Okay. Here goes. I actually already PM'd her, but just in case she doesn't get to it before tomorrow afternoon...(which i definitely understand)...

This is my first time using her buttercream. I wanted to do a practice cake, but failed to do so. I am doing a wedding cake this weekend, and the base color is a sage green. I bought "avacado", and it's the perfect color, so no mixing colors. I made the first batch, which came out perfect, but at the end, I realized I didn't add the color. So I added the color, and put it on 6 again. I don't think I added enough color, but anyway, it wasn't incorporating very fast, probably because of the large volume of buttercream, and my kitchen-aid was getting hot. So I ruined that batch by having to mix the color by hand, so it got air all over. I decided to use it for the filling and crumbcoat.

I made the second batch, and I'm not sure what happened, but my bowl was much fuller than the first bowl, but I'm positive I added the right amount of powdered sugar. It did come out a thicker consistency, but I'm wondering if I actually had too much shortening. Anyway, I added the coloring after I added the first four cups of powdered sugar, but I also had problems getting it to color right, again maybe because of the volume. I had to split the batch in half and color each batch again. So that batch is also very airy.

So, I took those two batches, filled and crumbcoated...and the icing dried marbly. in the bowls, my icing appeared to be well incorporated with color. And when I spread the icing on, it went on a little "harder", if you will. It wasn't creamy-creamy, but still spreadable.

I'm making another batch tomorrow afternoon (friday), and that will be the final coat of the cake, so I really need it to come out right! And, I still have 1/2 a batch left of the airy stuff, and I'm hoping to save it and knock out all the airbubbles. I may need it for the final coat. Does anyone have any experience with getting all the airbubbles out of her recipe (or any recipe, i guess).

So here are my questions--in case that was a whirlwind for you

1. When's the best time to add the coloring?
2. How do i prevent the marble effect, if I'm almost sure it wasn't because of not mixing the color well (i could be dead wrong on that)
3. If it wasn't creamy-creamy, do you think I may have had too much shortening? I did actually read somewhere that she said the thicker or harder (i don't remember which term she used) it is, the sharper the corners. I will say that even on the crumbcoat I got nice sharp corners, so maybe it's just fine
4. How do I save a completely air-infiltrated batch of her buttercream?



Thanks for walking with me in this!!



P.S. Anyone in the Kansas City area?

p.s. i didn't mean to post this in cake disasters.




edit: okay, it seems that I didn't PM her. It's not showing in my "sent" box, although I got the message that it sent.

So if anyone has any good advice......

I did answer this right?

You're awesome Sharon! Love your DVDs!

Sharon, yes, you did!! Thank you again for responding back, and so quickly!

The color turned out perfect!!

I am about to make my first batch today and was wondering what was the answer?

Me too. I was wondering what the answer is too.

Here's Sharon's reply:



"No problem!

If I am coloring big batches I do it when i cream the fat and liquid and add more as it beating at speed 6 if I need to.

it is kind of normal for colored icing to marble. the less hot the scraper is, the less it will happen.

and yes, you can rebeat it if you can get small portions in smaller bowls with hand mixer."


I asked about the marbling after I did the crumbcoat, but when I looked at them the next morning, the marbling was pretty much gone. I noticed a little trace of marbling, but i had to look for it.

thanks for replying back

Can the icing be put in the freezer and just rewhip when ready for use? What's the shelf life on it ? If i am only adding color to a small batch just for trimming can i still just add the color as i would with the regular buttercream?

I use a recipe similar to Sharon's so my answer should apply.
Yes the icing can be fzn and re-whipped when wanting to use it. The shelf life is about 1 week room temp (depends on your area's weather - is it hot & humid? then it will only last 2-3 days; 2-3 weeks in the frig well covered; and up to a year in the fzr.

I often color small batches by hand. Use a small wire whip and stir in a figure 8 motion for a minute or two.

Thanks kakeladi for responding back !!!!!