Hi there, I know a lot of you ladies use buttercream and its widely used in the USA for covering the cake on its own. I have a question as I use buttercream under fondant covering for my cakes. I use icing sugar, butter and sometimes a little milk. How long does the buttercream keep for and how long should I leave it on the cake before putting on the fondant as I'm trying the tips for stopping cake "bulge" from on here. The buttercream needs to have a bit of "stickiness" for the fondant to adhere to it but I find when its left for say 10 mins it crusts too hard and i have to re-work it. On the other hand i don't want it too wet and the fondant slides for this wedding cake I am doing. just wondered if any of you have a better idea to what I normally do

thanks everyone

Buttercream will keep for a few days at least. The sugar helps to preserve the tiny bit of milk in it.

If it gets too crusty before you're ready to put the fondant on, sprinkle it with a tiny bit of water or a spray bottle of water set to mist, and your fondant will stick.