I have a cake for today that I iced yesterday. The buttercream was not crusted enough for me to melvira/viva it last night but this morning it is too crusted and is getting cracky when I try to manipulate it. Is there anyway to smooth the icing better??

Please This cake has to be done in three hours!

The only thing I know is to take all of the icing off and start again. Once it is crusted it will only crack further when you try to smooth it.

I agree with Donna, sorry this happenedd to you.

you will have to put fresh icing on.. then smooth .. too late now to try to smooth the other. sorry...

That's what I was afraid of. I was hoping I could spritz it with water or put it in the fridge or something and it would soften up. It doesn't look terrible. I smoothed it as best I could (I'm not very good at smoothing buttercream) when I first applied it but I always smooth it again with viva and was going to try melvira for the first time. The cake is for my sister in law so its not a huge deal but it still just doesn't look good enough for me. Thanks for your input guys.

i know how devastated you feel....but if it helps AT ALL, just know that she'll just be very happy that you took the time and effort to make a cake just for her....we're all so hard on ourselves...i've had some awful cakes...like they're so ugly i've cried...and people appreciate them anyway...i'm sure it's not that bad...it's just your own self-critical eyes....when others see the work that goes into a cake, they dont' see the cracks!!!!...i know she'll love it ...chin up!

WHAT! So nobody got cake. What in the world was she thinking. After all you hard work. I'm so sorry this happened to you. That is very insensative. I would have been crushed and pi$$ed at the same time.

Some times SIL's need to be squeezed around the throat, their heads popping off like the biggest zit; and Clearasil can't fix it.

Mine has actually asked me to bring a grocery store cake, because she just can't get over the fact I own animals. This has never stopped her from requesting a dummy cake, so she looks oh so special.

Don't get me wrong, I'm keeping mine. She's great fun, she understands sarcasm and she's a royal PITA!

HAHAHA...that's funny....i guess she really DID love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!....i always find everyone wants ME to cut the cake that i've made...and i always tell them that i don't cut them, i make them...i wouldn't force anyone else to cut up their baby!!!....but in that case i would have stepped in and accidently sawed it in half!!!..i'm so glad it all worked out though!!!...stressing over yummy cake is silly....at least that's what i keep telling myself!! haha