Hi, could someone please tell me how long does it take before the buttercream start to crust? i have been waiting for the last 20mins, did i do something wrong i followed the recipe on line, i also added meringue power the the mixed only 1 tablespoon
have anyone airbrushed then went back to smooth the cake using the viva method?
I tried the Crusting Buttercream Icing(Viva Method) thats posted in the recipes here today and it worked fantastic. This is the first time I have been able to smooth with a viva towel. It was so easy and came out so great with this recipe. I'm hooked. 
I always airbrush after I smooth the icing.
What recipe did you use?
And I don't think that airbrushing then smoothing would work too well. I recently airbrushed a cake blue and when the icing under shifted I had some white (color of icing) cracks in it. If your icing has crusted too much then you try to smooth it you will create wrinkles in it.
Hi, I'm a novice, and I mean NOVICE. I will be attempting to make a pirate ship cake tonight for my son's 4th birthday. I want to frost the cake with brown icing. If I use regular icing (betty crocker, ect.) can I put the cake in the freezer for a bit, then use the VIVA method? If not, is it easy enought to tint the Crusting Buttercream recipe on this site? I welcome advice from those more experienced.
Thanks
I've had good luck tinting the crusting recipe from this site, and it's easy to make. If you have the time, definitely give it a try -- it's perfect for Viva. The only thing to note is that it doesn't make quite as pure of a white buttercream as some other recipes, so you may need to play with your colors a bit.
Hi, I'm a novice, and I mean NOVICE. I will be attempting to make a pirate ship cake tonight for my son's 4th birthday. I want to frost the cake with brown icing. If I use regular icing (betty crocker, ect.) can I put the cake in the freezer for a bit, then use the VIVA method? If not, is it easy enought to tint the Crusting Buttercream recipe on this site? I welcome advice from those more experienced.
Thanks
I do not think store icing, even frozen will ever crust. It is made to be soft, and with out the crusting you can not use the viva paper towel method. If you try it will generally just peal off the icing off the top of the cake.
As far as tinting icing, you will want to get an concentrated icing color. You can find Wilton brand at Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or JoAnns. Occasionally you can find them at other party stories. Use a toothpick and dip it into the color paste, then run that through your icing. If you need to add more color (to make it darker) use a new toothpick. You do not want to double dip of you will get icing in your color and start a science exiperiment.
If I need a whole cake in a brown, I usually just use a chocolate icing though, if it goes with the cake flavor.
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