Hi there!!!
Greetings from CT!!! I was wondering if you could help me.. I made your buttercream last night and I followed the receipe to a T, but it came out gritty. I loved the taste, but I was not happy with it being gritty.. What did I do wrong?
This is how I mixed it:
Crisco / Milk / Vanilla Xtra all togther for about 5 mintues, then I added the Dream Whip (3 Tablespoons) and Conf. Sugar (2 lbs) I let it mix for about another 10 mintues...
I didn't shitf the conf. sugar or the Dream Whip, I just put it in the mixer.. Please Help, I want to make a cake tonight!!! What did I do wrong?
Thanks so much
Hi,
When you say gritty, are you feeling the texture of the powdered sugar? I use Domino and sift before mixing, but there is always that slight grit from the powdered sugar. As long as you use powdered sugar in your icing that grit will always be there.
When I make her recipe, I heat my liquid (milk or cream or whatever I have on hand) and dissolve the Dream Whip in the liquid before adding it to the fat/sugar mixture.
Give that a try next time. Hopefully it will turn out smoother for you.
AC
HI.. Thanks for anwsering, yes I am feeling the gritty of the PS.. So I will sift it next time.. How long do you heat the milk for? I really , really want to start using her receipe.. I have been using the Wilton class on and it is gross and greasy...
How long do you let everything mix for? Is a certain time for the crisco to be mixed?
Thank you
I have made Indydebi's BC and never had it gritty. I have had it happen before with other recipes. BC should never be gritty but sometimes you get a bad batch of PS from what I understand.
Mix the Crisco for 15-20 minutes. No joke. It should look like sour cream. I mix that before I add anything else in. Even though I sift it's still gritty. I don't think that's something you can get rid of. After everything is added I let the mixer run for a good 15 minutes.
there is always that slight grit from the powdered sugar. As long as you use powdered sugar in your icing that grit will always be there.
Sorry, I have to respectfully disagree with this statement. I make BC with 1/2 crisco, 1/2 butter, ps, meringue powder, a pinch of salt, flavoring, and slightly warmer than room temperature liquid; most of the time I sift (but not always) and I have NEVER, EVER had "gritty" bc.
marion123, the Wilton class bc is meant for practice purposes, since it needs no refrigeration and lasts a long time. You're right, it is greasy and nasty 
.
There was a post awhile back and it said to mix the crisco for at least 10 min. or longer until it looks like sour cream, and always sift your powder sugar, at least once. I sift my PS, dream whip together. It works very well for smoothness. The longer you cream your crisco is key. And always sift! And when you add the PS, just let it go for as long as you can stand it. I forgot who gave these great tips for Indydebs BC recipe, but they are genius. They worked great. Thanks! 
I've made IndyDebi's recipe exclusively for a couple years and I've never had mine come out gritty... I agree with everyone, perhaps the problem is with the brand of powdered sugar you've used?
Did you send her a private message?? she's such a lovely person, I'm sure she would try to help you out!!
Shoot, when I saw the name of this thread, I thought it was going to be testimonials to the wonderfulness that is IndyDebi. Let me just say right now that she's the best thing that ever happened to all of us aspiring cake decorators. But more to the point, although I've never made her buttercream (can't get Dream Whip where I live!) I do have a couple of things to say about powdered sugar in general. Powdered sugar comes in different degrees of "fineness". Be sure to get at least 10X (it says that on the box) and sift it once, twice or even three times, if you need to. Don't sift it in a regular sifter, but try to get on of those plastice strainers, whose mesh is much finer than metal sieves. You might want to try this with the Dream Whip, too. Best of luck next time. I'm sure it will work out.
With every PS based recipe I've tried, using endless bags of Domino sugar (the only "good" brand here) I've felt the slight grittiness. I think it has to do with the cornstarch or the other additives in the PS. It's not like a sandy grit, but there's definitely a bite to it. I even notice it in the icing in the local bakery here.
I think the problem is that your powdered sugar has drawn damp. Your cornstarch has probably absorbed some of this moisture and this is where you are getting the "grit". I have noticed if I have had a bag of powdered sugar for a while sometimes the texture of it changes a little. I can only assume that maybe this is the reason. I have also noticed that the generic brands of powdered sugars sometimes don't have a very good texture to them. I always use the 10X Dominoe Sugar whenever I can.
Maybe grittiness is the wrong word. Personally, I find that powdered sugar based icings are harsher than icings made from cooked sugar, such as IMBC, french buttercream, and pastry cream based icings. Comparing the styles side-by-side, I do not like the texture of powdered sugar based icings, even when made with all butter. I have gotten away from almost all of my powder sugar based icings. The exception is cream cheese. But I use a very high ratio of butter and cream cheese to powdered sugar. This is just my opinion.
It turns out you can't put any kind of punctuation after one of the underlined terms (as I have found to my chagrin), but we got you anyway. Thanks for the post!
When I make Indydebi's bc I always beat my crisco for at least 15 minutes before adding any of the other ingredients...I warm my milk (I use half & half instead) before adding...I use Domino ps and I ALWAYS sift! I've never had this icing to be gritty. I agree with the posters that said the powdered sugar is probably the culprit.
Hi everyone! It's great to be "back on the boards!"
Maybe grittiness is the wrong word. Personally, I find that powdered sugar based icings are harsher than icings made from cooked sugar, such as IMBC, french buttercream, and pastry cream based icings. Comparing the styles side-by-side, I do not like the texture of powdered sugar based icings, even when made with all butter. I have gotten away from almost all of my powder sugar based icings. The exception is cream cheese. But I use a very high ratio of butter and cream cheese to powdered sugar. This is just my opinion.
If you don't like the texture of a p.sugar based icing, then I'm not sure that any suggestions will help. Each of us has our own preferences and tastes. My husband only likes applesauce that is loaded down with extra sugar and cinnamon. No matter what we suggest to change it so it's no as sugary and cinnamon-y as other applesauces, he's not going to like it because he'll always be comparing it to what he likes .... and he doesn NOT like the plain "healthy, natural" applesauce.
I don't notice a grittyness to the icing, but then, it's the only icing I've ever used for 30 years. So to me, this is what icing is SUPPOSED to be like! 
There is no right or wrong in our taste preferences. It just means some of us are used to and/or have a preference for different things. Which makes the world of cooking/baking all the more exciting! Otherwise, we'd need just one cookbook in the world! 
I will suggest that the dream whip will add a difference in the texture when compared to other icings that don't have dream whip. I will suggest this may be the "trade off" ..... the unique taste and the properties that dream whip adds (i.e. crusts well; holds up to heat & outdoor weddings) or lose these two attributes for the texture you're looking for in a non-dream-whip recipe.
Me personally, I'm not losing my dream whip for anything!
That's why I said it was just my opinion. I am in the small minority that does not like very sweet desserts. I have to use friends and family to taste desserts for my business. Some I think are too sweet, everyone loves. I did a four tier wedding cake for my sister-in-law's sister and her request was the sweetest icing I could make. I wish I had known about yours at the time, indydebi, as I ended up using the Wilton recipe. But she loved it. I haven't tried yours because I only do wedding cakes for family.
Several years ago I bought an "off" brand PS and made my usual icing. It turned out very gritty. I was perplexed as I had never had that problem before. My cake friend and former cake teacher said to check to see if it was made from sugar beets or pure cane sugar. The "off" brand was made from sugar beets and my usual brand is made from pure cane sugar. Now I always make sure I use PS made from pure cane sugar and have never had gritty icing again.
HTH-
~ihavasweet2th~[/b][/u]
I made a batch yesterday and it was the best batch of it I have ever made. Previously I had always gotten grit and just stuck with IMBC but I need to make 3x dozen cuppies and a skate park cake for my Sons 6th Birthday so I needed something sweeter. Here is what I changed.
Whipped Crisco on med for ~10mins
Warmed up 1/2c of french vanilla creamer and dissolved Dream Whip in it
Added mixture and 2Tbs of vanilla extra
Mixed on slow until incorperated, then med/high for another 5 mins
Added sifted Domino 10x powdered sugar a few huge scoops at a time until incorperated then added more
When everything was mixed I set the mixer on med, threw a towel over it and went to play some Call of Duty for 10 or so mins to add a little manliness to the fact that I was making icing 
Due to the fact that the humidity is at it lowest levels (harsh Vermont winter) I probably added ~1/8 cup more liquid to get the right consistency. I had already added all the sugar but that probably could of also been cut back by 1/2c to get the same results.
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