The weather is being a little crazy in Austin, Texas. We've been flipping back and forth from running the heater to the AC all week. I'll be making a few cakes for various family functions soon but now I'm too scared to use IMBC (newbie to IMBC) in fear the humidity will make it destabilize.

I was curious to know from all the pros how much weather effects your cake decisions and business. Do you have to tell your clients what types of icings you can or cannot have based on weather or seasons?

No, you don't want to make cake depending on the weather. Unfortunately, you have to make the cake your customer wants. This year, we had more than 20 degrees temperature swings as norm, going from almost 100F hot dry weather to 60F and constant rain in 24 hours.

You do what you can - in hot summer you advise your customer, especially when having outside wedding, that fondant is a much better choice than buttercream only.
You can advise to hold the cake in room with AC because their choice won't hold in hot temperatures. But in the end it is their decision. You give them the information they need - but you cannot hold their hand and force them to be reasonable.

The buttercream or other fillings that I use between layers are the same year round. BUT, if it's an outside cake, or a hot time of year...high humidity, etc., I use a shortening based frosting for the outside of the cake. In the cooler months, I use all butter, since that's the flavor I like best.

Usually a customer doesn't specify the kind of buttercream that they want...and so you just make the call yourself. If they do ask for all butter buttercream in the heat of the summer, just say that you can't do that one. A melted cake at a party is a real disappointment, not to mention that it's not good for business!

I don't tell them what to pick, but I definitely advise them what will happen to SMBC and IMBC or cream cheese for that matter. If I'm the one picking, then weather certainly does play a part. Where it's 95 and humid outside I wouldn't use any of the above.

I don't use a lot of variety in my icings, so I'm sure that's a factor, but the weather has never really affected my icings or decorations, so I guess I'd say no, the weather doesn't affect my decisions at all.