I use throw away plastic bags.
I also use sugarshacks recipe and until this thread have been throwing away everything I didn't use for each cake. I'm now going to freeze any leftovers that I have after making my cake on Thursday.
I have a 5qt KA and have never had any pour out or over. It is quite messy though. I set the KA on a towel and then cover it with a towel like she does in her youtube video. It helps to minimize the PS going everywhere and makes for easier cleanup.
Would any of you mind sharing which recipe of buttercream is ok to freeze?
I almost want to say that I hate buttercreme too, but I should try making it again before I say it.
I tried Sugarshack's method too, but I was never able to get that smooth look, I don't know why. Does anyone knows if her recipe freezes well?
Would any of you mind sharing which recipe of buttercream is ok to freeze?
I almost want to say that I hate buttercreme too, but I should try making it again before I say it.
I tried Sugarshack's method too, but I was never able to get that smooth look, I don't know why. Does anyone knows if her recipe freezes well?
are you wanting to freeze it after the cake is iced? i thought all b/cs were freezable...just bring it back to room temperature and remix before using.
Love all of the suggestions! 
I am going to head to Sam's and get some of their buttercream...and use a heck of a lot of towels on my next attempt!
I am a little confused by the piping bag holders, though? They sound clever...but I am having a hard time figuring out what I need.
are you wanting to freeze it after the cake is iced? i thought all b/cs were freezable...just bring it back to room temperature and remix before using.
Thank you, I meant to freeze just the buttercream and save it till needed.
Thank you again, this answered my question
I save my left over colors and use to mix together for a base to make black (have customers who don't like chocolate icing). Just some helpful hints. I also make cakes maybe once a month or such and just freeze or refrigerate my icings.
I have had a few occasions where the icing and coloring what to seperate can anyone enlighten me as to why this would happen or is it just normal?
I put off cakes for days just because I don't want to make the icing. Then I'm up all night holding my head going "Why, Why do I wait?" Duh, don't want to clean it up!!
Okay hope it goes better for you... 
)
Wing-Ding---
We use Toba Garrett's method for buttercreaming a cake and we found it to be a WONDERFUL technique that is less stressful than trying to do it by hand.
1. Crumb coat the coat completely.
2. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
3. Fill a piping bag with buttercream and a #12 tip.
4. Pipe the sides of the cake in vertical lines going from top to bottom and then back to the top next to the first line. Keep doing this until the side is completely covered.
5. Pipe in the same manner from side to side on the top of the cake.
6. Heat water in a cup in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.
7. Dip offset spatula into hot water and wipe water off with a hand towel.
8. Start smoothing the sides of the cake being sure to put excess buttercream back into bowl and rewetting offset spatula with water and towel wiping again.
9. Once the side is complete work on the top working from the edges towards the center.
HTH
Paul & Peter
Wing-Ding---
We use Toba Garrett's method for buttercreaming a cake and we found it to be a WONDERFUL technique that is less stressful than trying to do it by hand.
Paul & Peter
Thanks Paul and Peter! I'll have to try this. It doesn't sound difficult at all. My son's birthday is coming up and he wants a buttercream covered cake.
Oh, ladies, you are breaking my heart. Here you are bad-mouthing buttercream...and buttercream is just sitting there being "sweet". lol.
I love buttercream, it lets me do what ever I want with it. You are just making this more of a chore than it need be.
Do you have a splatter shield for your KitchenAid? It works great to keep that powdered sugar in the bowl instead of flying all around you and your kitchen.
Use a quick icer to ice your cakes, it is so easy and you get no crumbs.
Mix those colors on a thin, cheap paper plate, then throw the plate away when you clean up. You can even stir with a plastic spoon and throw it away too.
Use disposable bags, as has been suggested, and save the unused colored icing in the bag.
Mixing those colors is fun. You have a glob of white icing...add a few drops of color, stir and like magic you have a beautiful glob of icing just begging to be turned into something creative.
Having your children do it is a great idea. When my kids were in elementary school, they were the only ones who knew what the primary colors were and how to mix the colors to get whatever color they wanted.
The more you work with buttercream, the more you will learn to love it....and all that it can do.
Here is a really good tip for storing leftover icing...make "icing sausages".
Get a roll of plastic wrap and pull some of it out on the counter, towards you and cut it off of the roll. Put a glob of icing on the plastic wrap (closest to you), I would say no more than a cup. Then, as if you were rolling enchiladas or something, fold the plastic wrap (closest to you) over the icing and continue rolling into a "sausage". Then twist each end and fold under.
I store my "sausages" in ziploc bags (labeled) in my deep freezer. Then when I need a color, I just thaw the "sausage" out for like 10-15 minutes. Cut one end of the "sausage" and drop in a prepared disposable piping bag to start decorating. By doing this, the icing is squeezing out of the plastic wrap, so if you need to refill your bag, just take out the empty "sausage" and cut off the end of a new one and drop it in the bag.
By doing this, you can use the same color, or even different colors using one piping bag...just squeeze out the previous color until the new color pipes out solid.
I'm with BCJean, I love buttercream! Go more slowly when you're pouring the PS in, the quicker you pour the more puffs out. It also helps to have enough liquid added in the beginning, helps absorb the sugar quicker.
I don't like mixing all the colors either but I have a system that works well for me and I only need one bowl. Say I'm doing all the colors of the rainbow, I mix yellow first, then orange, red, purple, blue, and last green or black.
When all is done and it's time for clean up I get a big pot, fill it with water, and start heating it up. By the time I'm done getting everything put away the water is hot, I fill up my KA bowl with everything that's touched the bc and fill it with the hot water. Clean up is a breeze after that!
Wing Ding, if you're interested, here's another way to go for frosting and smoothing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqvL4zhVbE8&feature=channel_page
Yup! Love my buttercream! I'll admit though, it can be a real pain to work with. Its really no wonder so many people just don't want to deal with it.
I agree with the idea of using paper plates though. I have a stack of paper bowls I use. Mix... use... and toss. I save icing in the freezer too, as long as it's plain vanilla. I know I won't use a special flavor over again most likely.
Another item we use for mixing is those small SOLO cups (the plastic ones you see at holiday parties). We just scoop out the amount we think we need to color and Voila!
We LOVE the sausage idea. Thanks for sharing!
Paul & Peter
Here is a really good tip for storing leftover icing...make "icing sausages".
Get a roll of plastic wrap and pull some of it out on the counter, towards you and cut it off of the roll. Put a glob of icing on the plastic wrap (closest to you), I would say no more than a cup. Then, as if you were rolling enchiladas or something, fold the plastic wrap (closest to you) over the icing and continue rolling into a "sausage". Then twist each end and fold under.
I store my "sausages" in ziploc bags (labeled) in my deep freezer. Then when I need a color, I just thaw the "sausage" out for like 10-15 minutes. Cut one end of the "sausage" and drop in a prepared disposable piping bag to start decorating. By doing this, the icing is squeezing out of the plastic wrap, so if you need to refill your bag, just take out the empty "sausage" and cut off the end of a new one and drop it in the bag.
By doing this, you can use the same color, or even different colors using one piping bag...just squeeze out the previous color until the new color pipes out solid.
I love this idea!!! 
I just heard of the icing sausage tip recently as well. Great idea!! (and yes, I too HATE buttercream!) 
I'm not a fan of buttercream but I like the way it frosts. I use half sweet cream butter and half neufchatel cheese. That way it tastes better and it still crusts. My new fav, chocolate cream cheese buttercream. Yummy!
My only issue with buttercream is that it is ALWAYS gritty. I've tried different brands of powdered sugar and shortening, boiling the water, mixing longer, mixing shorter, less humid days, different recipes......all with NO luck!!
As long as I allow mine to 'rest' for a couple of days after mixing, I don't have the grittiness. Total mix time for each batch is between 20 and 25 minutes. When I empty the bowls into the storage container, it just about pours out like thick cake batter. After it's allowed to set even overnight...I just try to schedule 2 days advanced mixing....it's an ideal consistency and smoothness.
I don't mind working with buttercream (I don't love it. lol but I don't hate it) but I can't seem to find a recipe that I just love. I've tried the simple Wilton one and also a half butter half shortening one and I'm not impressed. I LOVE the taste of Costco's buttercream and wish I could find one that tastes like that.
Any suggestions for a simple buttercream recipe that just tastes good?
p.s. what is SMBC as mentioned in a earlier post?
Mine's pretty simple, with easy to find ingredients, and the only complaint I've had so far is that it's addicting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLcCbN2I4xI&feature=channel_page
I love buttercream and haven't yet tried making fondant. I will eventually. I've tried several different buttercream recipes and, for the most part, I like all of them as far as taste. (I have a huge sweet tooth.) My favorite is Toba Garrett's chocolate buttercream. It's more labor-intensive to make, but it tastes out of this world. It's in her well decorated cake book. The only problem I have with it is it tends to be too soft. I don't want to substitute anything in the recipe for fear that it will change it. It's so good you just want to say, "forget the cake.... I'm just going to hang over this bowl for a bit until it's all gone!"
Also, Jibbie's chocolate velvet buttercream is very good, too. It's dark chocolate and looks like suede when it's smooth. Pretty!
Lisa
Thank you. I'll try that. What is heavy cream? Do you have to refrigerate the cake after frosting it with this buttercream? Will this frosting work on cupcakes?
Mine's pretty simple, with easy to find ingredients, and the only complaint I've had so far is that it's addicting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLcCbN2I4xI&feature=channel_page
Ah, my buttercream-hating people!
I actually hate the taste of buttercream, and therefore I never use it when I bake
Serious_Cakes Omg I love the idea of having water heating up and filling my KA bowel with my grease covered tools! Thank you for the tip.
It is a PITA but I love it too.
Happy Caking
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