Smoothing Cold Swiss Meringue Buttercream-Problem

Decorating By springlakecake Updated 16 Dec 2016 , 1:51pm by therollingpinbakery

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MCurry Posted 26 Oct 2011 , 7:57pm
post #61 of 67
Quote:
Originally Posted by springlakecake

I have been using the sam's club butter and egg whites. Suppose I could try another butter and see what happens




It may be your egg whites. I find that if you read the back label on grocery store egg whites sometimes they will say they can not be used for meringues and contain egg yolks.

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cris711 Posted 26 Mar 2016 , 9:48pm
post #62 of 67

Anyone found a reason for these darn bumps?  I get these on nearly 9 out of 10 cakes.  So frustrating.  I have tried everything I could think of and still I have them.  Ive just learned to leave with it as a result of using SMBC.  We never fridge our cakes(except for a few minutes here or there while decorating and right before pick up).  The cakes look great after smoothing but then  after they sit for 4 hrs or more they develop the chicken skin.  We rarely cover our cakes with fondant at the bakery, so I would really love to figure this out.  Most all of our cakes are bc iced with fondant decor.    Im sure most our customers dont even notice, but man it drives me crazy!

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Lelepatisserie Posted 26 Mar 2016 , 10:06pm
post #63 of 67

I know exactly what you are talking about.  It hasn't happened to me, but a friend of mine has this issue quite a bit.  She will either pop the bubbles with a pin when the cake is at room temp and they will go down or (and I haven't tried so I am not sure) she says that she pokes the cake with a skewer or similar all the way down to the cake board and takes it out and then refrigerates the cake, when you are ready for delivery you plug the small hole with a tiny bit of buttercream.  She says that since she has started doing that she hasn't run into the problem.


Hope this helps.

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imagenthatnj Posted 27 Mar 2016 , 3:30am
post #64 of 67

What @just.smile2008 said but I never tried. I stopped making cakes long ago, but I kept on reading forums and I once read that adivice about putting a skewer down the cake. All I remember is that it was about the air pockets in fondant and a woman named Leah here at cake central gave that advice to someone. She said something about warm air escaping from that hole in the cake instead of going through the sides.

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cris711 Posted 30 Mar 2016 , 5:39pm
post #65 of 67

Thanks all!  I will try the skewer down the center-at this point I will try anything!  I get my cakes really smooth-everything looks great.  Then anywhere from 4-8 hrs later the acne/chicken bumps have arrived.  Ive tried icing a cake that has never been frozen, just at room temp, Ive tried icing straight from the freezer and every thing in between the two and it still happens.  

The SMBC is smooth also before I frost the cake.  After the bumps appear I have actually gone at them with a pin and you can tell its just an area of air or disconnect(from the cake) behind the tiny bumps.  I thought maybe Im not applying a thick enough layer of smbc, so Ive tried applying a thicker layer and it still happens.  

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imagenthatnj Posted 30 Mar 2016 , 5:54pm
post #66 of 67

I just found all my links for blowouts. 

http://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/744501/icing-blow-out

http://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/745137/how-to-avoid-buttercream-blowouts

read debbief comment about poking a hole in the cake


http://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/769208/cake-blow-outs

read `K8memphis comment (although AZ Couture and a few other people don’t believe her!)


http://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/731220/i-keep-getting-huge-bubbles-under-my-icing

http://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/723775/icing-blow-outs

read leah_s comment to separate cake from board (same idea to let air escape)


http://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/731609/a-remedy-for-cake-blow-outs

read Mike79 comment


http://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/731609/a-remedy-for-cake-blow-outs/30

same stories about letting air escape


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therollingpinbakery Posted 16 Dec 2016 , 1:50pm
post #67 of 67

[postimage id="6022" thumb="900"]Hi all! 

Glad to have found this post! 

I know exactly the little bumps you are speaking about and I've done a lot of experiments! 

I pride myself on that fact my cakes are super smooth, pictures attached. I also use acrylic discs. 

Some cakes will get these air bubbles more than other cakes, I have found cakes/buttercream that is chilled or stiff will cause this problem more, I think it's the movement when scraping the cake back that causes it. 

I made a wedding cake last night and worked out how to get rid of the air bubbles, I popped them all with a pin, then re scrapped and they were not there, usually I would then re cover those holes with buttercream but I found if you pop it in the freezer with the holes popped and scraped back then thin some buttercream down and apply after a blast in the freezer they won't come back! 

Hope that helps! 

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