WTF have Tate & Lyle done to icing sugar?

[RagingWhoreBag]

Just made a birthday cake and the buttercream is even more vile than it usually is It’s grainy and gritty, like the start of making a cake when you mix the butter and sugar.

WTAF have they done? Just googled Gritty Icing Sugar and apparently they’ve changed the caking agent to make it less likely to clump. They’re saying it will give a smoother icing as less likely to be lumps in it,land that it doesn’t affect the performance of it, but you can feel the sugar (or more likely the Maize they use as anti caking) crunching in your teeth like granulated sugar.

AIBU to feel like they’re gaslighting us by telling us that actually it’s a better product, when in fact it’s shit and has ruined cake making for me?

Will now have to faff about making Swiss meringue buttercream or some bollocks.

Bloody fuming

It's been awful for years. Try Sainsburys own make, best Ive tried!

AuntieOxident and Rememberyourhat really?? In the blender? I am so going to try that. Any tips on how to stop icing sugar from floofing all over the place in the air when mixing?

If you mean when you’re making the actual buttercream or glacé icing by hand you could try holding a splatter screen over the mixing bowl; it’s not ideal as you have to hold it in place with one hand while using the other hand to do the mixing. but if you hold the screen a few inches above the bowl it should keep most of the clouds of icing sugar down.
(I have tried it, honestly!)
When using a stand mixer I have sort of draped a clean tea towel around and over it. Again, not ideal.
If you mean when you’re making the icing sugar from ordinary sugar in a blender just keep the lid on the machine. But I am easily confused.

Haha, all of the above!! Clouds of sugar leaving a fine mist all over the kitchen drives me nuts! I've used a damp tea towel over a mixer and even taken bowls outside until it gets to the creamy stage.

Use Silver Spoon instead.

I might try the Aldi one, athough I've been buying Silver Spoon for years.

If you have a stand mixer, beat the butter till its really light and creamy, then turn the mixer down as low as possible and add the sugar a spoonful at a time. When you've added quite a bit, turn up the speed to properly incorporate it, then down again and add more. I use the liddy thing that comes with the Kitchen Aid, but it doesn't all cloud up. Give it a good mix on a high speed once it's all added. Sounds like a faff, but it isn't really and its much less messy and gives a good result.

I use a hand mixer for mine and add about 1/3 at a time then mix for a few seconds without actually turning on the mixer. Then turn on. No more clouds. Also, don't bother with sieving anymore which also prevents the cloud. I always beat it for a long time to make it super creamy and any lumps are long gone.

I'm puzzled. I bake and buttercream a lot, using whichever icing sugar I find (T&L, SS, possibly Lidl) and haven't noticed any differences.

I use the little-by-little method: cream the butter, turn the Chef down to 1 to add a few spoons of icing sugar, then turn up high to beat in. Repeat until I think there's enough sugar. Beat in vanilla extract. Beat in liquid (milk/juice/liqueur) until the sweetened butter has emulsified into fluffy ambrosia.

It's never gritty this way. It's always gritty if I rush and add the sugar too fast.

My DD does fab buttercream, using a recipe and method she got from YouTube when she was 11.

As mentioned by others, she beats the butter for at least 5 mins before adding sugar bit by bit.

Works every time.

I've just made a load of buttercream icing and it's fine.
My sugar is Sainsbury's own brand.

So I'm not going mad....yeah😀 yes it's very gritty. Will give the Aldi one a try plus the method of adding the sugar a bit at a time 👍

Taking tips from Cadbury.

Possibly. Tate & Lyall sugar is no longer owned or made by the original British company Tate & Lyall plc, it's now owned by American Sugar Refining Inc.

They cynically supported Brexit, playing on their 'British' brand and conveniently forgetting to mention their self-interest in wanting to avoid import duty and quotas on the cane sugar they import in competition with UK & EU beet producers.

I've no idea about the quality of their icing sugar though...