As many times as I have made icing I don't know why these ?'s are just now coming to me.

1) My bc recipe calls for 4c of powdered sugar, do you measure before or after sifting?
2) When making chocolate bc do you sift the cocoa?
3) Should the butter be cold, room temperature or softened?

That is all of my stupid questions for now. However, I am sure I will have some more in the future.

TIA,
Chrissy

These are not stupid questions at all.

Unless the recipe says otherwise, always measure and then sift. It's good to sift both cocoa and sugar. If the recipe says "4 cups of sifted sugar", first sift, then measure. If it says nothing then sift after.

Let me clarify
4 cups sifted sugar - sift, then measure
4 cups sugar, sifted - measure, then sift
4 cups sugar - measure, then sift (this is only for powdered sugar/butter frosting. I wouldn't do this if it were bread or something.)

Use room temp butter. If it's cold you'll never be able to mix it.

I always sift cocoa. It tends to be very lumpy. I guess i always sift powdered sugar too. I'm pretty sure 4c of powdered sugar = 1 lb?