I was picking up a cake today at Publix (southern grocery store chain) and saw a decorator taking cream cheese icing from this giant bucket with the logo "BRILL" cream cheese frosting on it. She also had another that appeared to be chocolate (brown around edge) and another on the floor that I couldnt see the flavor of. I happen to LOVE their buttercream frosting. Has anyone tried this "Brill" brand AND the Publix buttercream. I am very curious to know if they are one in the same. Seems to me if you ordered one product from a company you would probably order all your products from them. Any help would be appriciated! Thanks!
Here is their website: http://www.hcbrill.com/In_Store_Bakery/Products_Brands/Henry_Henry/Streusels_Marbling_Chocolate_Smears.aspx
hth
I used to LOVE the Publix BC, until I made IndyDebi's.... They are very similar when cold, but IndyDebi's wins for sure!! I always thought Publix made their own, looks like they fooled me 
I tried getting a job there in the bakery, but I don't have enough experience yet..
I did look at their website and it said they had a mix and a straight from the tub they sold. I am wondering if the buttercream is the mix b/c I have read other posts here on cakecentral where people have swore it was a mix Publix used. I would have someone who has tried both to let me know before I oder some
I don't know if they are "one in the same" but we used Brill icings at the grocery store bakery where I use to work. We had Chocolate buttercream, regular buttercream, cream cheese, whipped and mint whipped. I have a friend that has worked for Brill for the past 10 years.
I used to LOVE the Publix BC, until I made IndyDebi's.... They are very similar when cold, but IndyDebi's wins for sure!! I always thought Publix made their own, looks like they fooled me
I tried getting a job there in the bakery, but I don't have enough experience yet..
The lady that I work for now use to use Brill icings in her bakery until I introduced her to Indydebi's recipe 
I make several batches a week but it taste soooo much better and I prefer working with it. It crusts so well and is so much easier to smooth. Did I mention that it taste much better than Brill? 
Yep, our grocery store also uses Brill icings. We have a huge customer base for it, and it's my favorite taste too.
I'm not trying to be contrary, but there will NEVER be a fabricated frosting or any food that is as good or better than the real thing: homemade. Never. End of subject.
I have to agree with you.
Does Publix use their cakes as well?! Or does Publix bake their cakes??
Good question about the cakes! I only saw the giant tub of frosting so I have no idea BUT my neighbor works there and I am going to ask her to poke around for me tomorrow and see. I will let everyone know....
Actually they only use the fudge and creamcheese icings. They ''make" their buttercream in store with a big block that comes with most of the ingredients in it except butter and water. The cakes were baked in store at one point but that was years ago. It comes in frozen.
Wow! great info. I am guessing then that they must use the mix from Brill. And maybe their cakes too. I have long suspected they dont make their cakes, seems they would be baking SO many to keep up with demand. Question remains though....Brill sells many different buttercream variations for their mixes. Any idea which one might be the one Publix uses?
it's been a while since i've worked there so not really. It is really sad that their customers continue to think it is baked fresh. They turned into every other supermarket/grocery store out here. They want one decorator to pump out 30 cake orders plus wedding cakes and deliver wedding cakes and make sure they clock out on time. Alot of the cake designs they have contain at least 8 different icing colors in different shades and it was very time consuming. Yet they wanted it to be done in under 4 minutes. A regular 8 inch vanilla iced cake with borders and four roses was easily done in under 5. But there is no way a full sheet airbrushed and 20 roses on it could be done in such a short time.
Sorry for the rant. I personally like fresh scratch cake. The only thing I liked was the whipped topping they used. Buttercreme was too greasy and the fudge tasted artificial to me. Alot of the fillings were sleeve fillings.
Thanks, I appriciate the info! Still wondering about the exact Bill mix though...
Would you share? I would love a great homemade buttercream but I haven't found anything to my liking yet
This is IndyDebi's buttercream recipe:
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/6992/indydebis-crisco-based-buttercream-icing
HTH,
Toni Ann
Would you share? I would love a great homemade buttercream but I haven't found anything to my liking yet
If you're going to try Indydebi's buttercream I wanted to give you a couple of tips that will make it even better.
Beat your crisco for at least 15 minutes BEFORE adding any other ingredients. It will look like sour cream by the time you've finished "pulverizing' it. SIFT your powdered sugar. Start by adding the least amount of milk (1/2 cup) called for and add only about a tsp. more at a time until you have the right consistency. I have never added the maximum amount listed when making this recipe. After all of the ingredients have been incorporated into your mixing bowl...continue letting you mixer run and walk away. I let mine rip for at least 20 minutes. This makes the best all shortening based buttercream I've ever tasted. It is also very nice to work with and crust within 5 minutes after icing your cake. I was never able to get perfectly smooth buttercream until I tried this recipe.
To make chocolate buttercream add 6 ounces Baker's unsweetened choclate squares (melted and cooled but still pourable) to your (already prepared) icing. You will also have to add more milk when adding chocolate. I add only a teaspoon at a time until I have the perfet consistency. The chocolate version also crust beautifully and is very easy to smooth. Adding the melted unsweetened chocolate makes a much better tasting icing than adding cocoa. I've tried it both ways and it doesn't affect the "crusting" properties of the icing by adding the melted chocolate.
Hope these tips will help.
Publix "buttercream" starts from a cube that is a buttercream base. Publix went to Brill and told them what they wanted, Brill makes it but will NOT sell that specific cube to anyone else and they do not make anything just like it. Publix has the exclusive on that recipe. When it gets to the store level, Publix bakers then add water and butter.
As far as the cake goes, Publix went to another company to find the best tasting cake and this company ships in frozen cake to Publix. They bake very little from scratch.
HTH-
I was in the bakery at Publix for over 20 years and saw it go from an all scratch bakery to what it is now. Too bad it had to happen.
I agree....Nothing like homemade...
We saw Publix pull slabs of frozen cake out of their freezer...If they make it, they make it at a distribution center and ship it to the stores....As far as their icing, not anymore for me.
Paul
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