OMG! Who knew icing a darn cake can be difficult~ I've had a hard time with this football field cake. Let's start from the beginning. I wanted to make a football field cake at first, then I changed my mind and decided to do a stadium cake instead. I bake 2--9x13x2 cakes and I cut a rectangular center out of the first one. When I went to stack it, the top cake crumbled And I was NOT going to re-bake another cake, so I went back to my original idea of a football field cake. Well, after I tort and crumb-coated it, I put it in the freezer for a few hours (I had to run errands). When I take it out the freezer, it cracked in the center Oh well, that can be covered with butter cream

Fast-forward, I put another layer of BC on it and the top is as smooth as a baby's bottom, but them damn sides I CAN"T get it smooth and the cake keeps showing through. This cake is for a friend of mines (since HS) 31st birthday. I've been trying to smooth the side for over 40 mins and I have a migraine. What should I do for the sides since I can't get them smooth? Grass tip, basket weave or other? My friend is picking up the cake tomorrow.

Oh i know the feeling especially the corners. You might try adding a lot of frosting.

Next time-stack then carve. And chill it first.

What BC recipe are you using? What spatulas do you have? What other tools? Are you hot knifing? And you are covering in fondant right? I can't imagine fighting with BC for a shape like that to not cover in fondant...and expect it to look very nice.

It sounds like the consistency of the icing is off
Now for damage control: rough ice the sides........just pile on icing and don't worry about smoothing it too much. It's a *field of grass* - a *playing field* so why isn't it allowed to be roughed up?
OR you can use the grass tip and cover it w/pulled bits of icing strings

greetings all,
Thanks for replying. I'm just doing the football field cake. I'll do a stadium cake at a different time (hubby's b-day). Jamie, The cake is a 9x13x2 and all buttercream My BC recipe is Wilton's recipe. 1/2 c margarine, 1/2 c Crisco shortening, tsp vanilla, 4 c. confectioner's sugar, little milk. I'm using Wilton's straight-angle spatula for smoothing. I also have this triangular multi-corner comb smoother. I did the hot knife method, that's why I was able to get the top smooth. My icing is medium consistency. I've always had issues with cake sides. I don't know why. It's just irks me that I can never smooth the sides.

kakeladi, you're right. There's dirt on the football field too, so my tan cake showing through can serves as "dirt". I was thinking about doing grass or basket-weave (BW). If I did the BW, I was going to do it in the Redskins colors (burgundy/gold). I just wish that it was nice and smooth and not showing through.

Try using brown sugar or Crushed Nilla wafers and press that into the sides until they are completely coated. It looks just like dirt and it will look like your cake was literally carved right out of the ground!

http://images.google.com/images?q=stadium+cake&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&rlz=1I7GGLL_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

Here's what I find for stadium cakes. Someone suggested up there about rough icing the sides cause they should be rough anyways...for what reason? I'm genuinely confused. And pushing "cookie dirt" into the sides, confused here too. I can understand the field area, and the board....but the sides?

Did I miss something? Are we talking about a different stadium?

LOL. Jamie, I'm not doing the stadium cake. I decided to do just the football field cake that's why Misdawn suggested the cookie/sugar sides. But before I do that, I would like to see a picture of it. I don't want to put it on the sides and not like it. I've searched and searched and came up empty.

Oh....lol, see? I skimmed riiiiight over that. Cool!

http://images.google.com/images?q=Football%20field%20cake&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&rlz=1I7GGLL_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

Here's a gazillion...

Yeah....I noticed that. Heh heh...dirt...hmmmm.

I decided on the two-toned (burgundy/gold) basket weave. It's very pretty. I will post pics after the cake is done. Thanks everyone for all of your advice.

Here it is.