What is the best way to attach ribbons to a buttercream cake. I have attached them to a fondant cake, but never a buttercream cake. I am doing a wedding cake on very short notice, but I took it cause I sure could use another wedding cake in my portfolio. She wants a cake done like the one in the Wilton's book, Tiered Cakes, it is the one with the pink and white cake on the front with the globes. It is page 25 but she wants the cake in buttercream with buttercream roses and the ribbon around the buttercream. Help! I am not sure how to attach the ribbon!
tyry petting a little dot of royal icing every few inches that should hold it in place. You could also piy a straight pin where the ribbon meets in the back untill the RI dries. DONT FORGET TO REMOVE THE PIN BEFORE WEDDING! lol HTH 
It is very easy to attach ribbon to buttercream. I just did that for my cousin's wedding cake. I backed my polyester ribbon with tape just to ensure the shortening from the buttercream would not change the color of the ribbon. If you don't add the tape the ribbon may darken a little, but if done the night before at least the entire ribbon will be the same color. I estimated the length I would need for each tier by wrapping ribbon around the baking pan and adding 2-3 inches. Then just put a dab of frosting on the underside of the ribbon, wrap around tier and finish with another dab of frosting on the underside of ribbon. It may not lay perfectly flat, but when people look at the cake head on it will look great. Good luck!
I use piping gel to put ribbon on a buttercream cake. I have put dots along the back of the ribbon, and I have also spread the piping gel on the back of the ribbon.
~Chelle
I have put my ribbon on clear contact paper and then attached the ribbon with dots of buttercream. Worked perfect and the butter cream did not change the color of the ribbon. I've done this with a sheer ribbon before and you couldn't tell there was contact paper behind it. HTH 
I used regular scotch tape and only needed to use icing at the beginning and end of the strip because I added the ribbon before the icing had completely crusted.
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