That's It! I Give Up!!! I Hate Bc!!!
Decorating By mom2spunkynbug Updated 19 Sep 2008 , 5:16am by xstitcher
y'know mom2, I have had that same trouble when I mix more. (I got out of practice for awhile and didn't get my butter as soft as I needed it to be). I get much better results when I mix it on as low a speed as possible and make bigger batches, and only mix until it comes together good.
Sharon, I just purchased your fondant and stacking dvd's and I hope that they can help me with my biggest cake yet. My cousin requested a 3 tiered topsy-turvy cake for her 16th birthday. She didn't request just any design... no, she wants one similar to a Pink Cake Box cake.
My cousin wants a less sweet icing, similar in texture to whipped cream. I found a recipe that I've tried and tweaked for that, so now all I have to do is watch your videos and become a cake diva overnight.. LOL 
I'm not much better in the buttercream area. I lack the patience for it lately.
Good luck everyone!
GOOD LUCKK ERIN! i know you are going to rock it!
And hugs and prayers to you , the boys, and your family!
PM me if you have any questions!
Ok.....
I teach Wilton classes. When I use the Wilton buttercream & deomonstrate how to ice a cake it comes out beautifully!!!
When I use my own icing that I make at home & ice a cake it looks like I don't know what I'm doing!
Why is there such a big difference??
Ok.....
I teach Wilton classes. When I use the Wilton buttercream & deomonstrate how to ice a cake it comes out beautifully!!!
When I use my own icing that I make at home & ice a cake it looks like I don't know what I'm doing!
Why is there such a big difference??
LOL I did the opposite! I taught my first Wilton class last week and my cake looked like I never iced one before. I was telling the students how not to get crumbs in their cake and mine ended up with chocolate crumbs sticking out in quite a few places! At home that does NOT happen! GRRR! Actually I figured out that the Wilton class doesn't really go over crumb coating but I do that at home...will have to revise that this week for them.
Buttercream is alot harder for me, I prefer fondant cakes.
Ok.....
I teach Wilton classes. When I use the Wilton buttercream & deomonstrate how to ice a cake it comes out beautifully!!!
When I use my own icing that I make at home & ice a cake it looks like I don't know what I'm doing!
Why is there such a big difference??
LOL I did the opposite! I taught my first Wilton class last week and my cake looked like I never iced one before. I was telling the students how not to get crumbs in their cake and mine ended up with chocolate crumbs sticking out in quite a few places! At home that does NOT happen! GRRR! Actually I figured out that the Wilton class doesn't really go over crumb coating but I do that at home...will have to revise that this week for them.
Buttercream is alot harder for me, I prefer fondant cakes.
I always teach my students to do a crumbcoat..Some students can be very critical. If I do it in all my cakes why I wouldnt do it in my classroom.
Edna 
think it depends on where you live because the weather does play the biggest role in how icings and fondant turn out. For me wiltonsBC recipe (from their website) works better. MMF turns out better if I make it late at night and use it immediatly.
I just got the wilton book and noticed they have totally revised their butter cream recipe when I tried it this weekend for a anniversary cake I totally blotched it and had to re bake the cakes and use the butter cream recipe from Sugarshack. I love her butter cream now that I have figured out how to make it right in my mixer
Ok.....
I teach Wilton classes. When I use the Wilton buttercream & deomonstrate how to ice a cake it comes out beautifully!!!
When I use my own icing that I make at home & ice a cake it looks like I don't know what I'm doing!
Why is there such a big difference??
LOL I did the opposite! I taught my first Wilton class last week and my cake looked like I never iced one before. I was telling the students how not to get crumbs in their cake and mine ended up with chocolate crumbs sticking out in quite a few places! At home that does NOT happen! GRRR! Actually I figured out that the Wilton class doesn't really go over crumb coating but I do that at home...will have to revise that this week for them.
Buttercream is alot harder for me, I prefer fondant cakes.
I always teach my students to do a crumbcoat..Some students can be very critical. If I do it in all my cakes why I wouldnt do it in my classroom.
Edna
Yeah. It was my first class, and while I've been decorating for ten years, I am not used to teaching yet. haha. Probably won't get used to it, as I've found my schedule doesn't accomodate this as well as I originally thought, plus I have some surgery coming up...so I really will only be teaching two months before backing off again.
tonedna - do you make your own icing for your cakes?
Sugarshack, I was wondering how you adapt this recipe for chocolate buttercream because I have had no success. Normally I use my 4.5 quart mixer with 4.5 cups of shortening, 4.5lbs of powdered sugar, about 12 tbsp of liquid to make your regular buttercream. Thanks for your help! I love your recipe and your youtube video, though I am still working out some kinks but my bc is tastier and a better texture than ever before!@!!!! thanks
Tonedna, I just viewed some of your you tube videos today and learned so much! Thank you
This is chock full of info...and I thought I was the only one who can't ice a cake. Thanks for the tips!
I've just recently found an interesting method for smoothing cake tops. Actually, it's called something like upside down decorating. You start out by drawing a circle by placing your cake pan upside down and drawing around the edges. Then, tape parchment paper over this. Use your BC to frost the parchment paper 1/4 inch thick and cover the entire circle and about 1/4 inch outside of the lines. Place the bottom (what will actually be the top of the cake) centered in the circle, fill and place your next layer on. Pull parchment paper to edge of table/counter. Using a SPACKLING tool (from the hardware store) put a light crumb coat on the side of your cake. Slide it onto a cake circle and set in the refrigerator to harden.
Using the SPACKLING tool, put a smooth layer of icing on the side of your cake. The reason for using the spackling tool is so that it will work the icing right up against the cake all the way down to the parchment paper (it's necessary that your spackling tool is as wide as the depth of your cake-various sizes can be helpful). Any excess icing at the top of the cake can be smeared onto the top. You do not need to put a complete layer of icing on the top of the cake but a small amount will be helpful as this WILL BE the bottom of the cake and attached to your cake plate or cake circle. Set cake back in the fridge to harden.
Removing cake from the fridge, put your cake plate or cake circle on the top of the cake. Holding both the top and bottom firmly, quickly flip the cake upside down. Carefully remove the top cake circle and gently remove the parchment paper and you should have a perfectly smooth top to decorate.
I've just recently found an interesting method for smoothing cake tops. Actually, it's called something like upside down decorating. You start out by drawing a circle by placing your cake pan upside down and drawing around the edges. Then, tape parchment paper over this. Use your BC to frost the parchment paper 1/4 inch thick and cover the entire circle and about 1/4 inch outside of the lines. Place the bottom (what will actually be the top of the cake) centered in the circle, fill and place your next layer on. Pull parchment paper to edge of table/counter. Using a SPACKLING tool (from the hardware store) put a light crumb coat on the side of your cake. Slide it onto a cake circle and set in the refrigerator to harden.
Using the SPACKLING tool, put a smooth layer of icing on the side of your cake. The reason for using the spackling tool is so that it will work the icing right up against the cake all the way down to the parchment paper (it's necessary that your spackling tool is as wide as the depth of your cake-various sizes can be helpful). Any excess icing at the top of the cake can be smeared onto the top. You do not need to put a complete layer of icing on the top of the cake but a small amount will be helpful as this WILL BE the bottom of the cake and attached to your cake plate or cake circle. Set cake back in the fridge to harden.
Removing cake from the fridge, put your cake plate or cake circle on the top of the cake. Holding both the top and bottom firmly, quickly flip the cake upside down. Carefully remove the top cake circle and gently remove the parchment paper and you should have a perfectly smooth top to decorate.
Here's a link for it in the articles section with pictures!
http://www.cakecentral.com/article6-Upside-Down-Icing-Technique-for-Perfectly-Smooth-Icing.html
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