I am making a 8" square cake for my mother's friend, it is due today. Nothing fancy just white buttercream with purple decorations.

Last night I go to make a batch of Sugarshack's buttercream and it came out gritty. The only thing I can see is I used the 1lb. box of Domino Sugar and didn't seem as fine as the 2lb bags, even though it said 10x and I even sifted. Oh well, I 'll go to the store to get stuff to make another batch. Well nothing is open past 9 where I live since Hurrican Katrina so that is a no go.

Fast forward to this morning, I get all 3 boys up at 6:30am and head to the store to get everything I need. I get home make the new batch and it is soo "liquidy" feeling and I didn't use as much liquids as I usually do. It may be the heat and humidity. Now I am waiting forever for it to crust so I can attempt a quilted pattern with the impression mat.

Sorry so long, I am just sooooo aggravated with this and I have a teething baby screaming.


Thanks for listening, well reading, lol.

HUGS! Hope it all gets better hun!

If your icing is gritty...then you have not mixed it enough. I am in Louisiana and understand the humidity here! ACK! Anyway...you should've used 2 boxes (2lbs) if you were using the PS in the box. It takes 2 lbs. to make a small batch of most icings. Follow her instructions to a "T"...but dont be afraid to mix a Looooooong time (on low speed). Your shortening should be as creamy as sour cream before you start adding other things...thing mix, mix, mix. Hope your next batch turns out yummy!!

Thank You

Oh I actually made a large batch so i would have some left. I had 3lbs PS left from last week (from the 2lb bags) and I ran to the store to get the 1lb more. I let it mix for a looong time before starting to add the PS. Then I thought maybe if I let it keep mixing for longer when it was done, but it just got "grittier" lol. I've made it a bunch of times before and that was the only difference, so I was assuming it could be it.

Isn't this HEAT ridiculous, LOL.

Ahhh, I feel your pain! so, sorry...maybe the experts can help you. So far I've never been able to conquer Sugarshack's buttercream

I made BC last week that was gritty I think the icing sugar was old. The bag was sealed but you just never know how long they sit for on a shelf and it seems to have a strange texture even before I added it in seemed less... soft I guess so maybe it was a bad batch of icing sugar.

I also think it was the powdered sugar. It comes in different grades of "powderiness" (that's what the 10X means). I've bought ps that feels like powdered pumice stone when you run your hand over it, and it's totally useless for any application unless it's to be completely dissolved in a liquid. There might have been a batch of ps that was defective, in that it wasn't ground finely enough. Not a lot you can do about that (but complain to the store and the manufacturer). If it's just gotten lumpy with time, a good sifting with a very fine sieve (the ones with plastic mesh sift finer than the ones with metallic mesh) will help.

Thanks everyone. Well I finished just in time, it came out alright. I am really gonna have to start these cakes sooner, lol. Also take some classes for writing with icing, I had to redo that like four times. I forgot to take pics, .

Ive made Sugarshacks BC for the last 4 cakes and I love using it. Works great under fondnat! The first time I made it, wasn't quite as creamy as I thought it would be...A friend told me to sift the 10X one more time before making, use only hi-ratio shortening and let it stay in the mixer for about 10 minutes. Works like a charm!