Question About Sam's Club Icing?

Decorating By Callyssa Updated 3 Feb 2009 , 8:20pm by CristyInMiami

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Callyssa Posted 29 Jan 2009 , 9:23pm
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I HATE to make up icing for things like roses, etc. that people are just going to scrape off anyway, so I was thinking about getting the premade icing from Sam's bakery for those things. Does anyone use it and does it crust?

Also, I'm thinking about buying their red and black premixed since it's such a process making those two colors. Do they bleed at all?

What do you think of the consistency? Is it nice and smooth, or airy?

33 replies
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Rose_N_Crantz Posted 29 Jan 2009 , 9:35pm
post #2 of 34

I used to decorate for Sam's Club! I am your girl!

Their icing can be a bit firmer than icing that I've made at home. Also, since it's produced in mass quantities, the consistency can vary. I can remember getting buckets that are nice and smooth and easy to work with, and then opening another bucket and it being almost rock hard.

yes, it does crust. Very well.

I've never noticed the black and red bleeding. The only time i've noticed it doing that was during grad seasons. We would often make dummy cakes to have on display, but we would put the dummy cake in a container. I guess condensation or something would cause the black to bleed, but that was after being on display for about a week or so. I used some black icing on a wedding cake display and it never bled. Oh, but if for some reason you freeze your decorated cake, then yes, the colors will bleed as it thaws.

I think their consistency is perfect for roses. Holds a very good peak (i've had icings where the rose was wilting as I was piping it!)

Keep in mind, Sam's only sells their white bc in 5 gallon buckets and the colors in 8lb tubs. But the shelf life is several months and they don't need refrigeration.

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KHalstead Posted 29 Jan 2009 , 9:56pm
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I buy 28lb. buckets of sam's icing..it's what I use on all of my cakes. I quit making icing about a yr. ago when I started to sell my cakes. I live in a small town and they just didn't want to pay what I needed to make in order to make all of my own frosting (since I pay what they pay for butter) so to be more cost effective I offered Sam's club icing as my "normal " icing and if they wanted "premium" icing they could pay for the homemade stuff..........well.....I had a couple people get the premium and then get the reg. bc and they all preferred Sam's icing over the homemade stuff so I thought.....why bother......I took the "premium " icing off the menu and just use Sam's. It comes out to .30/ cup of icing.....so it costs me less than 2.00 to ice a 1/2 sheet cake. It was costing me over 5.00 to make that amount from scratch not to mention all the time invested in cleanup and having to have all that butter around all the time! I go through a bucket a week so it's really cost and time effective for me and my customers absolutely LOVE the taste. It's very sweet but it crusts beautifully........I offer this icing as my "buttercream" and also offer a whipped icing "Rich's bettercreme" I will NEVER make my own frosting again.......EVER. Oh and they also sell chocolate too......but I don't get enough requests to buy the buckets of the choc. I just mix in cocoa powder and a little milk to make it chocolate.

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newmansmom2004 Posted 29 Jan 2009 , 10:07pm
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<raising hand> Me, too - I've used Sam's! It's great to have on hand if you run out of b/c or b/c supplies and can't get anywhere to restock. My girlfriend who also does cakes uses it, too. I don't use it exclusively, but I do use it and it does crust. I think it's a little soft for roses and some things, but I'll bet you could add some powd sugar to it and stiffen it up or put some in the fridge and let it firm up a bit.

It tastes great on graham crackers, too! icon_razz.gif

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rocketmom1985 Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 1:35am
post #5 of 34

Is this bc available at all Sam's clubs? I have never seen it on the shelf, however, I never really "looked" for it. Or should I call my local sams and see if it is available before making the trip? They also sell 8lb red and black? Wow, I didn't know that! icon_surprised.gif I live in the Rio Grande Valley and I am just a hobbiest so I can't buy wholesale. Does Sam's carry shortening other than Crisco?

thanks

forgot to ask...is it vanilla flavored? Do you add butter and vanilla or almond extract to make it taste better. I don't recall having had anything from Sams in a while but I kinda remember not liking the frosting! icon_eek.gif

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sweet_teeth Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 1:57am
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I'm so excited this thread came up today! I just found out I have a sam's about 45 min away from me and I was going to buy some.

What is the buttercream called? I thought they had a few different options; I rather the sweeter one. If I recall correctly, Sam's club sells both bettercream AND buttercream, right?

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CookiezNCupcakez Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 2:13am
post #7 of 34

I'm in Ontario Canada... I wonder if our sam's club has the same thing?? How much do u pay per bucket?Great info thanks thumbs_up.gif

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eldag0615 Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 2:20am
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Hi Rocketmom, I also live in the Rio Grande Valley and have bought the Richs Bettercream there, they also sell the bc buckets there, don't know the price, I have also bought there boxes for the cakes, they have the ones for the 1/2 sheet cakes and also inserts that go in that box that holds 30 cupcakes. I have also bought there the Americolor 13.5 oz. and they also sell the frozen cakes in boxes of 10 I think. I imagine they taste the same as the ones they sell. they sell the 1/4 sheets, don't remember about the 1/2 ones and they do sell the 10" circles too. They also sell those gumpaste flower bouquets 4 in each box for 14.95 box. You need to talk to the lady in charge, sometimes the other ones don't know. I know because I asked out of curiosity and the lady told me everything they can sell.
BTW, I don't but the frosting there anymore, there is a place in Weslaco called: Mr. Bakery, is a tiny place, if you blink, you miss it, and they have bakery supplies, in large or small quantities., boxes, flour, bettercream, satin fondant, chocolate bettercream, don't know if he sells buttercream. If you want the phone number you can pm any time.

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roxxxy_luvs_duff Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 2:34am
post #9 of 34

I have used the Sams Icing in the past and still do for anything i do with color for decorations. I have also bought the black and red frosting and use it for small decorations and writing. It taste really bad so I wouldnt use a lot of in it one spot. I never had a problem with it bleeding but I do put all fo my cakes in the fridge.

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m1m Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 2:43am
post #10 of 34

Could you make a batch of your own icing-stiff enough for roses- and store it in a big tub in your freezer?

We have a deep freeze and I do that with other things. icon_razz.gif

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clmiller1206 Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 3:11am
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I used to make my own buttercream, but decided to try the 5 gallon bucket from Sam's to save time and money when my orders picked up a little. It was cheap enough that I wouldn't feel bad about using it just for practice if it wasn't very good. I added a little butter and almond flavorings and it tastes really good, and now my customers prefer it. It is invaluable to me to not have powdered sugar everywhere and to spend my time decorating instead of making icing. Plus, the 28 pound bucket only costs about $30 - I certainly can't make it for that.

I'm definitely not a professional and I know there are lots of folks that have more knowledge than myself and may comment about how awful it is and full of stuff that is bad for you. But...who ever said that ANY buttercream was GOOD for you? icon_smile.gif

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newmansmom2004 Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 3:13am
post #12 of 34
Quote:
Originally Posted by alexandrabill

What is the buttercream called? I thought they had a few different options; I rather the sweeter one. If I recall correctly, Sam's club sells both bettercream AND buttercream, right?




The buttercream is called Spred-N-Fill or something like that and you ask for it back in the bakery. It's a basic vanilla type buttercream. Comes in large buckets - like 25 lbs. or something like that. Our price down here is around $26 and change for a bucket and it lasts a long time. I think you can also get colored buttercream but I've never used that.

The only problem I have is that the lid is hard to get off so I usually take the icing out of the Sam's bucket and fill up 3-4 gallon size plastic ice cream containers and then give the bucket to hubby to use in the garage if he needs it or we toss it.

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sweet_teeth Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 3:22am
post #13 of 34

Thanks for the quick reply newsmansmom! So you like the taste of it? I'm thinking i'm going to go there and try it out tomorrow!

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shanasweets Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 3:25am
post #14 of 34

our sams use to carry these buckets out by the bakery, but then all of a sudden it was gone. I almost freaked. But when I asked she said I could still get just ask behind the bakery desk. I find it very soft, and have not had good luck with roses. Matter a fact, I always add more powder sugar and vanilla to it when I get it. I find it more sweet tasting than flavor, so I have added other flavorings also.

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poppyseed Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 3:27am
post #15 of 34

I just finished my first cake using Sam's Club icing, it did crust fine for simple flowers, I didn't try the rose yet. You ask for it in the bakery dept. I paid $19.99 for a bucket. I was not aware there is a chocolate as well. So thanks for that info. I didn't add any flavors, because I wanted to try it "straight", next time I will add to it.

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dance2874 Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 3:27am
post #16 of 34

Does anyone know what the 5 and 8 pound buckets generally sell for? I am thinking it may be nice to have on hand if it is cheap enough since it keeps so long.

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Marianna46 Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 4:44am
post #17 of 34

I had no idea Sam's sold icing! I hope they do here in Mexico, too, but I have found that they are rather strange about selling ingredients they use in their recipes (I tried to buy wasabi and ginger for my own sushi - or even a decent amount for the sushi they sell - and they almost had a fit that I would ask for such a thing. Well, I guess I could try. What do all my friends who post to the Spanish version of CC have to say about this? Anybody know? How about CostCo?

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KHalstead Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 6:38pm
post #18 of 34

I just bought some today it was $31.16 for a 28 lb. bucket of Buttercreme Spread n' fill.....the stuff that's 19.99 is the whipped icing (Rich's Bettercreme) and needs to be kept refrigerated or frozen. The spread n' fill needs NO refrigeration and is good at room temp. in the sealed bucket for up to 6 months according to the label. I go through 1 of these buckets a week generally so I'm quite familair with it LOL. Everytime I open the bucket my kids inhale and go....."mmmmmmmmmmmm" LOL Also when I open a cake box to show the customer when they pick it up they inhale and go "mmmmmmmmmmm" it has a very wonderful vanilla aroma to it!! It's very sweet, but it does taste good and isn't greasy feeling IMO in your mouth.

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dance2874 Posted 30 Jan 2009 , 6:42pm
post #19 of 34

So once it is open, then what? I wouldnt use 28pds of it that fast. It would probably take me 3 months. How would it be stored then?

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Callyssa Posted 31 Jan 2009 , 5:07am
post #20 of 34

Oops, sorry I didn't thank everyone! I guess I'm going to give it a try. I ended up making the red and black this time, but it would definitely be nice not to have to mix those colors.

I've been using Sugarshacks bc and LOVE the results I get from it; does anyone know how this compares? It looks really smooth, but does it work as well as Sharon's?

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cakecrazy09 Posted 31 Jan 2009 , 5:26am
post #21 of 34

I bought this today and it's really thin. I added PS but it's too thin for roses. Any suggestions to stiffen it up?

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roxxxy_luvs_duff Posted 31 Jan 2009 , 8:19am
post #22 of 34

They also sell there cream cheese frosting. i have used the chocolate and its better than the regular BC. I think the small colored buckets run $10-12 depending on the color.

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cylstrial Posted 31 Jan 2009 , 10:26pm
post #23 of 34

I too, had no idea that Sam's sold icing by the bucket! Thanks for sharing! I'll have to go and check it out.. because making icing is such a pain!

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dance2874 Posted 1 Feb 2009 , 6:18am
post #24 of 34

OK, I had to get some today after reading this.

I bought a small bucket (8 pounds) for $10 and some change. It was fantastic! They only sell the colors in the small bucket though (or at least my store only does) and I cant store a large bucket easily so I just got the color I was needing for today. It was kind of soft, so I would probably have to thicken it some to make anything detailed, but it worked really well for just basic decorating.

Woohoo! I will never mix colors again, especially RED!

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SusanaDalia Posted 1 Feb 2009 , 8:37am
post #25 of 34

I am also curious if Costco sells it if anyone knows? Also, what sizes and prices if they do?

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dance2874 Posted 1 Feb 2009 , 2:35pm
post #26 of 34

I had been told at one time that they do but I dont know the prices. I actually like the taste of their buttercream better but there isnt one as close to me.

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mbt4955 Posted 1 Feb 2009 , 4:12pm
post #27 of 34

I've recently seen buttercream at my Sam's. It is sitting out with the baked goods and breads. It is labeled "buttercream" and comes in two different size containers. Is this what all of you are using or is it something that you have to request from the bakery? I haven't asked them about Bettercreme yet, but I don't think it is available in Texas.

Any of you Texas bakers know if our Sam's stores carry the bettercreme? I may buy the smaller bucket of "buttercream" and give it a try. I can always use it for practice and I'll have a bucket in case I need to store something!

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Marianna46 Posted 1 Feb 2009 , 4:28pm
post #28 of 34

I just bought a small carton of Bettercreme in a CostCo here in Mexico City. I don't know if they sell it in larger sizes. It's not anything like buttercream icing, but more like a stabilized whipped cream. It's the first "cream" I would ever consider using for icing a cake in whipped cream, because it seems thick enough to hold its shape and not turn to milk with foam after a few hours. It's also quite tasty.

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mbt4955 Posted 1 Feb 2009 , 4:32pm
post #29 of 34

Bettercreme has quite a fan club here on CC. You can spend days reading about all the different ways to use it. I just wish it was available where I am ... icon_sad.gif

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dance2874 Posted 1 Feb 2009 , 4:48pm
post #30 of 34

mbt4955- I am in TX too. I asked at the bakery for it because I wasn't sure of where to find it and I wanted pink. I am not sure if it is out someplace else in the store or not. It was labeled But-r-creme, lol. I looked but didnt see the bettercreme anyways.

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