Anyone else out there as fed up as I am? I have tried every recipe I can to find the perfect consistancy icing for bc flowers...especially roses. Every one of them is usually to thin and when I try to thicken them, it's just all wrong! I made some gp roses for a cake that's due Tuesday, but for some reason they're not drying. It's not very humid here just rainy, so I don't know what to do. Anyway, just needed to vent. Sorry!

It's the rain. I don't usually dry my flowers just pop them in the freezer for a few minutes til it makes them hard enough to handle. I also start off with making my bc with less liquid than I normally would use so that it is stiffer, I take some out for my flowers than add some liquid to soften for spreading and filling.

yummymummy ! You should check out the dvd you can get from bcjean.Its in her signature.She shows all different things. flowers/ piping animals/shapes/ leaves. Its a wonderful dvd if you want to learn some basic bc flowers and designs.

I hate BC flowers too! I can never get them right and they are just frustrating!
Biya:
The freezer tip was that for the BC Roses or gum-paste or both? Thanks!
Jen...

word of caution on freezing flowers. Anything that is frozen will start to melt when moved to room temperature. Check any thread on FBCT and you'll get the same advice .... you have to move fast because they start to melt right away.

In the RARE occasions that I've had to do last minute flowers and had to pop them in the freezer to stiffen them up, I've had to remove one flower at a time, on the end of a knife/spatula, and RUN it to the counter to get it on the cake. In those seconds, the rose has already started to melt.

The only problems I've ever had with bc flowers are the ones that I've frozen.

Air drying the flowers allows the moisture to evaporate out of the icing. It makes the flower more lightweight .... they are not heavy and not as likely to slide down the cake. Easier to handle because they are not melting. I also don't have to drive in a zero-temp van because the flowers are not going to melt .... ever. I haven't run my van's A/C once in the past 4-6 weeks.... and we've had some 80 degree days.

Thanks indydebi!
Jen...

If you click on the link in my signature I have some videos on youtube that might help, lots of different bc flowers

Edited to add: I usually use a medium to thin frosting too, I rarely have mine thick enough but they still turn out nice!

Thanks everyone...I didn't receive any emails that I had replies to my post. Otherwise I would have commented sooner! I will check out those dvd's though. I've really had it w/ my bc recipe...I have hot hands so bc isn't always nice to me anyway. I managed w/ this past cake and came up w/ something, but I'm not completely happy w/ it.

I was reffering to gumpaste flowers that wouldn't dry. I've done the freezer thing w/ my bc flowers in the past and your right indy..you have to work quickly. They came out well though.

I guess I'm sick of fiddling around w/ bc recipes to find the right combo of ingredients. It's almost always too soft, but when I stiffen it I end up w/ roses or flowers that look like cabbages. Sigh...

I was the same way, but you just have to keep practicing & practicing. That's the only way to perfect them. I came home from my class the other night & I was determined to get the BC rose. Finally I made a decent one. Took about 13 tries, but I did it! Same with the swirl flowers

yeah..I really should take some classes. I'm completely self-taught, but I know I could benefit from some sort of formal teaching. Thanks!

Have any of you tried my recipe for
Buttercream for air dried flowers?
I never seem to be able to get the search feature to work for me But it's in the recipe section.

I'm starting Wilton's Course 2 on Monday & I really enjoyed Course 1. I did about 5 self-taught cakes before I started taking classes, but I find that doing the classes is fun, helpful, and just makes everything click.

kakeladi: I looked for your recipe but couldn't find it. Would you mind posting it here?

yummymummy, this is the only one I found in the recipes section...

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2278-1-Airdried-Buttercream-Icing.html

If making icing for flowers(especially roses), I withold some of the liquid. I think adding more ps to make it stiffer after adding all the liquid really jacks with the smoothness of it...making it way to dry instead of stiff and creamy. I mix it for 10 minutes or more. I also like mixing it up a day or more ahead of time...it tends to firm up after it has rested but it also seems to be smoother the next day...less gritty even.

great tips all4cake! That makes a lot of sense. I'll try that next time. Hey, wait a minute. Did I not start this thread saying I was giving up on bc flowers? LOL...I guess I'm gonna die trying!

lol...

yeah, that's what you said.

I believe that there isn't one recipe that is universal and will work for everyone...it may work for some but not all.

I reread and didn't see what type of b/c you're using. What I stated earlier I've only applied to shortening based icing.

Well, I use sugarshack's bc exclusively for smoothing on cakes, but it's too soft for flowers. So I've tried using other recipes, including wiltons, just for flowers w/o success.