Store bought icing vs. homemade icing

[smlewis00]

Do you prefer to make your icing homemade or buy it in the store?
Personally, it depends. If I am baking a cake and not decorating it (as in just a cake with a simple icing, no names written on it or flowers ect.) I like to make my own homemade icing. I like to play with food coloring and create something unique.
However, if I am decorating a cake, I like to buy store bought gel icings where I can get several colors of decorating icing in one package. That way it saves me some time in making a large variety of icing colors and I can have more fun drawing and experiementing with the icing.
What about you?

 

[cmckinney01]

It's so much easier to use store bought icing. However, like everything else that is store bought and not homemade, it doesn't taste that good. So if you have the time, make your own icing. You'll enjoy it more.

 

[edimzy]

Since I don't have an electric mixer, it's always best for me to buy it from the store. It's just quicker and less of a hassle when I do this. I also like the wide variety the store offers. Of I was to make my own icing, then I would probably only stick to the basic butter cream icing because to me it is the easiest icing to make and I like it the most. I have the icing and cake part of my cupcake good I just need to work on my piping skills and actually buy a piping bag.

 

[Geargirl113]

I prefer homemade icing if I have the time to make it. It just tastes better and I know the ingredients that are used in it. However, there are many times when I can not take the time to make icing and will use something from the store. It is not as good, but works in a pinch.

 

[Diprotodon]

I never buy store-bought icing anymore. Ever since I started making my own at home I've never looked back. Also, now that I've had both, the store-bought kinds taste WAY too overly sweet to me. I can barely handle them.

I also don't find making icing a very time consuming process so it's just worth it to me. I usually stick to a vegan version of a typical vanilla buttercream recipe, though, so I might change my tune if I was trying something more complicated.

 

[RobynB]

I have never bought store icing before, I have always just made it myself. I still wouldn't mind getting my hands on some store bought icing though, just to give it a whirl

 

[NThomas]

Both are fine, Unless I am making a really special flavor , like lemon bluberry or salted banna caramel I wil go a head and use store bought. You can add extras presonalize it. Sometimes it is not about making every littel ting form scratch it about where and how you choose to spend your time.

 

[Trellum]

It's too much trouble for me to make the icing, the only time I do make my own icing is when I am going to make carrot cake and need some legit cream cheese icing. The one from the store tastes nothing like the real thing!

 

[cupcakechef]

I much prefer making my own - it is a giant pain in the behind at times, and of course there are occasions when I turn to the convenience of an icing container that's pre-made and ready to go from the supermarket. However in saying that they are just so different in taste to me. When I make my own buttercream frosting, it's just more luxurious, it holds better on cakes and cupcakes, and the taste is far better (I guess anything that has a ton of sugar and butter in it has to be, right? It's science!)

 

[Zyni]

Homemade, all the way. The store bought kind can be convenient, but homemade always tastes better. I tend to prefer the texture of homemade as well. I've had to add powdered sugar to some of the store bought versions, to "stiffen" them up a little bit.

I also think the store option used to be a little bit better. They seem to be using cheaper ingredients these days, judging by the taste and texture. I guess that's why they are still cheap. Either way, homemade everything is better, if you ask me.

 

[CoolCat]

I generally buy store bought icing (on the rare occasions that I decide bake a cake) because I'm lazy and my husband thinks it tastes good. He can literally just eat a jar of it, and he's generally eating most of the cake since I'm more of a pie/pastry person myself. When I'm visiting my parents for holidays or parties I will help my mom out with the kitchen and I'll generally end up making some icing at some point, but that's after someone else has already done the annoying work of picking out the recipe and buying the ingredients! There's really no comparison taste-wise between store bought icing and homemade icing.

 

[ains]

Since I don't have an electric mixer, it's always best for me to buy it from the store. It's just quicker and less of a hassle when I do this. I also like the wide variety the store offers. Of I was to make my own icing, then I would probably only stick to the basic butter cream icing because to me it is the easiest icing to make and I like it the most. I have the icing and cake part of my cupcake good I just need to work on my piping skills and actually buy a piping bag.

I think you should buy a mixer personally I think It just makes everything easier!

 

[writersblock15]

I only use homemade.

 

[Margot Howe]

Home made for me. I don't like that overly sweet taste that the store bought has. If you have something huge to frost, the bakery in most larger stores will sell you a gallon bucket of their frosting. That's a lot and can be portioned out and quickly colored to your tastes. Just another weapon for your armory.

 

[AuntJamelle]

I'm half and half - sometimes I buy it and sometimes I make it. I bake several sheet can pans worth of cakes for a school fundraiser each year and it is more convenient to use store bought frosting for some of those. For my peanut butter sheet cake I do make the frosting.

One tip, you can warm the opened can of store bought frosting in the microwave for 10-15 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until it is warm enough to pour right on the sheet cake and then spread. Stick cake in the fridge to harden it up a bit and you are good to go!

I have a Ho Ho sheet cake recipe that I learned this trick with - that one you have to warm the frosting because it's going over a frozen layer of the white ho ho filling but it works well for any large flat cake really.

I've made buttercream and cream cheese frostings mostly. Caramel frosting from time to time although that can be trickier. But worth it!

 

[-Daniel-]

I'll only ever buy fondant, all other types of icing I'll make myself.

Mainly buttercreams, royal icing or the occasional cream cheese.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Yeah, I too, only purchase fondant. All else is homemade.

 

[SamHasStars]

I never buy store-bought icing anymore. Ever since I started making my own at home I've never looked back. Also, now that I've had both, the store-bought kinds taste WAY too overly sweet to me. I can barely handle them.

I also don't find making icing a very time consuming process so it's just worth it to me. I usually stick to a vegan version of a typical vanilla buttercream recipe, though, so I might change my tune if I was trying something more complicated.

Would you mind sharing it? I'm looking for a dairy-free icing recipe that isn't overly sweet.

 

[Abigail Wenderson]

I usually make icing at home if I have sufficient time or if I have less time for baking and need unique flavors I buy it from the store.