I know it's late, but I hope someone can help me. Tomorrow night is my last cake class and we're supposed to take in a completely iced cake. It was also suggested to have our flowers made ahead of time and drying so we could spend more time decorating the cakes. We can do whatever we want as long as it's techniques we learned in this particular class. Well, I'd planned on making my flowers out of RI so they would be nice and dry when I went to use them, but we didn't use RI in our class, even though we DID learn how to make flowers, but when I mentioned to the teacher a few days ago about doing them in RI she said she wouldn't let me put them on my cake since we hadn't covered RI in class!

So now, I'm up at almost midnight ready to make some BC roses, but I'm sure they won't be dry enough to handle without ruining them tomorrow evening. I was wondering if adding some meringue powder to my BC would help it stiffen and dry faster? Yes, I know, we didn't cover THAT in class either, but I won't tell if you won't!

If there are any nightowls like me that can offer some help tonight I would certainly be grateful! Thanks so much!

Yes you can. It will turn your buttercream into a crusting buttercream. They will not completely harded, but they will crust.

Thank you. The BC I have to use is the teacher's recipe also and it does crust already; I was just wondering if the meringue would help it to crust more so the flowers would be harder? You know, like if I had not waited until the last minute, and actually done them last week?! Well, that wouldn't have worked either though, because they would have been out of RI!

Is this Wilton course I? My last class is tomorrow night too! Our teacher told us to use the merigue powder. I've never used it before, and to be honest, I can't tell that it makes much difference in crusting and hardening. Anyway, our teacher prefers to make the roses "here and now" and stick them on the cake. She showed us how to use those rose lifters that looks like scissors. I did my first roses last week and stuck them right on the cake. Worked fine. Good luck! Are you moving on to Course II?

Mandy

I'm not taking the Wilton courses; my classes are at a local (although it's still almost an hour for me!) cake and candy supply store. The owner teaches the classes, and although we do learn how to do things the "Wilton way", we've learned other methods too. Last week we learned three different ways to do roses. I do plan to take the advanced class as well, but that's not until Feb.

I'm going to just wait until morning to start the roses and if they mush apart while I try adding them to my cake I'll just make more. Maybe I won't add the meringue after all, since you haven't seen much difference with or without it, and I know how it can change the taste. I wish I'd gotten them made earlier in the week, but it was crazy busy here and just didn't have time.

Thanks for the help though!

If you just add more powered surger, and beet it stiff, your roses will crust just fine. You can put in fridge a couple hours, or put right on cake, and they will crust when dry.

I have to drive over an hour for my classes! What a hassle! I take them at Hobby Lobby and it's so fun (and dangerous!) to see all the neat things in the store every week. I've bought more cake decorating supplies this month than ever before!

you can put them in the freezer. my mom used to do that all the time. it will not hurt them at all. and it makes them much easier to work with.

KASCARLETT, Now that's a good idea, and so simple...why didn't I think of that????

I know about the freezer trick, but they'd be thawed halfway to my class! I'm just going to mix my icing reaallllly thick, get them made this a.m. and hope for the best! Thanks for all the suggestions though!