Sam's Club Member's Mark Vs Domino Powdered Sugar

Baking By ThatCakeDude42 Updated 9 Aug 2019 , 10:58am by -K8memphis

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ThatCakeDude42 Posted 8 Aug 2019 , 2:09am
post #1 of 5

The topic of ingredients comes up pretty often. I just compared these two and thought I'd share my results. 

Domino = $2.08 for 2lb at Walmart.

Member's Mark = $4.28 for 7lb at Sam's Club.

The recipe:

1 stick salted butter
1 stick unsalted butter
7.2 grams Watkins Clear
60 grams milk
1lb powdered sugar

I made two identical batches of frosting; one with Domino, one with Member's Mark. I tested them on my family, I knew which was which... no one else did. No one could tell any difference between the two, they taste exactly the same and the texture seemed the same at first. It wasn't until I squeezed the frosting between my tongue and the roof of my mouth that I could tell the Domino had a smoother texture. My wife tried it and could tell the difference, too (without me telling her which one it was). At this point, I'm considering making the switch to Member's Mark, because I think it may be too close to justify the extra cost of the Domino.

4 replies
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-K8memphis Posted 8 Aug 2019 , 11:25am
post #2 of 5

have you tried swiss meringue buttercream? smooth as silk —

I pick the domino brand when I make a small batch — when I buy in bulk I make sure I get cane sugar if I can’t find domino but I rarely use American buttercream for my cake covering — mostly use for glazes and decor —

funny story — I was at sam’s club and the guy on the forklift unloading the domino products apologized for closing the baking aisle during shopping hours —he told me the store stopped stocking domino but there arose such a hew and cry they scrambled to get it back in stock pronto — he was like who cares — I explained it to him blush

so while your test is accurate your conclusion is skewed — indie bakers need to go for the best in my opinion —

best to you

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-K8memphis Posted 8 Aug 2019 , 11:30pm
post #3 of 5

and I thought about this again and actually it’s because I use abc for piping that I would only use cane sugar or domino’s powdered sugar — otherwise the other stuff even if you sift it clogs the tip —

when I was looking at katyn’s pretty Mexican embroidery cake pictures she was asking about — I was thinking a teensy weensy  tip with a very smooth icing — grainy lumpy icing is not our friend — 

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ThatCakeDude42 Posted 9 Aug 2019 , 1:20am
post #4 of 5

It seems that maybe you're under the impression Member's Mark is beet sugar? Member's Mark is cane sugar. That along with the price is why I tried it. The difference between Member's Mark and Domino is so slight that trying them side by side is the only way you can detect it. If you were just given one,  you could not answer with an level of confidence which you had just eaten.  

I use ABC more than anything, but I have used all the popular alternatives, and even experimented with my own. The Baileys and Kahlua cake I added to my gallery a few days ago is covered in coffee & Baileys SMBC.

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-K8memphis Posted 9 Aug 2019 , 10:58am
post #5 of 5

no I didn’t remember if it was or not — I just know all the times i’ve been screwed by grainy 10x sugar clogging and i learned the hard way that it’s worth the extra money to me — i’ve even had dominos that clogged— but i’ve had non-dominos bulk powd sugar that was perfect too — just saying lower price is not my guide with powd sugar — esp since you said it was indeed lumpy — i gravitate to the pricier powd sugar but I use the cheapest white flour too — 

i like members mark brand — the butter is great — i almost said “makers mark” hahahaha 

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