Ok, I just got done icing a cake with the icing shown in the pictures above. I took the icing out of the KA bowl that is shown in the pics and placed it in a airtight plastic container, with glad press-and-seal under the lid. I let it settle for about 3 hours.

Went to uncover, and belhold full of air, as usual. I placed the icing back in the KA mixer, but left exactly 2 cups of icing out this time. This was still enough to cover the paddle. Let it run for 5 minutes, and it was smooth and airless.

Went to go ice the sheet cake. Before I can ice the 2nd side of the sheet cake, air starts to take over in the icing????Ugghhh. I am getting so discourage with this. I work really hard at this cake thing, but cannot get this damn icing to work out.

I am debating soooo much about dropping the 100.00 on the Sweetex, but afraid to do so cause other folks are having the same issue with Sweetex.

I really think I am measuring something wrong, if I am able to leave 2 cups of icing out and it still cover the paddle. What the he** am I doing wrong??

Sorry for the looong rant.

Michael

Ok Michael...

looking at your bowl it is way too full and that is why u have air. the beater can't effectively get to that much icing to smooth it out.

is that a 5 quart? are u using my recipe to the T? because as you saw on the youtube video, mine is not that full nor hard to manage.

can you write out exactly what you use, how much of each thing, and your process? I think there is an error in there somewhere and we will find it....


(edited for typos)

Sharon...

Here it goes.... =) Thank you so much by the way...

I still have my KA mixer box. It states it it a 5 qt, 4.7 liter model. It is the KSM150 model...

I measure 5 cups of Hi-Ratio shrt. with a 1 cup measuring cup. Place in KA.
I measure 4 TBLS. of BB cake supply flavoring. Place in bowl.
I measure 12 TBLS. of Coffee creamer with hot water mixutre. Place in KA.

Mix on speed 6 for 5 minutes.

I measure 4 cups of Dominos sugar, with 1 cup measuring cup, place in KA
Mix until incorporated

Add a 2 pound bag of Dominos sugar, and incorpate on speed 2 or three, at this time it is waaay to thick for speed 1

Add the last 2 pound bag of Dominos sugar. Mix a little, then go to speed 6 for 7 minutes. I scrape sides often.

This is the first time I used a digital scale for the Hi Ratio. However, I get the same results with our without the scale.

Is there something off with this process??...God I hope

Thank you
Michael

on paper it is perfect. but (no offense) I wonder if you are measuring something wrong because:

1) it should not fill bowl that high and 2) no way it should be too thick for the first 4 cups of PS... at that point it is still super liquidy....

what KA mixer do you have? does it have a name.. like Artisan, or professional??

i googled it and that seems to be the artisan, same as mine.

i am stumped.

do you have a video camera? video it all and post on youtube or mail to me so I can SEE what you are doing?

Hi Sharon...

It is the Artisan model. It says model KSM150, 5 qt. I have to be measuring something wrong??? I think it might be the Hi Ratio....

I think my BIL has a computer video camera...I am going to have to get with him....

Thank you.
Michael

Sharon...

I have just watched your youtube video twice. Can you please clarify some confusion for me on it?

After you pour the 4 cups of sugar with your black measuring cup you mix it somewhat.....then you take what looks like a Domino's bag and say
"stream in 1 pound". You then pour the sugar out of what looks like a 2 pound bag, but refer to it as 1 pound.

I watched it twice and hear the same thing...I think. So I counted it up total, and I counted 4 pounds of sugar instead of 5.

I know I am grasping at straws, but that one line in your video has me freaking out....is it 4 or 5 pounds.....

Please do not take any insult, I do not mean any..... I know you know what you are doing...just wondering..... =)

Thanks,
Michael

i can't imagine the hi ratio making it voulme up and be that thick. Esp when I hear TBK hi ratio is sweetex.

I may have said one pound in the youtube ( have to go look again) but it is def a 2 pound bag for a total of 5 pounds. I might have mispoken , since we filmed that in the morning,,,LOL

ps. i did say first pound, i meant first bag.

Crap....thought I found out my problem.....=)

Thanks..
=)

try to send me a video... that is all I can think of for now....

Shot in the dark, Mike. But by any chance are you using one of those beaters that has the rubber blade around it to scrape the bowl?

Artscallion...

Thank you for the input. However, I am using the regular non-rubber beater blade.

I just don't get it?? I measure and measure and measure, but why is it that my bowl looks like the pics I posted??

Is it possible that I might not have an actual 5 qt. bowl???? I even went as far and took a bag of Domino's sugar and weighed in on my scale. 1.96 pounds. I was thinking that if my icing is to stiff and not mixing correctly, it might be that I am not measuring my sugar correctly.....2 of 2lb bags of Domino's plus 4 cups of sugar....equals 5 pounds????

**Thinking out loud****... I wonder if I only use 4 pounds of sugar, will it help my issue????

I am puzzled. If I am doing everything to the T and measuring correctly, why am I getting jacked up icing??

I guess I am going to record my process and send to Sharon......

Thanks again!

Sharon and others....

Please take a look at the below pic. It is a picture of my KA mixer manual....I know I am really desperate....please stop laughing =)

Look at the bottom right hand corner where it is pointing out the KA mixer bowl. It has it labeled as 4 1/2 OR 5 qt. mixer bowl???? What the he**. Do I have a 4 1/2 or 5 qt????

The other picture I have posted is your icing, but I took out exactly 2 cups. Look what a difference it made. However, even after mixing for 5 minutes, it still devolped air in it after it was left out. BUT....what if I am using to much sugar, becuase I might have the wrong size bowl???

Let's assume for 1 minute that I do have the 4.5 bowl. How would I adjust your recipe Sharon???

Thanks...
Michael

Hi again!!

I sw a tec. person at Kitchen Aid. I explained my issue and concern that I might have a 4.5 bowl instead of a 5. She advised me that the same manual is used in both sized mixers.

However, she did say something that has me puzzled... I copied and paste...

"Quart measurement of Stand Mixer bowls refers to how much the bowl can hold in liquid
measure. The measurement is calculated by filling the bowl with water, weighing the water, and converting the weight into quarts.
Jennifer O: That may be why you have having difficulties with your recipe."

What does this mean to you?

Miguel

I think u have the 5 quart bowl. try less volume:

try 4.5 pounds ps and 4.5 cups shortening. if still too much, try 4 of each. ( and adjust your liquids down too)

I am puzzled as to why u cant fit the recipe in your bowl, if it is an artisan, like mine.....

truly odd.

You know, I just had this problem today with a batch of icing I'd made two days ago. It wasn't sugarshack's recipe, but it was her method. It's been sitting in a covered plastic tub at room temp. I opened it today and it was FULL of air bubbles! I mean, riddled with them.

I dumped it all into my KA, turned it on speed 1 for about 5 seconds and it became completely smooth and creamy again. Not an air bubble in site. I iced the cake a few hours ago, no problems, and just checked the cake and the leftovers in the bucket...still fine.

I know this doesn't answer your question as to why it's happening. But it does give you a quick way to deal with it.

For anyone using the Sam's butter with their recipe it is delicious but I have noticed that it is a lot more airy and has more volume than other butters when mixed at a high speed.

Hi Sharon...

Stupid me had the video camera ready to go, but did not have any BLANK discs for it!!!! I thought I had some extra from our vacation....

So....what I did is took detailed pictures of each step. May you please look at each picture. I have messages on the top of each picture of what is going on.

I adjusted the amount of Hi Ratio and sugar to 4 and 4. Well, it did help the BC not to go all the way to the top of the bowl like my last pictures, I still having issues with air. Waaaaay to soft as well. My liquids are off I think....Please let me know what you think of this process. After getting your next DVD I am going to make a DVD copy and send to you......

I had to do this in two posts. Max pictures is 10....

Scroll all the way down to the bottom of each of these posts. How I posted the pictures are backwards. The first step is the bottom first picture....=)

Michael

Here is post # 2 of the process...

Thank you for your patience.....

ok. everything looks correct but

1) the mixture should not be that thick and straining the mixer after the forst 2 pound bag. for me, all that PS goes in with no problem, it is still very soft cuz all the liquid is in there. so the 12 TBS of total liquid at the beginning is not enough.

2) are u absolutely certain that when it is going at speed 6 there is no air being sucked in along the sides are around the paddle?

3) above being said, i think your problem this time might have been not having enough liquid in the early stages.


Gosh, i wish I could fix this for you. I know how frustrated you are. We are def going to have that BC class here. And I mailed your baking dvd today.... that has better video of me making the icing that youtube. Maybe that will help too.

I would also try sweetex if you can get your hands on a small batch, but honeslty i do not think that is the problem.

we will keep at it till we figure this out!

Thanks Sharon!!

Hmm, the liquid amounts might be the issue!! I am going to wait until I get your DVD before I make another batch.

It does make sense though. The icing is pretty thick after the first 2 pounds.

I will not give up!!!!!!

=)

Thanks,
Michael

O-M-G !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can this really be true????????????????? Pinching myself to make sure this is not a dream!!

Sharon, I adjusted your recipe so that I am now adding more liquid. I tried this two different times and the icing came out smoooooooooooooth. No air!!!! I had to use 20 TBL of liquid!!

I even left the icing in a air tight bowl for 2 days. There was little air, but I re-whipped and it was fine. It did not dry out on me by the time I was finished with the cake either!!!!

You are my cake angel Sharon!!!! =)

Now to tackle my next issue......The dam* top edge!!!!!!

Do you still use the same method for the top edge shown in your BC DVD? I am having the hardest time with the measurement and taking the excess off. The line never matches when I get to the start of the cake. I use the spatula exactly on the line that I made, but for some reason after taking the excess the amount taken off is below my line????

Any suggestions on this one???

Thanks again Sharon!

Michael

Sorry Sharon! I meant to say that I used 16 TBL of the hot liquid AND 4 TBL of flavoring. Total of 20 TBL of liquid. I was using just 12 of the hot.


Thanks again Sharon!!

well ther u go! U found what works and I am sooooo happy for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!