What have people found is the best type of ribbon to use on a cake that won't allow the grease in the buttercream to show through and make it discolored???

put a strip of wax paper behind it, use grosgrain or chiffon ribbons instead of something satin, use the specialty "waterproof" ribbon that any local florist will sell you a few yards of (colours are pretty limited though!)....or even easier, just use fondant ribbon in place of real ribbon

I am a hobby baker at best, but I did add satin ribbon to a cake and actually learned on CC to first run the ribbon through some veg oil and then let it dry. When you put it on the cake it has already absorbed all the oil possible and it doesn't change color at all.. worked great for me... good luck...

That's really cool!

How "dry" does it get after being soaked in veg oil? Do you have any pics? I think that's so neat!

Interesting tip....will have to try it. Thanks!

I pre-grease satin ribbon before applying to bc cakes all the time. It does have a shiny look. However, it may change the color slightly so I always let the bride/groom know this.

pre-greasing is definitely the best way to not have to worry about the stains coming out. if you pre-grease with oil, it won't dry out too much... it'll be too slippery to use double-sided tape on, but nothing that will dramatically affect the look of the cake.

if the bride and groom have color swatches i take that to the store with me and find a ribbon color that is a little bit lighter than the shade they want. if they already have ribbon that they want used then you can either let them know that it will be a little bit darker, or try the wax paper or contact paper on the back.

if you do a search in the forums, there are all sorts of options. i definitely recommend some trial and error first! some people actually have BC that crusts so well the grease never even soaks through! good luck!