when you use 10X powered sugar in your frosting , do you still use the same amount which the recipe calls for. I know that this sugar is made of smaller particels and siffted finer. I usally use 5 lbs but the bowl is full with only adding 4lbs.
Thanks kirin1

I can't say that I know that answer but I would like to. Could this be the reason my BC sometimes seems supersweet when other times it's 'just right'...I don't really know what 'x' sugar I use. Its just the large bag of powdered sugar from Sams....hopefully, someone could give us more input.

This is interesting to me as well. I have only used the 10X, as I've not seen the other. I bought a jumbo bag at Costco and it is the 10X. Where would you find something that isn't 10X?

Wouldn't the weight mean you had the same amount of sugar no matter how many times it was sifted or how fine it was? Kind of like one pound of feathers weighs the same as one pound of rocks? Just wondering.

From wisegeek.com :

"The confectioner's sugar sold in most grocery stores has been ground ten times, which explains the 10x designation on the packaging. Some specialty stores carry other grades of confectioner's sugar, such as a 4x or 6x grind. For most purposes, a standard 10x box or bag of confectioner's sugar should perform well enough. The other grades of confectioner's sugar are generally used for specific commercial food products."

Domino touts the 10X of it's powdered sugar by using that as part of the name on the box, but for the most part, all of the PS/confectioner's sugar sold (at least in the US) for the home baker use is actually 10X.

If you go to commercial supply companies, you can buy 4x and 6x in bulk. It's cheaper, but given that it's a larger particle, I'd think that in some applications, that would lead to a gritty end product.

Rae

Most sugars are marked either 6X or 10X.

Any place I've ever been in Canada has "icing sugar". It does not tell you what grind it is. I called Redpath in Toronto and they told me that that is the way it is across the country. It's got to be 10x instead of 6x because it's pretty darn fine. And our psugar has cornstarch in it which my Dominos does that I got in NY.

Would adding a titch of salt help cut the sweetness? My old recipes had salt added but I'm using Sugarshack's now and it doesn't have any. I find it very, very sweet. That could be the flavouring as well.

I use 6x and 10x interchangeably, but I also weigh all of my ingredients, rather than measure by volume, so there's no difference for me.

It's a little off subject but I have a question regarding the whle powdered sugar thing... I was at my local cake shop one day and overheard some customers talking. The lady that owns the shop told them not to use one of our local store brand p. sugar because it doesn't contain enough corn starch in it. After that I made a point of looking at different bags & boxes to see if I could find a corn starch amount.....no luck. Is there any way to tell how much cornstarch the powdered sugar has in it??

The accepted standard in the US is approximately 3% cornstarch. CS is usually listed as the second ingredient after sugar, but the percentage isn't required.

In the UK, there is usually no cornstarch in the "icing sugar"--perhaps the same in Canada.


As to adding salt to cut sweetness, I use a recipe very similar to SugarShacks and I always add a scant 1/2 tsp. of popcorn salt to a single recipe. I also add about a 1/2 tsp. of lemon JUICE. I find that this cuts the sweetness beautifully.

Rae

Rae, there is CS in our Icing (powdered) Sugar here in Canada. No percentage given but if someone needs to know they could call the manufacturer and they would probably give it to you.

We have a French-Canadian brand of PS here (I live close to the Quebec border) and it comes in cartons. Like milk cartons. I like buying my granulated sugar that way but not PS. It needs to be sifted because it can be clumpy. And if you watch the brands you buy of granuated sugar some are finer than others. I always mean to make a note of which is which because I like the finer stuff in my tea. It dissolves faster. And then we have "special fine" or "powdered fruit" sugar that is very fine. It's more expensive so I only use it when a recipe specifically calls for it.

Rae, I'm going to try your suggestion of popcorn salt and lemon juice in Sugarshack's icing next time. Thanks!

I just bought bulk PS Gordon's and it is 6x. Is that okay to use for my icing or do you think it will be too gritty? I wasn't sure which was better 10x or 6x. Still not sure, but this thread has a wealth of information in it. I was just coming to ask some questions about PS and #x. Thanks for posting this topic!

I have used both 10x and 6x, 10x from Sam's Club and supermarkets and 6x from GFS. The only thing I've noticed is from brand to brand I may have to add more or less salt, and the 6x had to be sifted.

I usually see it called confectioner's sugar, but occasionally it is just listed as powdered sugar (4X 6X 10X). Confectioner's sugar always contains cornstarch to prevent caking (usually 3 percent). It seems that when itâs called powdered sugar it may or may not say contains cornstarch on the front of the bag, but it usually wonât mention it when it is called confectioner's sugar. (Although they will both list it as an ingredient) Does anyone know if the name âConfectioner's sugarâ implies that it is powdered sugar with cornstarch added?

Thanks! I just whipped up a batch of BC with my 6x PS from Gordon's and it is a bit grittier than the usual 10x that I get at Costco (which is cheaper BTW) so I guess I'm gonna go back to Costco's and get my PS. I did sift the 6x, but still grittier. Maybe when it's all said and done and on the cake, you won't be able to tell. It's still whipping (used a new recipe from here) and I really like it so far (other than the grittyness). Can't wait to eat it and see what my neighbors think.

Thanks for all the info on this!

Hi Vicki,
This is a little bit off topic, but which recipe did you just try?

Hi KJT - I just tried "Julie's Less-Sweet Buttercream" It was a lot softer than I usually use, but putting it on and smoothing it out with my scraper was a heck of a lot easier and it was much smoother with less air holes. I used 2Tbs of milk and I probably could have done away with it all togther to make a thicker icing (if that is your preference). I sure do wish when we rate these recipes that there was a comment section so we can write what we did or would do differently. My cake is in the fridge to crust over so I can use the viva method to get it even smoother. I'll let you know how it works out with this recipe. It says it is a crusting BC....I'll see if I like that aspect of the recipe in a few minutes.

ETA: I also used 1 cup unsalted butter and 1 cup salted butter if that makes a difference.

Vicki

I use 6x and 10x icing sugar interchangeably and while there is a slight grittiness with the 6x, I quite like it as it reminds me of every bakery frosting I've ever tried. No one's complained, and it's only like 20 bucks for a 50 pound bag of Domino's 6x PS at Sam's.