I was asked to make a all buttercream 4 tiers wedding cake. The decorations are very simple. However I am suppose to put a one and 1/16" wide of ribbon at the bottom of each tier. My past experience is that the grease/oil from the buttercream will soak thru the ribbon. Any suggestions to avoid the blotches of grease on the ribbon. I told the bride-to-be that we should use fondant and dust with luster dust but she is not willing to pay the price. Please help.

I've done my a couple of ways. I've put contact paper on the back of the ribbon and I've also went ahead and rubbed bc over the entire back of the ribbon so it showed no blotches. Works great either way.

I would oil the entire ribbon with veg. oil, then run thru a folded paper towel to remove the excess. Then it will cling to the cake without having to attach with icing, and no grease spots will appear. Test for colorfastness first, though. Good luck!

I use IMBC and the ribbon eventually absorbs enough grease to eliminate the blotchy appearance, but it also darkens the color of the ribbon slightly (similar to being wet). Some people just coat the ribbon with a non-flavored oil (like canola) before putting it on the cake, being sure to wipe away any excess oil.

I've heard of lining the ribbon with tape, but I really don't like the thought of that. Others just cut a piece of waxed paper to fit behind the ribbon, but some grease can still seep onto the ribbon.

I say go ahead and go for it...Let her know what you think...I did a dummy cake with the ribbon on the bottom of each tier...It was with buttercream...And it was all assembled the night before I took the pictures I really didnt have any problems. I added a little bit more meringue powder to my icing so it would crust over a little more...And deffinately wait until you have a crust to assemble it. But I even did the dot border in front of the ribbon and had no issues!!! Hope it helps and good luck! ~Mandie~

heres my pic

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1230103

I cut wax paper slightly smaller than the width of the ribbon. I place the wax paper, then the ribbon and tape together in the back of the cake. I wait and do this after I have it set up at the reception area. I never do mine too far in advance. I've never had any grease stains on the ribbon. HTH

Good topic!!

I made a 2-tiered wedding cake Sunday all white buttercream and ivory satin ribbon (in my photos). I didn't put anything on the ribbon - just wrapped it around each tier and put dots of buttercream where the ends joined in the back. Then I put pearl-tipped straight pins here also to make sure the ribbon held.
I was very worried about the ribbon not holding so I did this the night before it was due to make sure everything would be ok. It was and no problems!

Good Luck!

I "iron" mine with wax paper. Cut a piece of wax paper the length of the ribbon and twice as wide. Sandwich the ribbon in between, place a towel or other cloth on top and iron on low until the wax is "transferred" to the ribbon. I've done this a few times and it hasn't failed me yet, plus it's easy to do.

Does the color of the ribbon bleed onto a white cake? Never done this..just curious

I have not had any problems with the grease bleeding thru, but i generally use a textured ribbon. There is also waterproof ribbon in craft stores that some use.

And i have used the straight pin to hold the ribbon on fondant cakes, but on buttercream, i use just a very small amout of hot glue that i quickly rub with my finger before i attach. It also grabs better and you get no little strings from the ends. hth

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I will try them all to see which one works better for me.
Hi Mandie, you mentioned adding merigue powder to the buttercream, what proportion do you use or can you share the recipe? Thanks again.

I use SMBC almost exclusively, and I always line the back of my ribbon with tape. Clear packing tape for wide ribbon, "scotch" tape for thinner ribbon. The trick is to put the tape on when the ribbon is "rounded" if that makes any sense. I like to wrap a piece of tape around a cake pan the size of the tier I'm making and then wrap the ribbon over the tape. I don't like coating the ribbon with oil because it makes the color darker. JMO

does it make a difference if the ribbon is wired?

I had good luck when I did a cake like this with ribbon. I did use a wired ribbon, but I the key for me was the material the ribbon was made of. A more sheer ribbon (not satin)...maybe organza or one had nylon in it.. this is what I have used. I did wait until the bc had completely crusted over before putting the ribbon on. To secure the ribbon on the cake I just used a few dots of bc...this did the trick for me. Hope this helps

Thank you for all the suggestions and help. You guys are the best!

I don't like using wired ribbon either--it doesn't seem to lay nice and flat against the cake. If I want to use a particular ribbon that happens to be wired, I just pull the wires out...

I've used ribbons directly on the cake after the BC has crusted and have had no trouble with greasiness or bleeding