Hi guys.   I was active here some 6-7 years ago.   I have several more cakes to post to the gallery from days gone by, but I am mostly out of caking these days, with the occasional exception.

This time around, it's one my wife has committed to making for a friend.  I'm going to be The Help, in this case.

So, a very pretty, white-BC'ed wedding cake is upon us to make in the next few days, and the icing technique is eluding us.

In short:  How do we do this style of icing??   it looks too 'overlapping' to be a spoon-drag after the fact, doesn't it?

Thanks in advance!

spoon or spatula -- that's how i'd do it -- lovely cake btw --

i would also flatten/smooth the icing behind the monogram -- you didn't ask that but no extra charge  --

best to you

So we're just talking ice the cake normally with a buttercream (crusting or no?) and then do... what, exactly... with the spatula?   i.e. I can't even figure out how to physically do the overlapping wave type shape.

well when you make the second one it will make that little ripple there-- you just need to practice -- just lightly drag the spoon or narrow spatula in that curvey direction one after another and it will do that -- and then just fake it at the join -- put the joins in 'the back' --

practice it and you'll become an expert in nothing flat -- even just slap some icing on the counter and try it -- in fact it's hard to stay edited and not get more creative 

i was noticing how it stops across the top edges -- so smooth the edge and probably start at the top and go down -- just gently easy as you go -- and maybe go over the top edge to straighten if necessary

if you go from top to bottom -- you'll want to sit the cake on a smaller stand so your hand can be free to make the motions -- you'll want it on a turntable but also on an upside down cake pan smaller than the tier -- 

Thanks.  My own cake ventures have been 99% fondant, so I don't even know all the different buttercreams and such.   Should we use a crusting buttercream, a meringue style, or what?   I also need to read up on the smoothing techniques for the top - this cake's top looks very smooth.

Now my problem with the buttercream I usually use is that it's sticky - Mostly, it can pull off the cake and onto the utensil every time it's touched (spoon, spatula, or otherwise).   How do I make that not happen?

oh this all makes sense now -- i might recommend using swiss meringue buttercream which is non-crusting but what kind do you use that sticks so much? does this cake have to be pure white? what country are you in?

I'm in the US.    The typical icing I make is a regular american BC I suppose - butter, conf sugar, the tiniest bit of milk, and occasionally a little shortening if needed.

Yes, the cake should be pure white if at all possible.

i think 'the tiniest bit of milk' might be why it sticks to everything -- i was thinking of suggesting you to go to sam's and buy their icing for a pure white but you'd never use it all -- and of course the butter and real vanilla in recipes tea stain it a little --

i mean you wanna try to rehabilitate your bc or go off in another direction?  an easy way to go with this is what i've always called "french buttercream" but is come to attention recently and gaining some momentun as "cooked flour buttercream" -- wilton published it years ago as fbc -- no egg yolks -- easy peasy smooths like glass --

here is my recipe a la wilton from the 80's and to spice it up here's a picture of it in my ancient cookbook -- i had to write over it once because it was so faded -- the beauty is there's no learning curve with this -- smooths like glass -- this version is non-crusting --

so for one recipe it's 

2/3 cup of sugar

1/4 c flour all purpose

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

2 sticks butter (1 cup)

vanilla

• so whisk sugar and flour in a heavy saucepan (prevents lumps)
• add milk and whisk to combine well  
• then -- on a medium heat cook stirring constantly until it's like slowly bubbling mud --
• i start out stirring with a whisk -- then i switch to a flat bladed spatula to prevent it sticking --
• take it off the fire -- cool completely --
• in fact i would freeze/refrigerate this and add my softened butter and vanilla to it because it doesn't freeze hard --

try it as is or half it even and practice the design -- i have made this with all shortening too for pure white -- but not since they removed the trans fats and softened the shortening 

a dough cutter/bench scraper will help you smooth the top edge

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002U0LE62/?tag=cakecentral-20+scraper+for+cakes