Omgosh! Really????

Decorating By soldiernurse Updated 11 Jul 2014 , 7:01pm by kakeladi

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soldiernurse Posted 8 Jul 2014 , 5:56pm
post #1 of 20

ok, I'm a newbie and I want to learn from this....I am making a red, white and blue cake for work and for the first time, I used "I am Baker's" Perfect Crusting Buttercream which uses:

  • Crusting Buttercream
  •  
  • 1 bag powder sugar (two pounds or about eight cups)
  •  
  • 1 cup shortening (I used original Crisco)
  •  
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract (use clear if want white frosting)
  •  
  • 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup milk

 

anyways, I used a shortening which has 0.5mg of transfat as opposed to the 0 transfat as stressed by one popular baker [can't remember name now]. I had intended to purchase Americolor but store was closed so I had to use Wilton therefore I had to use A LOT and still was not dark enough. It was when I was mixing the color in that  noticed a white residue in the bottom of the bowl. At first i though it was unmixed white cake batter,but when I bagged the final product, it look speckled. I realized that it was the shortening! Why did this happen???

 

 

you can't tell it with the white obviously, so I didn't show those.. I know it's not the recipe but me.  I have always used SMBC or AMC with no problems using butter. This is the first time I have ever used shortening because I wanted to make sure the icing was stiff enough for the roses to stay on the cake. Please tell me what I did wrong.

19 replies
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MBalaska Posted 8 Jul 2014 , 6:08pm
post #2 of 20

Soldiernurse, The same exact thing happened to me.  I used that recipe that you posted and made practice icing.  Put in blue gel coloring and everything looked fine at first.  I just wanted to make practice flower cupcakes with the fondant buttons - painted gold and glazed with corn syrup/vodka.

 

look closely at the petals and you can see that the icing also separated exactly like yours.  I normally use an all butter AMBC or SMBC so this never happens for cakes I make that leave my house.  This was the first time that I used this recipe.

 

My guess is that this icing recipe  would be better with a powdered food coloring. IDK! :(

 

Square cupcakes, AMB buttercream, fondant gold centers.  I like the look of the Swiss Meringue Buttercream flowers the best.

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soldiernurse Posted 8 Jul 2014 , 6:24pm
post #3 of 20

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBalaska 
 

Soldiernurse, The same exact thing happened to me.  I used that recipe that you posted and made practice icing.  Put in blue gel coloring and everything looked fine at first.  I just wanted to make practice flower cupcakes with the fondant buttons - painted gold and glazed with corn syrup/vodka.

 

look closely at the petals and you can see that the icing also separated exactly like yours.  I normally use an all butter AMBC or SMBC so this never happens for cakes I make that leave my house.  This was the first time that I used this recipe.

 

My guess is that this icing recipe  would be better with a powdered food coloring. IDK! :(

 

Square cupcakes, AMB buttercream, fondant gold centers.  I like the look of the Swiss Meringue Buttercream flowers the best.

 

 

do you think that it's the recipe?

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MBalaska Posted 8 Jul 2014 , 6:28pm
post #4 of 20

I don't know.  I've never used it before in my decades of cake making.  And NEVER will again.

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mattyeatscakes Posted 8 Jul 2014 , 6:56pm
post #5 of 20

ABeat the shortening like crazy! To break it down. If i remember correctly, maybe for about 10 mins. Also i have read about this problem before in this forum, i think the speckled look is due to the milk. If you go search in the archives maybe you can find the answer.

Also i make rosette cakes all the time using SMBC without any problems. Good luck :)

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TheItalianBaker Posted 8 Jul 2014 , 7:15pm
post #6 of 20

I had the same thing happening to me with a different recipe (1c butter, 3 cups ps..)..

I actually think it's the amount of color! I had to make red buttercream and I use Americolor super red.. anyways it came out like yours.. I have no idea why or how, but last time I made red again I mixed the color by hand with a spatula and it was just fine..

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kakeladi Posted 8 Jul 2014 , 8:19pm
post #7 of 20

That recipe has way too much liquid.  That's what is causing the color results you are getting.  It also is very low in fat content so it's not going to be a creamy, tasty icing :(  I suggest you try this recipe:  http://cakecentral.com/a/2-icing

 

..........I had to make red buttercream and I use Americolor super red.. anyways it came out like yours......

Not really - it's just too much liquid :(

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soldiernurse Posted 8 Jul 2014 , 8:21pm
post #8 of 20

thanks..wonder why the directions doesn't say that??? Newbies like me need to know this!

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judyz Posted 8 Jul 2014 , 8:24pm
post #9 of 20

This is the Wilton recipe for non-refrigerated icing.

 

2 lb. bag powdered sugar

1 c. shortening

1/2 c. water - don't use milk

1 teaspoon vanilla - clear for white icing, regular for ivory icing

 

I agree with another posting - it is probably the milk that is the culprit. Also, this icing is very sensitive to temperature, so do not let it get too warm.

 

Hope this helps.

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ellavanilla Posted 8 Jul 2014 , 9:30pm
post #10 of 20

FYI, OP, IMBC and SMBC work just fine with rosettes. It's all I use and i've made a ton of those. 

jen

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SweetP Posted 8 Jul 2014 , 10:07pm
post #11 of 20

AThe only time that happened to me was when I used an all shortening icing with a good amount of water added and lots of a dark color. I don't use that recipe anymore.

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FrostedMoon Posted 8 Jul 2014 , 11:51pm
post #12 of 20

I use half shortening and half butter, with a ratio of 2 cups butter/shortening to 2lb sugar and only 3-4 tablespoons of milk.  I also use americolor gels to color.   I also whip the shortening for a really long time before adding the butter.  This separation happens when water comes in contact with the frosting.  It might be due to condensation, smoothing cold frosting with a hot edge, or even washing a bowl with frosting remnants (it turns white almost like the color is being washed out).  It also happens if the frosting sits in a piping bag in the fridge for a while, but not a bowl, and has never separated on cupcakes if it's uniform in color when piped.  Hopefully changing the ratios of fat to liquid will help.

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soldiernurse Posted 9 Jul 2014 , 2:09pm
post #13 of 20

Quote:

Originally Posted by kakeladi 
 

That recipe has way too much liquid.  That's what is causing the color results you are getting.  It also is very low in fat content so it's not going to be a creamy, tasty icing :(  I suggest you try this recipe:  http://cakecentral.com/a/2-icing

 

..........I had to make red buttercream and I use Americolor super red.. anyways it came out like yours......

Not really - it's just too much liquid :(

 

 

I only used 4 oz of full fat milk..not the 3/4 cup.

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kakeladi Posted 9 Jul 2014 , 9:47pm
post #14 of 20

Only enough liquid is needed to get the consistency you want - usually around 2 to 4 Tablespoons. 

Yes, lots of paste color - especially dark colors - added can also contribute to this problem.  The combination of coloring & too mu ch liquid is what is going on here.

*ANY* liquid can be used.  Does not matter if it is water, milk, juice, booze or anything else.  Some people think milk will spoil but there is soooo much sugar ratio to milk it will not be a problem.  In fact for years I used UNflavored (plain) yogurt instead of any other liquid.  Try it - you'll be surprised at how it improves the taste of icing:)  For those who don't like yogurt no, you will *not* taste it at all.

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soldiernurse Posted 10 Jul 2014 , 2:44pm
post #15 of 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by kakeladi 
 

Only enough liquid is needed to get the consistency you want - usually around 2 to 4 Tablespoons.

Yes, lots of paste color - especially dark colors - added can also contribute to this problem.  The combination of coloring & too mu ch liquid is what is going on here.

*ANY* liquid can be used.  Does not matter if it is water, milk, juice, booze or anything else.  Some people think milk will spoil but there is soooo much sugar ratio to milk it will not be a problem.  In fact for years I used UNflavored (plain) yogurt instead of any other liquid.  Try it - you'll be surprised at how it improves the taste of icing:)  For those who don't like yogurt no, you will *not* taste it at all.

 

 

wow, ok, I did use more liquid than that but even at that, it was a  bit dry and unspreadable..it was piping ok but the roses fell off the cake so rather than toss the entire cake, I decided to spread it and it was tearing the cake--I was soooo frustrated that I didn't take a picture but everyone raved about it [after I finally brought it out at the end of the luncheon] and how good it tasted. It just wasn't what I wanted it to be. I know that I could do better and I have. Just trying to find out what I did wrong here. I will try the recipe by you. Does anyone else have any other suggestions/recipes????? I need a buttercream that will pipe and hold roses over an entire cake.

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soldiernurse Posted 10 Jul 2014 , 4:52pm
post #16 of 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by kakeladi 
 

Only enough liquid is needed to get the consistency you want - usually around 2 to 4 Tablespoons.

Yes, lots of paste color - especially dark colors - added can also contribute to this problem.  The combination of coloring & too mu ch liquid is what is going on here.

*ANY* liquid can be used.  Does not matter if it is water, milk, juice, booze or anything else.  Some people think milk will spoil but there is soooo much sugar ratio to milk it will not be a problem.  In fact for years I used UNflavored (plain) yogurt instead of any other liquid.  Try it - you'll be surprised at how it improves the taste of icing:)  For those who don't like yogurt no, you will *not* taste it at all.

 

 

wow, ok, I did use more liquid than that but even at that, it was a  bit dry and unspreadable..it was piping ok but the roses fell off the cake so rather than toss the entire cake, I decided to spread it and it was tearing the cake--I was soooo frustrated that I didn't take a picture but everyone raved about it [after I finally brought it out at the end of the luncheon] and how good it tasted. It just wasn't what I wanted it to be. I know that I could do better and I have. Just trying to find out what I did wrong here. I will try the

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soldiernurse Posted 10 Jul 2014 , 7:07pm
post #17 of 20

one by kakeladi..does any else have any suggestions?

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kakeladi Posted 10 Jul 2014 , 7:29pm
post #18 of 20

Have you tried the 2 of everything recipe?   I posted the link in this thread.  

I really think that recipe you used is totally off base.  It does not have enough fat in it to make a nice, tasty, spreadable, pipeable icing.  You need a ratio of fat to sugar for that.  The recipe you mentioned has way more sugar than fat (whether you use butter, margarine,  shortening or combination). 

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SweetOutlaws Posted 11 Jul 2014 , 3:19am
post #19 of 20

I made a buttercream recipe and I had colored my frosting with Wilton and it turned out the same way, and I only have 2% milk at home, and the recipe called for milk, is this why my frosting looked grainy? My recipe didn't call for shortening just PS, Vanilla, Butter, and Milk...Is the reason why my frosting looked that way because my milk wasn't whole milk? 

 

I thought it was my butter being way too soft.

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kakeladi Posted 11 Jul 2014 , 7:01pm
post #20 of 20

Sweetoutlaws - It does not matter/make any difference whether water, juice, non-fat, 2% or whole milk *OR ANY OTHER LIQUID* is used.  Using milk might give the icing a *very slight* taste difference.

One can use shortening, or margarine for all or part of the butter.  Using all butter makes for a softer finished icing that might melt on the cake if in a hot, humid location.  Using part shortening helps prevent that.

 

........made a buttercream recipe......my frosting looked grainy.........

 

Usually that is due to excessive liquid and/or over beating.  Yes, long, slow mixing can improve some icing recipes - but it needs to be slow - the slowest speed your mixer has.  If you read my '2 of everything' recipe that's how that icing works. And there is NO liquid added! :)   Many other recipes would be improved if they were mixed slowly for a longer time.  And most icing recipes would be improved if more flavoring were added :)

 

 

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