When you say about dam a cake, does it mean when you put your buttercream filling in, do you pipe a stiffer consistency around the edge of the cake to stop the buttercrean bulging, so to speak?

Karen xx

Thats excactly what it means and there are no stupid questions Heroes, every one has to learn some where X

You don't need a dam of buttercream if you are just filling with buttercream. You need a dam of BC when you are filling with things that may leak out, for instance fruit fillings, curds or mousses etc

I use a dam even when just filling with buttercream because I use it as a guide to get my filling to an en even height - but you don't need it for it's intended purpose.

you really didnt sound derogatory at all . . and i just meant that, even for you, it wasnt a stupid question, you know, we all started out somewhere , so everyones got to learn, so its not stupid . . the only stupid question is the one you dont ask because you think its stupid!

Using this extra stiff icing is not something that any bakery I've ever worked at--nine of them over the years including my own--ever used. We just used the same icing we covered the cake with. I realize it's a small amount I guess but it seems like another aspect of the cake portion that people might tend to leave on their plates, next to the fondant. Why? It's not necessary.

I use really slippery fillings even in topsy turvys and I've never cemented my fillings in with powedered sugar overload.