Help! My buttercream is grainy! Need it for tomorrow!!

Have you tried a UK buttercream recipe?

This is the type I'm talking about,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/basicbuttericing_73263

I made buttercream yesterday like this without the milk, and I beat it with a electic whisk until it was pale and smooth.

Hope that helps

is this a recipe with Dream Whip in it? it's my understanding that you have to whip the buttercream more than usual. if you want it a little smoother i would add something like heavy whipping cream or milk to get it creamier. JMO

After 2 long years of repeated posts and questions and talking to my experienced cake decorator friends and searching the internet, I finally found out why I cannot find any recipes that replicate the "supermarket" fudge frosting. I was finally able to find the reason I can't replicate the fudge frosting at home: commercial baking ingredients called "Fudge Base".

http://www.dawnfoods.com/Public/Dynamic/Products/ProductsCategory2.asp?cat0=17&cat1=51&PTid=2

http://www.dawnfoods.com/Public/Dynamic/Products/ProductsCategory2.asp?itemid=39381&init=1&cat0=17&cat1=46&PTid=2

Anyway, a lot of "grocery store" frostings are made commercially in HUGE amounts and sold in 40 lb. buckets. You are not going to get the same taste at home.
---------------------------------
However! You can make excellent buttercreams. If you live in a state where they still sell white shortening with trans-fats listed in the ingredients, buy that and use instead of Crisco. Crisco is trans-fat free.

Use one of these recipes:
BUNNYWOMAN'S CRUSTING BUTTERCREAM: (a lovely lady on Wilton.com)
http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=132579&STARTPAGE=1&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

BUNNYWOMAN'S CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM:
http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=135438

BUNNYWOMAN'S MOCK SHACK:
http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=135663&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

INDYDEBI CRISCO-BASED BUTTERCREAM--(Excellent for hot/humid areas):
(IndyDebi is a very experienced decorator/caterer: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/)
Single Batch Recipe:
1-1/3 cups Crisco (BETTER: store brand shortening with 3 grams of trans-fats, or BEST, a specialty cake supply product called high-ratio shortening. As of 2010 Crisco no longer contains trans-fats.)
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk, depending on consistency needed
3 Tbsp powdered Dream Whip (powdered whipped topping mix made by Kraft Foods)
2-3 Tbsp clear vanilla, depending on personal taste (optional: almond extract, or lemon extract )
2 lbs. powdered pure cane sugar
IndyDebi says: There's no wrong way to mix this. I usually mix all but the powdered sugar & milk for a minute or two, then gradually alternate the sugar & milk, but the only reason I do this is to avoid the "sugar-splash" factor. The longer the mixer runs, the smoother it gets. Sifting the powdered sugar before blending helps with smoothness but is not necessary.
NOTE: Based on recommendations from other users of her recipe: 1) I make a double batch so the beaters are totally immersed to avoid air bubbles, 2) I beat the shortening, milk, Dream Whip, and vanilla for 10-15 minutes BEFORE I add the powdered sugar. I refrigerate or freeze leftover icing.

If you like the buttercream that you've made and the issue is that it is grainy, I would add a tad more liquid (whatever the recipe called for--milk, cream, etc) and whip the daylights out of it with your mixer. It may take a couple of times of doing this, but that *should* take care of the problem of it being grainy. Good luck!