a stiffened buttercream dam before filling???

I sat there last night and watched as they threw those cakes on the table, slathered tons of BC or other fillings between the layers and put on layer after layer of cake (and large cakes too) and no BC dam.

I don't see any bulges in their fondants or sagging cakes. What the heck!!!! I know that there are many of us that use the BC dam (Sugarshack, JenniferMI, Edna) so how do they get by with not doing that?

A dam isn't necessary unless you are using a very loose, wet filling that will need to set up after the cake has been filled. Even when I do dam my cakes, it's not stiffened buttercream--it's the same buttercream I frost with (usually IMBC).

Duplicate post, please also see:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-643115-.html

HTH