Why is buttercream frosting grainy

Especially when compared to a meringue buttercream where the sugar granules melt completely into the egg whites. The longer it sits, the grainier it becomes. The possibility of a grainy buttercream is higher in powdered sugar made from beet sugar. So, the next time you need to buy powdered sugar read the label and make sure you purchase powdered sugar made from cane sugar. Adding liquid- Don't be afraid to add liquid to your buttercream.

To preserve while in use: Depending on the weather and humidity, your buttercream may start to crust over. To avoid this, cover your frosting bowl with plastic wrap. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and vanilla. Blend in confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered until ready to decorate.

I can't imagine how buttercream could get grainy, and if it is a cooked frosting, like seven minute or boiled frosting, than I think it would have been cooked too long, and that there would be nothing to do, but start over or serve it grainy. Good buttercream frosting is smooth, not grainy or sandy. However, the way you mix and prepare your frosting can have a great impact upon its texture. The chief culprit in grainy frosting is powdered sugar.

Read the 7 Minute Frosting - Starts out Wonderful, then turns grainy! The main one is the temperature of the ingredients. Cold butter will not mix evenly with the sugar and it will create lumps. If you did not sift your powdered sugar it will also be difficult to dissolve evenly in the butter. Make sure your sugar is always lump-free before using it, as it tends to get humid and clump together.

Before getting into the tips, be mindful that maybe you are undermixing the frosting. Try mixing it a few more minutes on high.

The difference between grainy and creamy can take a little bit, but it does come eventually in most cases if you did not commit the aforementioned mistakes. If it does not fix itself, try one of the following hacks:. Adjust the temperature. If the bowl is too cold, you can wrap a hot towel around it or mix over a double boiler to warm everything up and hopefully melt the butter a little bit more.

If it is too hot because the butter you used was melted or runny or it is Summer, mix over an ice bath or add cold butter instead of room temperature butter. You can also try adding melted chocolate. This will, of course, change the flavor, but it can potentially save the mixture, as chocolate is an emulsifying agent that will help the fat and liquids bond. The difference between German and french styles is the inclusion of cooked starch in the pastry cream.

The last semi? American version which is probably easiest and does not include eggs is ermine buttercream I generally see this referred to in older recipes as trailer park frosting, so I wonder if it's German buttercream made without eggs because of poverty.

This requires cooking a pudding with water or milk, sugar, and starch, which also dissolves the sugar completely, giving a perfectly smooth texture. However due to the increased moisture content, and relatively low sugar,you should refrigerate this frosting if you plan to keep it more than a few days. If you seriously want to avoid cooking, you can experiment with using more shortening to replace part of the butter, and sugar syrup to replace part of the powdered sugar.

However I don't have as much experience with those ingredients. Good luck! Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. How can I keep my buttercream from becomming grainy? Ask Question. Asked 7 years, 1 month ago. Active 1 year, 3 months ago. Viewed k times. Improve this question. Cathy Bui Cathy Bui 41 1 1 gold badge 1 1 silver badge 3 3 bronze badges.

Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. This can have different reasons. Was the butter cold? I have been getting the best results with room-temperature butter. I hope one of these will help :. Improve this answer. Layna Layna 1, 1 1 gold badge 8 8 silver badges 12 12 bronze badges. Thomas Raywood Thomas Raywood 1, 9 9 silver badges 7 7 bronze badges.

Thanks for your answer!