Hello everyone! I'm new here. I just started the Wilton cake decorating Course 1. I finished week 2. I am having lots of trouble with the class buttercream icing recipe. I make it in my stand mixer and going by the recipe exactly. I can make the stiff icing just fine. My problem is bringing it to the thin consistency for icing your cake. To bring the stiff icing to then consistency with a double batch I am supposed to add 4 tablespoons of water. My teacher said my icing on my cake was too thin. She said the proper consistency for the "thin" icing on your cake should be if you touch it, then none is on your finger. But when I make my stiff consistency icing (a double batch) and add the 4 tablespoons of water to bring it to thin, it is way too sticky and doesn't want to get smooth on the cake. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong?

My class icing recipe is:

1 cup Crisco
1 tablespoon flavoring
2 tablespoons water
4 cups powdered sugar

We are supposed to cream all of those ingredients together. I do it in my stand mixer using the paddle attachment. I noticed that the Crisco doesn't want to cream together with the water and flavoring.

Also, I really don't like the taste of the Crisco icing because it leaves a waxy taste in your mouth. Does anyone know of an actual buttercream icing (with butter in it) that would work for icing the cake?

Thank you so much in advance!!

Check the recipe section on CC. You'll find many different buttercream recipes. Some use all shortening, some all butter, and some both. Here's mine:

2 sticks butter room temp.
1 cup shortening
pinch salt
1 tsp clear vanilla
2 lbs. powdered sugar

mix the first four until creamy and well combined. Add powdered sugar and thin with water.

I have a small cup of water by my mixer when I'm making icing. I just get all ingredients well combined and slowly drizzle the water until it is smooth. I never measure the water.

I make the Wilton's buttercream icing all the time. I cream the shortening with the liquid on low and then as it slowly comes together I beat it at a faster speed. I scrape down the bowl often and continue to mix until it looks fairly creamy. Then I add the sugar and meringue powder. If I want a thinner consistency I add a little more water or milk until it's a little thinner. Make sure you mix all the liquid in it. If it gets too thin you can add more sugar.
Good luck.

Try using 4 tbsp. of clear corn syrup. It thins it out great (for a double batch)

As a former Wilton instructor I highly suggest you master your recipe as it is. Do NOT take another recipe into class.
There are many things that contribute to a recipe not working out. You might not be using the same powdered sugar; or shortening; it might be hot & humid where you are.....all or any one can make a difference in how the recipe turns out.
Try decreasing the liquid by 1. See how that does.
Oooohhhh just thought: have you taken any stiff icing out of the bowl? Then you don't have as much to thin down so you use less liquid.
As you can see there are many factors to considere.

I took Course 1 as well, and I still use the same recipe for the buttercream. However, the recipe from wilton uses meringue powder...could you perhaps be forgetting it? On wilton's website, it says the powder 'stabilizes' buttercream.

I am no expert, and I just made my best guess. I just noticed that your recipe was a little different than mine.