I SO hope someone can help me. I've never had this problem before. My last paid cake I used new crisco. The Royal Icing flowers on it soaked up grease from the frosting (buttercream dream) and half of the bottom leaves were darker from it. I noticed it the night before it was picked up and took all the damaged flowers off. The next morning I put on fresh ones right before it was picked up. I did a cake today, and the same thing happened (this time I used WalMart shortening, it has transfats, and BC Dream recipe) the roses soaked up grease within the hour and their bottom leaves were half light and half dark and greasy. I'm so upset over this because I have a huge cake due next weekend and it has like 225 drop flowers on it and a bunch of roses. I can't have it look bad, this is a very important cake for me. I know the little drop ones might just absorb it until they totally change a darker color which wouldn't be too bad, but I'm afraid they'll end up half light and half dark. I can't possibly put them on right before delivery because there's over 200! Please advise, I'm so nervous over this!

can you do buttercream in advance and let them air dry?

Also there is a recipe on here for buttercream for air drying.

Can you change your icing recipe and possibly use another kind.

Royal icing is going to break down from the grease in the BC. I would suggest using BC frosting.

Stephanie

Can you make the royal flowers ahead of time and let them harden dry? I don't know but maybe that will keep them from soaking it up so quickly. Don't know if hardened flowers are an option.

Sadly, BC causes grease spots on royal--it's the nature of the beast and really can't be avoided easily.

With a multitude of small flowers, it doesn't look bad.

I find that if you stick things on with piping gel, they tend not to get grease spots.

For large groupings, if you put a good mound of royal on the buttercream and put the flowers in that, it takes days for the grease to reach the flowers.

HTH
Rae

Thanks everyone for the ideas...

newtodecorating, I've used that ADB and I didn't like it. The flavor and texture wasn't for me. And these are dainty drop flowers, if they dont dry rock hard theyll break apart when I go to move them I think.

smbegg, I can't use buttercream, I need over 200 drop flowers.

woodyfam, that's what I do, use dried Royal flowers. My problem is they're soaking up the grease and changing colors.

Kiddiekakes, do you have a suggestion of a frosting that won't do this?

BlakesCakes, Will the flowers stick on if I use piping to put them onto buttercream? The thing is they go all along the sides, so gravity will work against me.... and same thing w/the royal, will that hold them onto the buttercream or do you think it'll all just fall off??

Anyone else have more suggestions?!

The piping gel will hold the small, lighter flowers easily. Royal should hold them all--even the heavier ones. It won't harden like usual because it will be drawing up the oil, too, but it should still work.

I'd take a cake pan, ice a top edge and one side and apply some flowers with all 3 mediums and see what made me happiest.

Rae

Excellent ideas Rae, I will try that!