You guys are so smart, I just know someone is know what is going wrong here!

Here's the problem.....I just did another cake in Bettercreme this weekend. This is the 3rd time I've used the stuff. I can't buy it myself around here so I just get some from my local grocery store bakery.

It's already prewhipped when I get it.

Now last weekend's cake was 3 tiers. I colored some of it light blue. The first tier I iced was beautiful, smooth and creamy looking. By the time I got to the last tier, the icing was so dry and crumbly, could barely spread it. It looked disgusting.

The first time I used it, it did the exact same thing. I colored it green, by the time I was done mixing the color, it was drying out. I managed to get it on the cake, but it actually cracked while on the cake. And the icing was so hard I couldn't even pipe grass out.

Now this weekend I had leftover white icing and I used it on another cake. The white went on fairly well, certainly not as smooth as it should be but it was okay. Again I colored so blue to pipe a border and as I was mixing in the color it was getting hard again. So I couldn't use it.

WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING WRONG?????????

I am using Americolors, I am covering the icing when I'm not using it. I can't think of anything. Can you not color this stuff? The lady at the bakery actually told me that if you add too much color it actually thins the icing. I am having the complete opposite problem.

SO, any help you guys have will be GREATLY appreciated. I know people love this stuff and I would love to use it more often, but it is so frustrating!!!!

THANKS!

I feel you pain. I use it everyday at work and it has to stay cool. I only color what I need and ice very quickly. I find if you use to much color or mix it to much it will dry out. Rich's does make pre color icing. You might want to see if they can get it for you. It does make life a little easier. Hope this help in some way.

Can you get Frosting Pride where you live? I have never had a problem with that.

Yup... same thing caykes2 said. When you mix color in, you have to kind of fold it in gently. Overmixing changes Rich's into a very unmanagable substance. A trick I learned when smoothing: Run an offset spatula under cold water, shake a bit (leaving it only slightly wet) and smooth. repeat as necessary keeping the spatula cold.

Also, immediately after mixing color in, place the colored batch back into the fridge to get it cold again. If using piping bags, place it back into the fridge occasionally. Unfortulately, once it changes texture it is done. Also, I find it is best to cover a cake using the icing tip, so that your smoothing work is minimized. You will never get it smooth like with buttercream though, the longer you try, the crumblier it will get. HTH

-Rezzy

What's Bettercream made of for it so get dry so quickly?

O mk it isn't you hun, it's def the frosting. But there is hope, beings rich's is waterbased, if you find that it gets crumbly just stir in a little bit of water til you get it back to the consistency that you want. Rich's is bad for doing that, getting crumbly when you add colors, except for some reason, red or pink then it gets really runny. So it isn't you that's doing anything wrong it's just that bettercream is real persnickity. Here's another tip for ya too hun on smoothing that stuff; Take a hot wet icing spatula and smooth your icing with that. Just remember to clean off your spatula after each pass.

When I worked with Bettercreme I have over whipped the icing when adding color. I would then add a little bit more liquid to the crumbly icing and it would smooth out nicely, HTH.

Oh, I didn't realize it came prewhipped. I use a product called Pastry Pride, which I thought was similar to Bettercreme. It is a liquid, comes frozen in milk cartons, you thaw and beat. I have iced with it and it doesn't dry out or crack. You might check and see if it is available in your area. I find it in California at Smart & Finals stores or Cash & Carry outlets.

Yep Shirley comes in them big 5 gallon buckets or you can even get it precolored in decorating bags (comes with a tip n everything).

thank you all so much for your replies. At least I feel better knowing I'm not doing something wrong.

And unfortunately I can buy the Frostin Pride, or the bettercreme around here! I think the only way to get a hold of the stuff is if I buy it from my grocery store bakery, or I here I can get a 5gallon bucket from Sam's

I just still don't understand though, how in the world are the grocery store bakeries mixing all there colors. They have some vibrant colors on their cakes. Do the all use the precolored stuff, if I can't even get light blue, how in the world are they getting red.

I don't know how I'm ever going to get the colors mixed in, if I have to gently fold it.

Hi,
I used Bettercream this past weekend when making fillings. The raspberry was outstanding but had a bit of trouble with the lemon. When I added the zest, lemon extract and a tad bit of yellow coloring the consistency became crumbly. Next time I'll try adding a little water as you all suggested. The taste was great though. And thanks Shirley W for the suggestions on the fillings as this will be a June wedding (here in Michigan it could very well be warm). I needed a suggestion on fillings that could sit out. The taste testing went very well and I'm off to do 20 + cakes, cupcakes and the shower cake. This will be my first wedding and I'm a happy camper! Whew!!!

mkorbal, you can buy the pre-colored stuff from Sam's as well....it's like 24.04 per case(all 1 color)...case is, I think, 15-11.5 oz bags. They have a reasonably long freezer date. 14 days in the refrigerator. Take out a bag and leave the rest in the freezer.

The pre-colored stuff can be easily added to the vanilla bettercreme from muted colors. The vanilla tends to react to gel colors.

Gotta work F-A-S-T!

I'm not the biggest fan of Rich's but I worked with it over the weekend (trying to develop "fake" raspberry and lemon mousse recipes.) I had a small tub of the premixed stuff and 2 quarts of the liquid Vanilla. Long story short, I finally managed to get a workable recipe for these fillings but Rich's is definitely tempermental! I had to keep some of the liquid in the container to keep adding because that stuff dries out so fast! But this all had a happy ending, the fillings were put into taster cakes and the ladies were thrilled with it, asking how I made such a delicious mousse!

One thing about the Rich's Have you guys ever tried the Chocolate Bettercream???? OMG just dunk my head in and drown me I would die a happy woman.....it's that good!!!!

I've found that the longer you leave Rich's uncovered and out of the fridge, (especially when colored) it will turn dry and crumbly.

I don't know where some of you ladies are, but I buy my Bettercreme at GFS - Gordon Food Service.

Then I can get what I want, and it lasts a long time.

Psst, I also buy parchment there - CHEAP!

When I have used this stuff I have had trouble with it melting on me at delivery. What a disaster, I had to try and fix it so that it would not melt again