To all of you who decorate with buttercream- MY hats off to you!!!

A few days ago my MIL asked if I would make a going away cake for a man at her work, but.... NO FONDANT!!! My first thought was "AHHH- what they make cakes without fondant???" , then I thought "Hmmm, I wonder if I could talk her into cupcakes..." Finally I dug deep and said "Yes, I can do this!" (Deep Breath)

...So we ended up compromising on an 11 x 15"sheet cake and 40 cupcakes. Apparently the guy leaving is a Nascar fan and so someone though flags would be cool, and his last name if Rose, hence the rose on the man cake.

Now, granted I have made little buttercream cakes before, but never big, and I never ended up liking them very much. So I was really nervous about this one. I think in the end it turned out okay. I don't know if it is exactly what she was picturing, but it was the best I could do.

So again, all of you who decorate with bc on a regular basis- I am so impressed!!!

Take Care, Happy baking!!!

I mainly only decorate with butter cream frosting. I'm still a newbie with cake decorating, but the few cakes I've done with fondant I haven't been impressed with.
So I take my hat off to you for doing such lovely cakes with fondant! Maybe some day I'll get the hang of that For now I'll stick to fondant accents

And l;ook what you created! Beautiful!

Thanks! Don't give up on fondant! The first 2 times I made MMF were TOTAL DISASTERS!!! Really, they were so horrible I threw them away!

very nice!

I love that border! What a neat effect.

Very nice cake. You did good. I know they are going to love the cake...it is special and didn't require a lot of extra ingredients and equipment from you. Please tell me you are a convert to the, "buttercream" decorators. It is so fun to work with and so easy and fast. Someday I am going to experiment with some fondant/gumpaste figures...but for now, I love my buttercream and sheet cakes.
Congratulations on a job well done.

GREAT cake....... PERFECT for the NASCAR fan ! GOOD JOB !

grewat cake!!! I echo your appreciation of buttercream pros too!!

I too prefer to work with fondant. There are just some things I cannot do with buttercream and any tip.The ruffle being one!!I hate Ruffles!Id love to be able to just WHIP OUT a nice buttercream cake with great ruffles,stringwork and multiple flowers but for some reason Im not good with buttercream.Some of my BC cakes are OK but Id like to step up.For now its fondant. Your cake looks great and I really like the border. Maybe Ill use your design for my hubbys cake.(if you dont mind) Good job.

Can't believe that is your first buttercream cake - its terrific!

I just read and responded to a post a few minutes ago where a decorator is saying the same thing about fondant decorators ( http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-460193-.html ) -

Amazing how we find something so easy after we 'master' it - I'm always throwing out my 'kudos' to you fondant masters!

I love buttercream... there is a limit to what you can do but there is a LOT as well... I feel as though fondant could be done by preschoolers (since that's pretty much what it is... edible playdoh) I think a true decorator should have to master buttercream decorating as well. I think you did a great job on that cake, it looks excellent!

I'm a BC only decorator and I'm here to tell you your cake looks great!! Nice and smooth, great looking rose and love the edging!

I don't know about fondant being easy like playdough....
I've got 5 kids (all ages 7 and under) and we LOVE playdough. But, sitting down creating crazy playdough creations doesn't compare with the skills I need to complete my 7 tier fondant covered Wedding Cake for this weekend. Just my opinion...not meaning to offend.

BTW, the nascar cake looks amazing! It's fun to change up our "mediums" and try something new...Congratulations!

P.s. Nothing beats sitting down playing playdough with my kiddies!

you did a great job, when I tried using buttercream it went all wrong. Good for you

Okay I can do Fondant but I am not good when it comes to putting Fondant on round cakes...of course I have not had much practice, But BC is my choice at this time.... I think you did a great job....No Complaints here!

Ooooo, I love buttercream. Not a thing against fondant, I know it takes skill to do these amazing fondant creations I see on here. But I was always into some kind of art growing up, sculpting, painting, drawing, etc. so buttercream is a little more of a challenge for me. Getting the pressure control right, the angle of the tip, etc., a whole new set of skills for me o learn! To create the image I have in my mind and get it just right with frosting feels pretty good! I say kudos to both-fondant and buttercream artists-I'm in awe of both!!

I'm working out the wording to put on my website... "I specialize in using fondant therefor this is one bakery that a top coat of white or chocolate fondant is going to be significantly less for price quotes than smooth buttercream will be".. But I haven't gotten it completely figured out yet.

I did a smooth buttercream wedding cake earlier this summer and I honestly HATED it. I am a perfectionist on my cakes and getting there to be no seams, um, yea, I was smoothing the cakes to perfect for FOUR HOURS. Had I been able to just top coat the buttercream with fondant, I'd have been done in 1. Then... as if to add insult to injury when I finally decided my starting for smooth buttercream is going to be $3.50/slice, a bride I had book decided she wants no fondant, and it was a bear to tell her that "you WILL have fondant separating the tiers of cake so they don't stick to the lower tier..".. I hear more complaints about white chocolate and coconut than I ever do about fondant, so I'm going with the fondant.

that came out so pretty, love the borders.

This is SPOOKY!! I was JUST thinking about this very thing!!

I've worked in buttercream for years and years. It's become really easy because I have so much experience. It wasn't always that way!!

The first time I used fondant it came out nearly perfect. I was so intimidated by it and when I finally took the plunge I was hooked! It is a much (IMO) easier medium to work with. I can remember working so hard at the buttercream to get it smooth. Taking hours to work out decorations that I can make in minutes with fondant.

I'll never lose my love for buttercream, first of all it's delicious and secondly, it's a classic look that I really love. But fondant is so enjoyable! It's like play for me...maybe it should be called FUNdant!!

I wish I could magically wave an off-set spatula like the good fairy over all of you that suffer with the buttercream and make it easier! I think the one big tip I could give is NEVER skimp on the buttercream. When you ice the cake put at least twice the amount of buttercream the cake needs in a big BLOB on top of the cake. Then ice the icing..NOT the cake. During the course of spreading it out, you'll remove a good amount of it. Learn to spread and work quickly, work too slowly and the icing will crust before you've got it smooth.

The biggest messes come from working and reworking the buttercream. The crusting can be a good thing, or a nightmare, depending on what stage of the decorating you're in. Once it starts to crust, it's nearly impossible to smooth out any major issues.

HTH

You did a great job on the cake I love working with BC (since '91)and enjoy the diversity in using different tips for different designs. I've recently becan crossing into fondant and find it easier as a surface to work with (easier to smooth out) but challenging with everything else.

I can whip up BC roses in nothing flat! But fondant roses? whew I have to take my time, hang upside down to set, etc . What a job. Those of you who've mastered fondant and gum paste-- I applaude you!

Thank you all so much! I truely appreciate all the encouragement!