Hi everyone! I am new to cake central and I just started to take a Wilton I class at my local Michaels store. I am in the process or i should say i already have made a batch of the wilton buttercream mix and my cake is completley cool and i have tried to spread it on and it doesnt stick!!!! I have crumbs in my frosting, should I have added more water??? I followed the recepie just as the instructor told us to.

Any tips that you could tell me will be greatly appreciated!

Did you thin it down for icing the cake...on the page next to the recipe (I think that's where it was at) it tells you how much water to add to thin it down to the right consistency...and sometime I thin it down a little more then it calls for but that's just a personal preference...

chances are the icing is just to thick still...good luck!

Hi and Welcome, Hellokittymom.

Here's a list of CC acronyms:

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-2926-.html

Your Wilton b/c might too stiff, and it's pulling your cake apart while you're trying to spread it.

Try adding a tablespoon or two of milk or water and see if that doesn't work better.

Here's Wilton's b/c recipe:

http://www.wilton.com/recipes/recipesandprojects/icing/bcream.cfm

Link to Wilton's stacked/tiered wedding cake preparation:

http://www.wilton.com/wedding/cakeinfo/index.cfm

HTH

I never took any classes but I usually put a crumb coat on first, let that dry and then spread my icing. my mom used to decorate years ago and she told me to do that.

Thank you both for your quick responses!!!! This helps me a lot...I will be baking another cake tomorrow morning and whipping up some more of the frosting......I just dont want to get to class tomorrow and be the only one with a funky looking cake!!! LOL

Thank you both!!! I will keep you posted as to how it turned out with both of your tips...oh and thanks so much for the links!!!

Believe me I just took course 1 and 2 over the summer and if you cake looked funky you wouldn't be the only one...we had a girl in course 2 who showed up with her cake in a bowl uniced because it stuck to the pan and she ran out of time...our instructor helped her piece it back together and add the basketweave to it and really it didn't look as bad as you'd think it would have.

You'll do fine! Good luck and the most important thing I learned......HAVE FUN!

hmmm crumb coating...i have never heard of that....thanks for that tip as well!!! I will be looking on CC to read up on what that is.

Thanks shellbellas!!! That makes me feel more at ease.....but I am my worse critic...so I am redoing everything tomorrow morning! LOL Its ok my family loves cake.....

I am a Wilton Instructor and that is usually the problem I see if the icing is ripping your cake. The recipe in your handbook is the stiff consistency as-is. It should be soft and spreadable for icing your cake. You will need to thin it down so it moves nicely on your cake without collecting crumbs. The crumb coat is also a good idea. Use very thin icing and ice a very thin layer to trap in the crumbs, let it dry (or freeze) then do your final coat of icing and you won't have crumbs or tearing. I strongly recommend crumb coating on chocolate cakes. They usually end up looking like they were iced with Oreo icing if you don't. Good Luck with your cake and your class!

Welcome! It sounds like your icing is too stiff. Thin down by adding water/milk and mix well. Be sure to first add a thin crumb coat, allow it to crust over, and then proceed with your final coat. The crumb coat is used to catch and glue down all those nasty crumbs. I like to put my cakes in the freezer for about 30 min before crumb coating to help keep those crumbs from lifting off the cake. With your final coat, make sure your spatula is always gliding over a good amount of icing and not touching the crumb coat. Do not press down too hard either. The thinned icing should glide on nice and easy. You will get it. Do not give up. Deep breaths and try again. Cake decorating skills usually do not come easy and take plenty of practice. We have all been there.

Also, I think it is a good idea to weigh out your powdered sugar rather than measure cupfuls so that each batch you prepare is consistent and reliable.

make sure when u bake the cake u dont use shortening or pam to keep the cake from sticking. i figured this out the first time i made a cake. the pam will make the whole cake non stick which means icing wont stick either. i learned to always use pam for baking. honestly, even that leaves a greasy film. if anyone has any better ideas for me, let me know!

I prefer to use the wilton products for greasing my pans. Also, you can never go wrong by lining the bottom of your pan with parchment. Just trace your cake pan, cut inside of your mark about 1/4 inch and put it in the bottom of your pan, grease, then pour in the batter. Also, I first put just a bit of grease on the bottom of the pan to hold the parchment in place so it does not slide around as the batter is being added. This could happen if you have a nice thick homemade batter. Your will never have to worry about the bottom of your cake sticking to the pan if you line the bottom with parchment. Well worth the effort.

I ALWAYS use Wilton Cake Release for my pans. I have never had one stick or any other problems.

ooooh parchment at the bottom. old trick that i totally forgot about! my grandmother taught me that. tried and true! i gotta start using that again!

Don't know whether this is the problem, but...... I just brought home the new 2008 Yearbook. I always make a batch of Snow White Buttercream to add (as needed for piping stiffer decorations) to my everyday buttercream. The recipe is different from the one printed for years in the Wilton yearbooks! The note on the recipe says "changes in Wilton's traditional recipes have been made due to Trans Fat Free Shortening replacing hydrogenated shortening".

How much water did you use for your icing? When making the thin buttercream recipe you will use 4 Tablespoons of water (in a full recipe of buttercream). When making just a batch of medium icing you use 3 Tablespoons of water.

I wish the book listed both how to make full batches of the different consistancies as well as how to thin it down by cups. Yes there are times when you just need a little of this and thinning some down works well. But there are also times when you just need medium icing or just thin.

On the first night of class I do give my students the recipes for the three consistancies so they can make them as they need them.