Okay.....anyone Else Have This Happen????
Decorating By Taigen Updated 24 Jul 2006 , 2:42pm by Taigen
What problems are you having with it exactly? I am guess maybe it is too thick from your photo? Just add water, drops at a time until it isnt like dough anymore. I find that I need different amounts each time I make it, probably depends on the humidity in the air. Just start out with the minimum amount of water the recipe calls for and go from there.
Or if you cant get your icing to hold up, make sure there is no grease on anything!
I dont know if that helps, give us more description of what is going wrong...
Looks like it needs more water. Are you sure you are using the correct amount of sugar. I use one pound (thats the box) with three tablespoons of meringue powder, and 5 to 6 tablespoons of water.
If you are measuring out of a bag for the sugar you maybe too heavy handed.
BTW: I like the green mixer.
it definately looks like you need more water. remember, you can always add a bit more sugar if you add to much water. just add it slowly until you get the consistancy you need. also, how long are you mixing it for?
Don't use the paddle attachment. Use your whisk one. Then add your meringue powder to warm water. Whip it up until it looks nice and frothy. Then slowly add your powdered sugar until blended. After it is then whisk it for about 7-9 until the shine is gone. Comes out great.
Joanne
AHA!!!!!! Several things you guys have told me that aren't in the Wilton book!! I checked all four books I have and NO WHERE does it say to mix the egg white first till soft peaks!! When I make Christmas meringues I always mix the egg white first, but when making this icing I could not find anywhere that said to do it that way. So that's one thing I know I did wrong!! Also didn't know to use the wisk instead of the paddle...thank you.
I am following the exact recipe in the Wilton books....4 cups sugar, 3 T (level) meringue powder and 5 T of water(when using a big mixer)....mix all together for 7-10 min on low until firm peaks form. Mine as you can see goes immediately to a dough like consistency.
I doubt this is salvagable now but I will get some more sugar tomorrow and try again if the humidity is still lower.
Oh and I cleaned everything and did not use anything plastic to make sure there was no grease.
Thank you all for the advice....I will try again tomorrow 
I just checked the recipe section here and even the wilton instructions here say to mix all together
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2060-5-Wilton-Royal-Icing.html
I really hope I get to try it the other way tomorrow, really anxious to see if I can make this stuff properly.
Definitely use the whisk to fluff up your egg whites, but DON'T attempt to make the entire royal icing using the whisk. You will ruin the attachment! Whisks are only for the aeration, not for the beating after the icing sugar is added. The mixture is way too thick for that! 
I use the whisk for the whole thing. It turns out perfect every time. I even made a double batch.
Also, before you use your mixer rinse it out with part vinager and part water then rinse well. That way any tiny speck of grease that could be on the bowl or whisk will be rinsed off.
Hmmmmmm...
I use four cups sifted ps and starting with 6 tblsp water, three tblsp meringue powder...mix it all at once on med/low speed with the paddle for about 5 minutes, scrape the sides, check the consistency...add more water if needed continue mixing for an additional 6-7 minutes. That's what works for me.
ther is no need to sift but definetly need water and no need to beat merigue mixture first I always use cold water and add until right consistency/ but i mix the albumen with the water and add this, it becomes a gluey consistency which stays in the fridge but do not refridgerate roayal icing it makes it shiny
If you're using merengue powder, mix everything together. Merengue powder is used INSTEAD of egg whites.
It looke like you just need to add more water to this batch. Don't let your KA burn up!
when using the Wilton recipe in Canada you have to start with at least 1 tablespoon more water. in Canada we have corn starch added to the icing sugar which needs extra water. I teach all my students to increase all liquids with the Wilton recipes. plus I tell them to start with less icing sugar and add the last cup a little at a time.
hth
I've taken to using CK Products Royal Icing Mix. It comes in one pound bags and unless I need an awful lot of it, I just mix up half of the bag. I find that if I follow the directions, it is extremely convenient and consistent from batch to batch.
With the cost of meringue powder, the mix is pretty reasonable cost- wise.
It's one of the areas I've found where I prefer to spend a little extra $s for ease of use and predictable results.
Rae
I know this may seem silly or trivial...but do you measure your powdered sugar before or after sifting? Or do you sift at all? I find my royal icing is more consistent when I measure after sifting. That may be part of your thickness problem. Good luck!!
I do agree with some of the others, you need more water. However I use my paddle, not the whip. I have never had a problem with my Royal. I usually dump my powdered sugar in the bowl first, add the meringue and put the KA on low just to incorporate the two. Then I start adding the water 1 Tablespoon at a time, it usually takes between 5 or 6. I use the Wilton recipe, I never mix more then 2 batches in my KA. If I need alot of Royal I use my 20 quart. It usually takes anywhere from 7 to 10 minutes. It should be fairly fluffy.
Don't even bother measuring the sugar. You have to learn to do royal icing by feel and quite frankly its far easier to learn this if you mix by hand with a wooden spoon. It doesn't take much effort . Royal will take a differenrt amount of sugar every time
(((thanks everyone))) for all the advice. I had no idea we have cornstarch in our icing sugar here??? Also yes I do sift my sugar and measure. I have kept the icing in the photo, just so when I get a chance to try this again, I can compare. I haven't had a chance to give this another try yet, way too humid here. At Christmas I always make the meringues for sweets and have never had a problem. I make the traditional bird nest meringues (with fruit filling) and the Canadian sunken treasures (like kisses with flavored chips in them) These always turn out fine for me. I have no idea what the problem is with this. I do think Miss Baritone is right in that you have to "learn" the way it should be....hopefully that will be soon!!!
Another shower todday.....but hopefully tomorrow or Mon I can give this yet another try!!!
All powdered sugar you buy in the grocery store has cornstarch added. It's much harder to find powdered sugar that doesn't have it added. They add it to keep it from clumping. I don't know if they may add more in Canada or not. I've only ever used the wilton recipe and I don't mix the meringue powder and water first. I use the paddle attatchment and it's always come out fine for me. I have sometimes added a little extra water when it seemed too thick. If you don't wrap a damp towel around your mixer you may also be losing some of the moisture while it's mixing. I have a mixer that is completely enclosed and when I have royal that seems a little wet, I just take the lid off and it dries out enough that I don't need to add any extra sugar.
If you're using merengue powder, mix everything together. Merengue powder is used INSTEAD of egg whites.
It looke like you just need to add more water to this batch. Don't let your KA burn up!
Hmmmm, I don't know. I've tried this recipe too and had the same poor results. I follow the Wilton recipe, mix everything together and wind up with a thick, impossible to use block of cement. I thought it was just me. I ended up adding water, but it never came out right.
When I was a little girl, my aunt used to make ROYAL for gingerbread houses, and hers was perfect! She used egg whites and cream of tartar. I think I'm going to use that recipe instead of Wiltons. I just don't like the effect of the meringue powder.
Thanks for all the tips given in this thread!
Sarah
Sonama...I'm so glad I'm not the only one that has this problem!! But you did remind me about the cream of tartar. I always add it to the bird nest meringues and sunken treasures.
So, cake decorators....can you add cream of tartar to royal frosting for cake decorations?
Thanks all for the tips etc. I am sooooo swamped with things right now. Have to make some time to give this another try but I will wait a bit to see if anyone can answer the cream of tartar question.
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