Hi there - I have a couple questions about this - going to try it out tonight.

First - I don't have access to hi-ratio, but I do use a shortening that does have trans fats - will this work in the same proportions as the recipe?

Also - it refers to the coffee mate creamer - are we to use the liquid or powdered?

Also - if I want to reduce or increase the recipe - it seems to be a pretty equal cup to pound ratio on shortening to powdered sugar respectively is that correct?

Thanks - anyone who can help!

Yes, substitute trans fat shortening. If the coffeemate is powdered, you add hot water to it to make the required number of tablespoons. Otherwise, use liquid without adding water. She says to use a "generous" cup ofr shortening for each cup of powdered sugar, so a bit more than a level cup.
It's a nice recipe. Good luck!

Ok thanks FACSlady - Gosh that makes it so easy to just make as much as one would need. Thanks for the info - I'm about to give it a go!

Well my husband loves the flavor. It doesn't have that sickeningly sweet flavor like the last buttercream I made. Though unfortunately I didn't get that SMOOTH texture I was hoping for. Too many air bubbles. I made a half batch only so it wasn't totally covering the beater - so it's pretty bubbly. I guess there's not much I can do about that though. Hopefully I'll be able to do something with it.

I've read that some cakers press the icing against the side of the bowl with a spatula to remove air bubbles. It takes awhile, but it works for them. Perhaps that batch can be saved?

You should make a full batch to really get the right consistency...and use creamer that's a 1:1 ratio. (powder to water). What kind of mixer do you have? There are lots of variations on ratios for sizes of mixers.

Having the bowl full so that the beater is covered is the key to having it come out smooth.

I'm getting confused, I thought it was a cup of shortening to 1 pound of powdered sugar.
a cup to cup would be way too much shortening.

Yes, pound.

That sounds right to me - I do mine in a six quart Kitchenaide and do 6.5 pounds of powdered sugar to 3 pounds butter/hi-ratio mixed.

You definitely need to do a full batch or you'll always get a ton of bubbles.
For a 4-1/2 quart mixer:
4-1/2 cups shortening
4 pounds powdered sugar
12 T HOT liquid
4T flavoring

For a 5 quart mixer-
5-1/2 cups shortening
5 pounds powdered sugar
12-14T HOT liquid
5 T flavoring

and the 6 quart mixer is as arosstx said. Good luck, once you get the right texture, you'll never want to use any other recipe.

i'm going to try this aswell this weekend... thanks

Yeah I can see where you'd need the full batch for the recipe to not have all of the air bubbles - but I have a 6 qt KA and was only making an 8" birthday cake - so even half of the batch was really over-doing it! Oh well! I managed to smooth it pretty well anyway.

You can also use the flavored Coffee-Mate...I used the French Vanilla and it was wonderful!

Keep in mind when you make the icing, the left-overs can be frozen!
Next time you make a batch, haul out your left-overs, let it thaw and mix in with the batch you are making.