I've made the classic Wilton buttercream (from the website) a couple of times now and it always comes out grainy. Is this just the way it is or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks!
Caet

Are you using granulated sugar or powered sugar?

Domino 10x powdered sugar.

What kind of shortening are you using...Crisco or Hi-Ratio?

The Wilton receipe is pretty much my standard go-to receipe. I use Hi-Ratio though, and leave the mixer on for about 5 minutes or so. It's never grainy.

I use the generic shortening and I dont have a problem with mine. Are you putting enough water. Some times I have to put 2-3 more tablespoons of water because it's clumpy.

How long are you mixing it for?

Is your shortening cold? or room temp? also you should be mixing it on low speed this way you wont get alot of air bubbles in your BC.

Try adding a little bit of piping gel to help smooth it out

HTH

Oh and I found it works better for me if I cream the shortening then add the ps followed by the liquids.

Wow, thanks for all the help!
I'm using regular Crisco. Does Hi Ratio make that much of a difference? Where can I find it?
From reading things on here and on other sites, I think maybe I have 2 problems - my butter is too cold and I'm not mixing long enough.
And maybe I need a little more liquid.
So - back to the test kitchen! Boy, it's an awful job to have to test cupcakes and frosting, isn't it? LOL!

Hi. When I use hi-ratio shortening, my buttercream comes out much smoother and is much easier to work with on a cake. I think you'll really enjoy working with it.

I think it also depends on the recipe you're using. When I make the standard Wilton recipe, no matter how much creaming or mixing I do, there's still a hint of graininess to it. Not much, though, and I think most people wouldn't even notice it. (But then, I usually make SMBC or IMBC, and graininess is never an issue for me when I take the extra time to make these buttercreams.)

Good luck & happy baking!

Oh! I buy my hi-ratio shortening from www.candlylandcrafts.com. They are located in NJ. I'm guessing that due to the warmer weather they may not be able to ship it at this time of year. (No harm in asking, though!)