Hi,

Okay, here I am trying to finish a cake to deliver tomorrow but they are not having it until Sunday.

First problem!!!! my BC is cracking!!!!! UGGGHHHH....what am I going to do? This is for a 1st birthday. I actually used Colette Peters recipe.

Second....it's a cake with monkeys...well, I just realized I did both tiers pink so now I am at a loss for colors to decorate with.

What is wrong with me?!?!?! This is a case of doing tooooooo many things at one time.

PLEASE HELP! It's late, I'm tired and my husband and I are supposed to be going away tomorrow for our anniversary. I don't think it's going to happen

This might help:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-43323-vinegar.html

sounds like your bc is to dry.try not to stress...i'm sure it will all work out. as for colours, mabey some white,cream,tan,yellow????

I love pink and brown so I think brown monkeys would look totally cute on a pink background. I also think that ivory / cream goes well with pink as well as a sage green.

For buttercream that cracks, it could be that your cake is not supported well enough so that as the support on the bottom gives a bit it causes the icing to crack. Also, for future reference, if you add a couple of drops of white vinegar to your BC icing, it helps eliminate the cracking. JUST a couple of drops, though, and you won't have any flavor impact.

Good luck! I can't wait to see your cute monkey cake!

I'll have to look up Colettes recipe, I have her books but have never made her icing. But I have found with Italian meringue buttercream, which is what I use, if the cake has been frozen or refrigerated I have to bring it to room temperature before icing or the buttercream will develope deep cracks in the surface. I am guessing it is because of the all butter getting too cold when it sits on a cold cake. If you think that might be the problem with yours try letting the cakes warm before icing. Once it is on the cake and it starts cracking like that there isn't much you can do. I have tried warming a spatula and going over the cracks, it helps, but within a few minutes the same crack will appear again. Maybe running a hot hair dryer back and forth over the cracked areas might help but not too long in any one spot or it will melt the icing to puddles.