Pro tip: a judge at the county fair told me my buttercream was 'gritty' and I almost quit right there
I entered my chocolate cake in the Pueblo county fair back in August and one of the judges pulled me aside after the ribbon thing. She said my buttercream felt gritty on the tongue and asked if I sifted my powdered sugar. I said no, who sifts that stuff, and she just looked at me. Went home, made the same recipe, sifted it twice, and the difference was honestly night and day. Now I sift every single time, even for a quick batch of cupcakes, and it adds maybe 90 seconds to the whole deal. Anyone else get a critique that stung at first but ended up making you better at something basic you thought you had down?