I'm fairly new to cake decorating. I really love the look of the ribbon around the base of the tiers. How do you secure the ribbon to the cake (buttercream AND fondant covered)? Thanks for your help.

If you are putting the ribbon on BC, make sure it is well-crusted for crusting BC or VERY cold/hard for non-crusting so the ribbon doesn't dig in to the surface of the BC. You can use a drop of BC to glue the ribbon in place at the back of the cake, wrap it around and then use frosting again to secure it. OR you can use double-stick tape so long as you keep the tape on the ribbon (stick it to itself) Some folks baste the ribbon in shortening so that the grease from the BC doesn't make the ribbon splotchy. Others iron the shiny side of freezer paper to the back side of the ribbon. Acetate ribbon from the gift wrap section is naturally grease-proof.

For fondant, just wrap and secure w/a dot of frosting--BC or Royal or use the double stick tape on the ribbon itself.

HTH
Kristy

Thanks so much for your help!