Royal Icing/buttercream Help Needed Asap

Decorating By livvah Updated 10 Aug 2007 , 4:15am by livvah

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livvah Posted 10 Aug 2007 , 2:57am
post #1 of 9

hi all icon_smile.gif

this is my first post ever, and i hate that it has to be a desperate one, but i'm putting together a cake that i frosted w/ buttercream. i'm putting royal icing morning glories on top, and i know that buttercream and royal don't mix... but what happens if you do? do the colors bleed? do the flowers just get soft?

so frustrated -- please help!

thanks in advance!
liv icon_smile.gif

8 replies
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alanahodgson Posted 10 Aug 2007 , 3:09am
post #2 of 9

Are your royal icing flowers dry? If so, they will get soft eventually. If you're using a crusting buttercream you are probably in better shape than non crusting. I would not recommend piping royal icing directly onto buttercream.

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livvah Posted 10 Aug 2007 , 3:16am
post #3 of 9

thank you thank you!

i am using a crusting buttercream that i have allowed to crust, and the flowers are dry. i put them on, but noticed that the colors started to look "wet" where the flower was touching the buttercream (as in, the colors are darkening, kinda how fabric does when it gets wet)... i'm not noticing any bleeding (yet), but i wasn't sure what the worst case scenario was.

do you think it's best to just take them off at this point and put them back on *right* before the cake drop off?

thanks again!!

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Parable Posted 10 Aug 2007 , 3:17am
post #4 of 9

Ditto to alanahodgson!

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noley Posted 10 Aug 2007 , 3:21am
post #5 of 9

I have actually cut a small circle of wax paper to sit under the flowers on a cake, I don't usually make my flowers out of royal for this very reason. I instead use the snow white butter cream recipe, it gets quite hard like candy but not as hard as royal icing does. Makes beautiful flowers. Plus, when you sit it on top of buttercream it doesn't run or melt or anything because it's basically the same type of icing
Just an idea
If you don't use wax paper under the flowers i'd take them off and put them back on right before delivery
Jen

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jesaltuve Posted 10 Aug 2007 , 3:27am
post #6 of 9

I had a cake sitting here for a week with royal flowers on a bc cake, they don't get wet. If they are fully dry, they should stay that way...you might want to try drying longer if you have time and then when you put them on the cake put a dot of royal on the back of the flower to keep it lifted from the bc.

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livvah Posted 10 Aug 2007 , 3:35am
post #7 of 9

you ladies are a wealth of info, thanks for coming to my aid! icon_smile.gif

i'll definitely have to try that snow white butter cream, noley -- thanks for that tip, and the wax paper one, too. i'm currently trying to figure out how to do that and successfully hide the wax paper w/o getting buttercream too close to the royal flowers. icon_smile.gif

thanks, also, jessica -- the flowers are fully dry, they're hard as a rock, and i've given them about a week to dry out. it's just weird, the colors are just getting darker where they touch the b/c. they don't feel wet, they just look "wet" -- they're definitely absorbing the grease from the b/c. i'm going to try to combine your royal icing dot tip w/ the wax paper one from noley. success will be mine! icon_lol.gif

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Hollyanna70 Posted 10 Aug 2007 , 4:09am
post #8 of 9

You can also use a sugar cube, pressed down into the buttercream, then attach the flower to the top of it with royal icing.

OR you can try using chocolate, maybe. at least that would be edible, and it'd put a barrier between the greasy buttercream and the royal flowers.


Good luck.... I hope you are able to get it.

and if all else fails, there's always gumpaste or fondant. icon_biggrin.gif


Holly

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livvah Posted 10 Aug 2007 , 4:15am
post #9 of 9

and yet more fantastic ideas -- thanks, hollyanna!

i was able to get it all attached using a parchment paper circle. it looks nice, and now i know that being adventurous and trying to mix royal and b/c isn't a great idea. especially at 11:30pm. icon_smile.gif

thanks again, ladies!!

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