Help!! I Can't Get My Wilton I Class Buttercream Right!!

Decorating By Cakey Updated 23 Jan 2006 , 3:12am by Cakey

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Cakey Posted 22 Jan 2006 , 5:40pm
post #1 of 15

Hey all, I hope someone can help me. I don't know what the problem is with my stiff consistency buttercream. I am using the exact recipe from the book, but it just doesn't look right. When I try to make roses with the tip #12 base, my buttercream breaks off at the tip and doesn't form a nice little point like it's supposed to. It also starts sagging under the weight of the petals once I make the rose. Then my rose petals look ragged at the ends, not smooth. I have tried remaking the icing with 2 tsps less water and 1 tsp less water and then with 1 tsp and 2 tsp more water just in case that was the problem. My teacher said to make sure I'm using pure cane sugar sifted 10 x, and I am. She also said some people have different humidity in their kitchens, so that's why I experimented with a little less and a little more water. Then I tried mixing it longer, thinking that might be the problem. I am so aggravated and don't know what to try next. Next week is the final class and I've been struggling with this the whole time!! Am I overmixing? What am I doing wrong?

Thanks!!

14 replies
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nanni Posted 22 Jan 2006 , 6:01pm
post #2 of 15

Check your cake tip to make sure it is opened on the end correctly-I found that sometimes this is the case for the ragged edges. What kind of shortening are you using? I make the wilton 1/2 butter 1/2 crisco recipe-and if my kitchen was warm my roses (what few I make-I am terrible at them)did droop a bit-had to go to another room to make them. Possibly refridgerate the icing for a minute or two to get it firmer-I am sure someone here will figure it out for you in the meantime-chin up-things will be fine.

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BJ Posted 22 Jan 2006 , 6:07pm
post #3 of 15

Did you use the full shortening recipe? The shortening holds better with heat and humidity. Please don't get frustrated. Very few people master the rose by the end of the 1st course. Heck - it took me to the end of the 3rd course. It isn't really necessary to have a nice point on your base cone - when you make your first wrap around it - it will be covered anyway if you make your first wrap tight enough. Just keep practicing. thumbs_up.gif

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Cakey Posted 22 Jan 2006 , 6:57pm
post #4 of 15

Thank you, Nanni and BJ, for answering so quickly. I am using the Wilton class buttercream recipe, which calls for all shortening and no butter, and I am using Crisco only. I just made another batch following the recipe exactly, and I mixed it on low instead of medium (even though the book says to mix it on medium) and it came out much smoother. I think I was forcing air bubbles in or something by mixing it higher. I have a Kitchen Aid mixer, and I mixed it on 2 instead of 4. It only goes up to 10, so 4 seemed like medium to me. Anyway, the slower mixing seems to have helped. My petals are much less raggedy and the consistency seems smoother. The only reason I want to get that point on my base is I'm the only one who can't get it in my class! icon_cry.gif I know the point is covered later, but it seemed like an indicator that my icing wasn't right because I couldn't get one at all. The icing just breaks off when I lift the tip. I'm still having that problem, but caring less and less with each batch that fails me!!

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Cakepro Posted 22 Jan 2006 , 7:11pm
post #5 of 15

Let me tell you something about the Wilton course books (and all Wilton publications, for that matter): they do not use buttercream icing in any of their pictures. It is all royal icing, and it behaves and looks very different from buttercream.

If your icing is the right consistency for piping roses, you will not get a pretty point on the end of your rose base. It is not necessary anyway. If you have ragged-edged petals, you can correct that by adding a little piping gel to your stiff consistency icing. This will help to smooth those edges and will not soften your icing to the point of being a medium consistency.

Hang in there! Only about half of my students leave Course I with their roses looking like those in the books...and you are way ahead of the game by practicing and sticking with it. You'll get it! icon_smile.gif

icon_wink.gif There's a reason why we learn the Victorian rose in Course 2...it's done the exact same way as a tip 104 rose but with a different tip. There is lots of more time to perfect your rose.

~ Sherri

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Cakey Posted 22 Jan 2006 , 8:49pm
post #6 of 15

Sherri, thank you so much for that info!! I feel like I've been duped! That is so not fair that they use royal icing for their photos. Argh!! Hubby is taking the class with me, and he also suggested piping gel for the roses, so now he's feeling justified with your answer about that. I found a book about cake decorating that's from England, and they explain how to cover a cake in royal icing, and I can't believe how perfectly smooth it is!! Well, I have gotten better at icing my cake this weekend and my buttercream roses look better, so I feel like I've accomplished something.

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MadeYaLook Posted 22 Jan 2006 , 9:01pm
post #7 of 15

Cakey,
Just stumbled on this topic. Thank you so much for asking these questions, because I have had the same issues. The crumbly edges drive me insane! And the cone that they make in the book is so perfectly smooth and pointed, I thought that I had failed. le tus know how piping gel works. Also, by icing a cake with royal does it taste good or just look good or both?

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ps3884 Posted 22 Jan 2006 , 9:01pm
post #8 of 15

Cakepro - thank you for the tip on adding a little piping gel to help with the edges on the roses! I'm going to have to try that tonight. I was having problems with the rough edges too.

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Cakeman66 Posted 22 Jan 2006 , 10:37pm
post #9 of 15

I used the recipe a few times at first to make the 'wilton' buttercream, but I dont' like the results either. After a while, you'll be making it from scratch and you'll be happy with the results. By from sctratch, I mean not measuring and going by consistancy and taste. Not by what someone else says it should be.

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BJ Posted 22 Jan 2006 , 10:52pm
post #10 of 15

Royal icing is not used to cover a cake unless it's for display only. You'll learn all about royal in course 2. It dries rock hard. You'll use it to make flowers and all sorts of cool stuff but not to ice a cake that's going to be eaten. It is edible. Do you know those sheets of paper with the little dots of candy on them usually in different colors? That's what royal icing is like. Royal icing items last for ever so they are good if you want to do a bunch of flowers to have on hand for those last minute cake requests. You store them in an air tight container. Good luck on your roses. Sounds like your doing better all ready. We are our own worst critics. thumbs_up.gif

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MadeYaLook Posted 22 Jan 2006 , 11:15pm
post #11 of 15

Thank you, BJ, for clearing that up. I didn' t think that it was supposed to be used to cover, just wanted to check. I made my 1st batch of royal, and the consistency was perfect so I kept on making flowers, and on and on. So after my course II is finished I should have many left for future use, just as you suggested.

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hamie Posted 22 Jan 2006 , 11:49pm
post #12 of 15

We don't usally use royal to cover cakes here in the US but they do in Europe. They modify the recipe a bit so it is not so hard.

I use piping gel as well, it makes the edges of the rose less ragged and leaves more pointy.

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TexasSugar Posted 23 Jan 2006 , 12:08am
post #13 of 15

You can also add one tablespoon of crisco per cup of stiff icing to help with the ruffled edges of your roses.

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cupcakes Posted 23 Jan 2006 , 12:09am
post #14 of 15

Try using 1 1/2 cups of crisco in the recipe instead of 1 cup. It is much easier to work with and I think you might get a good result. Good Luck

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Cakey Posted 23 Jan 2006 , 3:12am
post #15 of 15

Thank you everyone for the advice. I will definitely try these ideas!

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