4 Tier Wedding Cake Disaster - Outdoors, Hot, Humid, Buttercream, Etc..
Decorating By TEsplin Updated 26 Mar 2014 , 11:30pm by Gerle
Before I did the cake I set the IMBC out in the sun (not the same batch I used on the cake! LOL) It is a very soft icing (which is why I love it!) but if your cakes have settled properly I don't see that as a problem. It was soft but it did not come off of the cake.
Lots of decorators on this site use indydebi's b/c recipe. She says it withstands 90 F and above. She takes cakes in her van(when she was catering) with the window down and no air. That is her proof of how sturdy her icing recipe is. hth
Hers is also an all-shortening recipe, and I know that at one point she did have a story about a cake that melted in the back of her car, so nothing is foolproof. If you want to get the details you can track her down.
I will have to give it a try. Generally I'm not a fan of ABC....its just too sweet for me...but millions of people love it.
But how hot is too hot? It seems a lot of her guests are saying it was not too hot to have the cake out, and that it should have been put in the tent to begin with. I just know that if I were to book the same wedding again, I would do the exact same thing still.
I'm not a pro but after reading this I can't help but agree in that you did all you could. Aside from refusing the job in the first place which I know some do. Still - what a horrible tragedy! The guests are not qualified to make such a decision - you are. And as you wrote you'd still do it the same way all over again. I know some people here say that they refuse to give into a client against better judgment. It's important that you do what you think is right because (I think) it's just as much your cake as it is theirs. Four tiers is too big a cake to chance outside with buttercream in hot weather for so long. You did the right thing! It's sad how much protection bakers have to put in their contract but after all its still a business. Put your heart into your work but use your head to manage it. That being said - I give all you pros a tremendous amount of credit. Especially for wedding cakes!!
The end of this video shows 7 different frosting recipes sitting outside side by side in the heat to see how they hold up... http://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/best-frosting-recipes/
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The end of this video shows 7 different frosting recipes sitting outside side by side in the heat to see how they hold up... [URL=http://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/best-frosting-recipes/]http://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/best-frosting-recipes/[/URL]
I have to call tricks on this since the recipe for American buttercream isn't what most people use, it generally has shortening in it which would make it hold up longer. Regardless, i wouldn't put a buttercream cake outside in the heat no matter what type it was. 45 minutes in the heat is nothing compared to a wedding cake that's going to sit outside for three or four hours, that would end up being a puddle of mush bu th time the cake was cut.
What I did find interesting about this was the people choosing white chocolate ganache and american buttercream as the best tasting ones. Those are also the sweetest ones, and I personally think they're lind of overwhelmingly sweet to thepoint of making my teeth hurt. Blargh,
Taste is so individual which is what the video shows, what the decorator likes best is not necessarily what everyone else likes most.
I absolutely have had wedding cakes sit in blazing sun + high humidity for hours. Like 6 hours and nothng happens other than they get soft. Never a melting incident. I use a variation of Charlotte's. And no I'm not posting the recipe. Just use Charlotte's - it works.
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I absolutely have had wedding cakes sit in blazing sun + high humidity for hours. Like 6 hours and nothng happens other than they get soft. Never a melting incident. I use a variation of Charlotte's. And no I'm not posting the recipe. Just use Charlotte's - it works.
And I've seen cakes that were left out for an hour in 95+ degree heat and they were ruined. One never knows. I don't take any chances, if the wedding's outside in the summer they can have fondant or go to another baker and let them take the blame when the icing slides off the cake!
Don't most fondant covered cakes have buttercream frosting under them? So if it was hot enough outside to melt the buttercream, wouldn't that affect the fondant? I'm not a professional and I make very few fondant cakes, but was just curious after reading these posts. I don't know if the fondant would act as a protectant for the buttercream, or if the buttercream would still melt somewhat and eventually affect the fondant covering. And even if you use ganache under the fondant, wouldn't chocolate melt in the heat as well? Again, not a pro and I'm just asking because I'm curious and would like to know in case I ever make a cake that would sit out in the sun/heat for any length of time.
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The end of this video shows 7 different frosting recipes sitting outside side by side in the heat to see how they hold up... http://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/best-frosting-recipes/
Thanks for posting, howtocookthat. I really enjoyed the video, especially the "cream-cheese-face". I've been informed several times by kids that "I am NOT to make that yucky stuff again"!
In 2012 I did a taste test for cake, frosting, and filling recipes with the members of the San Diego Cake Club and then for my extended family and friends. The taste test was just for fun and it was amazing to see the huge variations of preference. As mentioned by CostumeCzar above, "...there's no telling which one people want".
Don't most fondant covered cakes have buttercream frosting under them? yes
So if it was hot enough outside to melt the buttercream, wouldn't that affect the fondant? No, the fondant won't melt or anything unless it's on super thin, I would guess. Even if the buttercream softens up it will stay in place unless the cake is outside for nine hours or something ridiculous.
I'm not a professional and I make very few fondant cakes, but was just curious after reading these posts. I don't know if the fondant would act as a protectant for the buttercream, or if the buttercream would still melt somewhat and eventually affect the fondant covering. And even if you use ganache under the fondant, wouldn't chocolate melt in the heat as well? It will soften up, but the fondant stays in place and still looks nice when the cake is cut.
Again, not a pro and I'm just asking because I'm curious and would like to know in case I ever make a cake that would sit out in the sun/heat for any length of time. If I'm doing a cake that will be outside for any length of time and it's going to be really hot, it will either be fondant or will have to be kept inside until close to the time it will be displayed and/or cut. It isn't worth worrying about it. The buttercream under the fondant will soften up, but buttercream that's under fondant is more protected from the heat and humidity than buttercream that sits out on its own. I've heard of icing recipes that work better outside than others, but personally, it isn't worth worrying about it. I'd rather say that fondant is required if it's going ot be outside, not only for that but also because insects like cakes, and most people won't eat the fondant, so at least it will acts as a barrier between the flies and the cake underneath...
Sorry for the bold print, I think it's obnoxious-looking, but it was the easiest way to respond to the separate questions!
Also, if brides insist on buttercream, I show them this experiment I did a few years ago. http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/07/baby-its-hot-outside.html
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