so last night i made a batch of buttercream and the final results was a very grainy consistency. i cried and threw it out.

just ewent to make another batch and when i was about to add the powdered sugar i realised it was the dam crisco that was lumpy and not the powdered sugar.

sooooo glad i caught it before i wasted the sugar. i have been whipping it for a while but no luck yet.

any ideas will be helpful

Whipping it? Do you have a Kitchen Aid? If so, are you using the paddle? If not, put the paddle on and turn it on #4 or 6 for 2-3 min. See what happens. I teach Wilton classes and have had a couple of students with this problem. Yep, they didn't cream the Crisco till smooth, then when they add the PS it makes it lumpy.

When you get lumpy icing, DON'T throw it out... you could use it to fill in between layers of your own personal cakes (home consumption ) or thin it to use as a crumb coat? Just be SURE to mark the icing bag or container you're going to store it in LUMPY!

I notice when my water is warmer than the crisco that it gets lumpy. My Wilton teacher also said if you leave crisco in your car when it is hot it will cause lumps. When I started making icing, I though warm water would help make the crisco smoother but since i changed to between luke warm and cold, my icing hasn't had lumps! Hope this helps.

Hmm...Sugarshack's method uses hot liquid while creaming the shortening, and it comes out superbly smooth...if you're using crisco, maybe you could try milk as your liquid, which would help add a little more fat, since Crisco doesn't have trans-fat anymore? Just throwing out ideas. I don't know why the liquid's temperature would make a difference. I use hot liquid and it works fine.

I have also had this happen and it was when my can of crisco had sat in the car for about half a day before I realized it. It got too warm. I use milk when I am using crisco too. It works so much better.

jardot22 - I noticed that Sugarshack's icing called for hot liquid. I haven't tried hers yet but I thought her's had coffee creamer in it? Maybe the fat is what keeps it from lumping? I use the basic Wilton icing recipe with straight crisco and you mix the flavoring with water and the crisco so maybe that is why it lumps up for me. Who knows but since I started using cooler water it doesn't lump up for me anymore. Could just be a coincidence though.

That's definitely possible - I'm not sure why it would be lumping up on you I have used the Wilton recipe in the past though, and didn't get lumps, but I always use the generic brand of shortening, so maybe it's just your Crisco? I hope you're able to figure it out! I'm sure that's frustrating.