar to bind everything together a little ... continue to cream that.

With the 20-qt that I use now, I throw everything in the bowl except the sugar and beat that for a minute or two. Then I add about 1/4 of the sugar (I usually make batches now using 14 lbs of sugar). when that is smooth, I add half of the remaining sugar.... when that is smooth I add the rest of it.

buttercream is mixing as we speak! I will see how it turns out, this has reallllllyyyyyyyyyy been a headache for me! I am sure it is a "user error" and that makes it worse!

THANK YOU!

Doug,

Does 9 cups equal one 2lb bag of PS?

The Only Time I get lumps at all is if my butter is to cold..Then it seems no mater how ling I mix it wants to keep some lumps !

I actually know what you are talking about, it does seem like that BC recipe can be overmixed if you are not careful. It has to be blended very slowly and does better with less liquid until the very end. Once you have all the liquid in there, don't overmix. I alternate adding the ps and the milk until it looks right. A few times it seemed too airy, but it iced okay with spatula and then Melvira method to smooth.

OK, this is what I end up with, no matter how long or short i mix it

All I want is pretty buttercream

What does everyone use to beat the buttercream with, paddle or whisk attachment? I have made buttercream once and yes it turned out curdly too. I am interested to know.

It looks like your butter is melting, maybe it's too hot in your kitchen. Try putting it in the fridge, then mix it again.

The problem is the new formulation of Crisco....no transfat. I suggest switching to a high ratio shortening. I use Sweetex and never had the same problem you are having again.

I had this happen to me. I was using splenda trying to make up some sf regular bc. I was also using no trans-fat crisco. It is the only time it has ever happened. And no matter what I did it didn't get better. I think it was the no trans-fat crisco. Mine looked just like yours. Just curious maybe someone might know; Has anyone added regular crisco to fix this problem? And if yes, did it work?

I've not had an issue with Crisco either. I use the paddle. I don't use real butter so I think my icing would destroy my whisk attachment.

My BC break down (double batch)

2 cup Crisco
1 cup Icing base
Flavors - almond, vanilla, etc
4 lbs of PS

To orginal poster: I think you need more PS. Seems you have a lot of Crisco and not enough PS to match that. Worth a try. It takes time to get your icing down. It's taken me 3 yrs and I still tweek it here and there as seasons change.

Now I'm confused. I've always used the Wilton proportions of 1 c. shortening to 1 lb. sugar. But you're all using different proportions.

I use the 1/2 butter 1/2 shortening (not crisco) recipe and people love it.... sometimes it turns out nice and other times not. Maybe though, I HAVE been letting my butter get too soft. I also use more milk than Wilton calls for. It does seem to ice okay though....Of course alot of times I just use it under fondant so it doesn't matter much.

I used all Crisco no butter, does anybody else's BC look like that?

And I too am curious as to what "icing base" is. I am willing to try anything! My BC is reminding me of elephant skin all wrinkly and not smooth like satin!

I'm curious as to why you would use 'warm' milk.

Also..I do the 1/2 butter 1/2 Crisco icing.
I add Meringue powder to it since they have made the shortening with 0% trans fats.
I have looked high & low for trans fat filled shortening and was told by one very nice grocery store manager that eventually all shortening will be like Crisco.. 0% trans fats.
So..I figure--I'll adapt my recipe. So far..it's worked great. When it is warmer out..I just use less liquids.

So first I cream the heck out of my shortening & butter (very-very room temp--I even microwave it for a few seconds at a time on very low to get it soft)
then I add the Meringue powder
Then the Vanilla
Then the icing sugar...a bit at a time and mix...& milk or cream alternately as needed about 2 tsp's at a time.

~Cheryl