Can someone please help me???? I am having a terrible time lately with my buttercream frosting. It seems as though I cannot get the lumps out of the shortening. When I try to spread the icing, there are literally lumps of crisco in the icing. It is also making it impossible to decorate my cakes since the lumps are clogging up my tips. I have tried everything I can think of and I cannot figure out what else to do. Anyone else ever had this problem? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!!!

I cream the butter and Crisco together then add powdered sugar and little at a time the milk when all added I let it mix very slowly for 15 minutes. I always have perfect BC!

According to PastryWiz.com, "Buttercream often takes quite a bit of whipping in order to reach the right consistency. Never throw out buttercream due to lumps or when the cream is to soft. Applying heat will help it come together, chill the mixture and re-whip it." Their recipes use butter, though, but I would assume it might work the same for Crisco...

I did a Crisco ButterCream/decorator's icing and had a few lumps where the vanilla and the powdered sugar came together and wouldn't break up, I just picked those out... the next batch, I just put the vanilla into the milk so it would incorporate better...

Did you beat the Crisco first, or just dump everything into the bowl and beat the heck out of it?

Thank you for your tips. I think I might need to mix it for a longer period of time. I will also try adding the vanilla with the milk. I usually beat the crisco and the butter together first and then add the powdered sugar a little at a time. I'll try anything at this point. Thanks again!

Ok, I made a Swiss Butter Cream last night and it didn't really want to come together right, it was the first time I've tried making a true butter cream before, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

I put the unsalted butter into the warmed then cooled egg white & sugar mixture (actually it was meringue powder & water since liquid chicken worries me) Anywhoo... whipped sugar mix with KA till I thought it was cool, added unsalted butter slowly and it was a horrible mess!!! It was more of a drizzle than an icing! I refrigerated for a few hours, re-whipped, now it was a cold lumpy mess!!! Finally, I just let it beat and beat and beat and beat... IT DID COME TOGETHER!!! I was shocked and amazed, so was my mother (who watched this scene from a safe distance!)

So, the moral of my story: BEAT IT, BEAT IT INTO SUBMISSION!!!