I've been trying to figure out the cake decorator icing of one of my
favorite local bakeries. I started out with 'Wilton's Decorator Icing'
recipe (I found it on one of their pans).

I modified this recipe by adding an additional 1 and 1/2 tsp of vanilla, but
it didn't seem the same when I did a taste test. I'm thinking that I have
too much powdered sugar. It seems pasty.

I'm wondering if the Wilton's recipe is a cheapened form of icing. It seems
like they cheapen and extend the icing by adding additional cups of powdered
sugar, each with an additional tablespoon of milk. Maybe by eliminating
several cups of powdered sugar and tbsp of milk I'll have the right recipe.


W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)

Christopher M. wrote:
> I've been trying to figure out the cake decorator icing of one of my
> favorite local bakeries. I started out with 'Wilton's Decorator Icing'
> recipe (I found it on one of their pans).
>
> I modified this recipe by adding an additional 1 and 1/2 tsp of
> vanilla, but it didn't seem the same when I did a taste test. I'm
> thinking that I have too much powdered sugar. It seems pasty.
>
> I'm wondering if the Wilton's recipe is a cheapened form of icing. It
> seems like they cheapen and extend the icing by adding additional
> cups of powdered sugar, each with an additional tablespoon of milk.
> Maybe by eliminating several cups of powdered sugar and tbsp of milk
> I'll have the right recipe.
>
> W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)

You can assume that any Wilton icing is poor quality, IMHO. Try asking your
question on the message board at www.sugarcraft.com. The people there are
professional cake decorators and are likely to have some insight into what
your bakery does that you like.

Janet Puistonen wrote:
> Christopher M. wrote:
>> I've been trying to figure out the cake decorator icing of one of my
>> favorite local bakeries. I started out with 'Wilton's Decorator Icing'
>> recipe (I found it on one of their pans).
>>
>> I modified this recipe by adding an additional 1 and 1/2 tsp of
>> vanilla, but it didn't seem the same when I did a taste test. I'm
>> thinking that I have too much powdered sugar. It seems pasty.
>>
>> I'm wondering if the Wilton's recipe is a cheapened form of icing. It
>> seems like they cheapen and extend the icing by adding additional
>> cups of powdered sugar, each with an additional tablespoon of milk.
>> Maybe by eliminating several cups of powdered sugar and tbsp of milk
>> I'll have the right recipe.
>>
>> W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)
>
> You can assume that any Wilton icing is poor quality, IMHO. Try asking your
> question on the message board at www.sugarcraft.com. The people there are
> professional cake decorators and are likely to have some insight into what
> your bakery does that you like.


The site promotes Wilton products, so perhaps the group of professionals
does not share Janet's opinion

Any good recipe for butter cream frosting should suit your purposes. It
could be, however, that your bakery's "decorator icing" (whatever you
mean by that) is actually meringue-based icing -- apples and oranges.

Also, if you're adding an additional teaspoon and a half of vanilla to a
butter cream, you're overdoing the vanilla and the icing will never
taste right.

And please remember that when trying to emulate the pros, we poor
consumers have neither the trade savvy nor the stabilizers and flavor
enhancing ingredients that our palates have learned to expect and
recognize in "good" product. So, in a lot of ways, we have learned to
expect lesser quality and often dislike it when we get something
unfamiliar though better.

Christopher M. wrote:
> I've been trying to figure out the cake decorator icing of one of my
> favorite local bakeries. I started out with 'Wilton's Decorator Icing'
> recipe (I found it on one of their pans).
>
> I modified this recipe by adding an additional 1 and 1/2 tsp of vanilla, but
> it didn't seem the same when I did a taste test. I'm thinking that I have
> too much powdered sugar. It seems pasty.
>
> I'm wondering if the Wilton's recipe is a cheapened form of icing. It seems
> like they cheapen and extend the icing by adding additional cups of powdered
> sugar, each with an additional tablespoon of milk. Maybe by eliminating
> several cups of powdered sugar and tbsp of milk I'll have the right recipe.
>
>
> W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)

Many commercial bakeries use a nondairy type of whipped product as
their cake frosting. Others use a commercial shortening that is not
available to the public in small quantities.
I never use milk in my butter cream since this limits the amount of
time the product can be left unrefrigerated. The Wilton recipe uses
white shortening only and I use half margarine and half Crisco. I also
use a combination of clear vanilla, butter and lemon flavoring. My
frosting is not as white as the Wilton frosting but it definetly tastes
better.

Frequently commercial bakeries don't use vanilla as their flavoring in
frosting. There are flavoring mixtures that they use that combine
several different flavors and again are not available except in very
large quantities (One I know of is only available in 50 gallon
barrels!)

Hope this helps.
Oleta

wrote:

> I never use milk in my butter cream since this limits the amount of
> time the product can be left unrefrigerated. The Wilton recipe uses
> white shortening only and I use half margarine and half Crisco.

How can you call something "buttercream" if it has neither butter nor
cream in it?
I wouldn't bat an eye at leaving butter cream with a smidgeon of milk
unrefrigerated. I've never heard of that being a problem.

On Mon, 01 Jan 2007 20:01:10 GMT, "Christopher M."
> wrote:

>I've been trying to figure out the cake decorator icing of one of my
>favorite local bakeries. I started out with 'Wilton's Decorator Icing'
>recipe (I found it on one of their pans).
>
>I modified this recipe by adding an additional 1 and 1/2 tsp of vanilla, but
>it didn't seem the same when I did a taste test. I'm thinking that I have
>too much powdered sugar. It seems pasty.

Try searching rfc (via Google) using both search terms "buttercream
frosting" and "syrup." You will pull up recipes for the classic
buttercream which is more involved and smoother than Wilton's
decorator frosting. It also uses eggs. You'll also get posts which
give hints about making same. That frosting might not be as vibrant
for decorating with colors but will have a smoother texture.
Sometimes there is a taste v. appearance and working ease trade-off
with cake decorating.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

Christopher M. wrote:
> I've been trying to figure out the cake decorator icing of one of my
> favorite local bakeries. I started out with 'Wilton's Decorator Icing'
> recipe (I found it on one of their pans).
>
> I modified this recipe by adding an additional 1 and 1/2 tsp of vanilla, but
> it didn't seem the same when I did a taste test. I'm thinking that I have
> too much powdered sugar. It seems pasty.
>
> I'm wondering if the Wilton's recipe is a cheapened form of icing. It seems
> like they cheapen and extend the icing by adding additional cups of powdered
> sugar, each with an additional tablespoon of milk. Maybe by eliminating
> several cups of powdered sugar and tbsp of milk I'll have the right recipe.
>
>
> W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)
You should try making an Italian Buttercream. No powdered sugar
involved, and it tastes so much better, as long as you don't put it on
too thickly. Use unsalted butter, the best you can find- Plugra if you
can find it. It is also very nice to work with.

Pennyaline wrote:
> Janet Puistonen wrote:
>> Christopher M. wrote:
>>> I've been trying to figure out the cake decorator icing of one of my
>>> favorite local bakeries. I started out with 'Wilton's Decorator
>>> Icing' recipe (I found it on one of their pans).
>>>
>>> I modified this recipe by adding an additional 1 and 1/2 tsp of
>>> vanilla, but it didn't seem the same when I did a taste test. I'm
>>> thinking that I have too much powdered sugar. It seems pasty.
>>>
>>> I'm wondering if the Wilton's recipe is a cheapened form of icing.
>>> It seems like they cheapen and extend the icing by adding additional
>>> cups of powdered sugar, each with an additional tablespoon of milk.
>>> Maybe by eliminating several cups of powdered sugar and tbsp of milk
>>> I'll have the right recipe.
>>>
>>> W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)
>>
>> You can assume that any Wilton icing is poor quality, IMHO. Try
>> asking your question on the message board at www.sugarcraft.com. The
>> people there are professional cake decorators and are likely to have
>> some insight into what your bakery does that you like.
>
>
> The site promotes Wilton products, so perhaps the group of
> professionals does not share Janet's opinion

You are incorrect. Sugarcraft does sell some Wilton products, but they are a
fraction of its vast offerings. The people who post on the message board
neither promote nor particularly like Wilton products. Especially icings
such as Wilton fondant.

>
> Any good recipe for butter cream frosting should suit your purposes.

No, it won't. Bakeries generally don't use "good" recipes for buttercream
icing. (See The Cake Bible for examples of "good" recipes. All butter.
Expensive liqueurs. Neither of which you will find in the typical bakery.)
Most of them use mixes and shortenings available to the trade other than
butter. That's why, if her goal is to duplicate something a bakery does,
she's better off consulting someone who works in that kind of venue.

> It could be, however, that your bakery's "decorator icing" (whatever
> you mean by that) is actually meringue-based icing -- apples and
> oranges.
There are meringue-based buttercreams.

> And please remember that when trying to emulate the pros, we poor
> consumers have neither the trade savvy nor the stabilizers and flavor
> enhancing ingredients that our palates have learned to expect and
> recognize in "good" product. So, in a lot of ways, we have learned to
> expect lesser quality and often dislike it when we get something
> unfamiliar though better.

Exactly.

Janet Puistonen wrote:
> Pennyaline wrote:
> > Janet Puistonen wrote:
> >> Christopher M. wrote:
> >>> I've been trying to figure out the cake decorator icing of one of my
> >>> favorite local bakeries. I started out with 'Wilton's Decorator
> >>> Icing' recipe (I found it on one of their pans).
> >>>
> >>> I modified this recipe by adding an additional 1 and 1/2 tsp of
> >>> vanilla, but it didn't seem the same when I did a taste test. I'm
> >>> thinking that I have too much powdered sugar. It seems pasty.
> >>>
> >>> I'm wondering if the Wilton's recipe is a cheapened form of icing.
> >>> It seems like they cheapen and extend the icing by adding additional
> >>> cups of powdered sugar, each with an additional tablespoon of milk.
> >>> Maybe by eliminating several cups of powdered sugar and tbsp of milk
> >>> I'll have the right recipe.
> >>>
> >>> W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)
> >>
> >> You can assume that any Wilton icing is poor quality, IMHO. Try
> >> asking your question on the message board at www.sugarcraft.com. The
> >> people there are professional cake decorators and are likely to have
> >> some insight into what your bakery does that you like.
> >
> >
> > The site promotes Wilton products, so perhaps the group of
> > professionals does not share Janet's opinion
>
> You are incorrect. Sugarcraft does sell some Wilton products, but they are a
> fraction of its vast offerings. The people who post on the message board
> neither promote nor particularly like Wilton products. Especially icings
> such as Wilton fondant.
>
> >
> > Any good recipe for butter cream frosting should suit your purposes.
>
> No, it won't. Bakeries generally don't use "good" recipes for buttercream
> icing. (See The Cake Bible for examples of "good" recipes. All butter.
> Expensive liqueurs. Neither of which you will find in the typical bakery.)
> Most of them use mixes and shortenings available to the trade other than
> butter. That's why, if her goal is to duplicate something a bakery does,
> she's better off consulting someone who works in that kind of venue.
>
> > It could be, however, that your bakery's "decorator icing" (whatever
> > you mean by that) is actually meringue-based icing -- apples and
> > oranges.
> There are meringue-based buttercreams.
>
> > And please remember that when trying to emulate the pros, we poor
> > consumers have neither the trade savvy nor the stabilizers and flavor
> > enhancing ingredients that our palates have learned to expect and
> > recognize in "good" product. So, in a lot of ways, we have learned to
> > expect lesser quality and often dislike it when we get something
> > unfamiliar though better.
>
> Exactly.
I used to work in a wonderful bakery that did do things a little
different- we used butter in our buttercream frosting, and it was not
your typical bakery frosting- it was good! Unfortunately, the owner
died, and the bakery was eventually sold by her husband that she was in
the process of divorcing. He sold to a couple of gals who just wanted
to make money, and they changed their formulas to cut costs. It's so
sad that people don't demand better. I myself am willing to spend more
for quality, but there are too many others who won't.