So where can I get this wedding bouquet flavoring?? I've heard a lot about it!!

I wanted to know that, too. I found it at Global Sugar Art. I was wondering what flavorings were in it and maybe I could make my own version.

Okay - Serious Cakes, I am about to put your icing to the test. Off to the kitchen!

Wow! I'm excited to find this thread! I, too, only use buttercream for my cakes. I will use fondant accents now and then, but do not like the taste of a cake completely covered in fondant. I agree it is not worth the time and extra money to put something on the cake that in all likelihood won't be eaten.

I love the idea of freezing buttercream to make cutouts. I will be trying that out soon!

mandifrye-How did it go?

Well, Ms. Serious, I love the flavor and the texture. I haven't actually made it to covering the cake (I got tired and wussed out, decided tomorrow would be better for me and the cake at this point, )

Do you usually use the Viva method? I have watched so many videos and tutorials, I can't remeber who uses what. I was just wondering what the designer uses to create the smoothest results.

Oh, okay bc decorators... I have a LV purse cake needed for next weekend. I made some choc fondant to cover it and it is going to be VERY difficult to work with, but I know that I can get the leather look I am looking for. Is there a way that I could use a chocolate bc and get a leather look, then apply my fondant and RI (at last minute) accents? Come on, give a tired mother of four a helping hand. My brain went with the second child! Especially after bedtime here!

....Please help, and tell me that I can, I would hate to do all of the fondant work only to throw piles of it in the trash after the cake has been eaten from under it!

lol-yep, I think I've lost brain cells with each additional child
I use the viva towels, love 'em! Here's a thought, use the choc bc and kind of crumple a paper towel when you smooth, that way you can get the leathery kind of look for your purse....perhaps?

Well - I am surprised that I have any brain cells left. I Directed day cares for years (taking care of other people's children) and now I take care of my own and a hubby! Most of the time, I clean up after him more than my one and two year olds!

I have only done one bc background on a cake thus far. So, I am kinda nervous about trying it out again. I did use the viva method and LOVED it - It worked great for an amatuer!

I love that crinkled paper towel idea - I also thought about dusting a light dust of cocoa powder in certain areas to make the leather look a little shaded or worn. What do you think? I have three cakes and 5 dozen cookies all due by next Saturday. That is huge for me, considering I vary rarely have any uninterrupted time. I have to have a complete game plan before beginning to maximize my time.

I am open to any and all ideas - I am a bit of an experimentor and I feel like we learn everytime we fail (as long as there is time to fix it, AGHGH )

Oh, does your icing Serious, have a way to go chocolate? You may have already given that answer 100s of times, but I don't recall. Thanks for everything.

I like the cocoa powder idea, sounds good!

Alright, my advice is to get as much done ahead of time as possible. Get your bags ready, extra frosting made and colored, cake boards covered, etc.

Yes, my frosting can be chocolate, I actually have it posted on here but it's pretty much the same recipe as regular bc. I melt 6 oz. of unsweetened chocolate, cool to room temp, then add just before I add the sugar.

Okay Serious, you are my new hero. I love your icing, taste and performance. Now, if I can just be as creative as you about the cake, all will be well.

I am assuming that I needed to store the unused in the fridge. How long will it keep. By the way, I did make a substitution and was pleasantly surprised. I used heavy cream instead and it tastes like ice cream, YUMMY!

Anyway, thanks again!

Yay!! Thanks for letting me know how it went! Yes, you can store it in the fridge, I'd say for at least a week, at most 2 weeks. lol-haven't tested it like that yet You could also store it in the freezer, I do that all the time.
Mmmmm, cream!! I love using heavy cream but if there's any leftover cream it goes right into my coffee. Not that it's a bad thing but I hate throwing anything away and heavy cream goes bad after 7 days! I usually use 1/2 and 1/2 because I always have that around but on occasion I splurge

Butter Cream Queen here, i use fondant for accent piecies Im still not quite sastified with my BC im still working with it, i think i will try the HWC next time do you just add it like you would the water or milk??

Had to check my Amazon... the two books I got are:

Sixty-Five Buttercream Flowers by R.V. Snyder

This one was first printed in 1957. Some of the terminology I'm having to research a little. The pictures are in black and white, but the explanations seem to be pretty good.

Buttercream Flowers and Arrangements by Roland A. Winbeckler

This is newer. Honestly, it's more of the bookLET than a book, but the information it has is excellent. Lots of stuff on how to best arrange things, the flow to it, that sort of thing.
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You can also try looking at the old Wilton Encyclopedias -- the set of 3 deal with buttercream and other techniques, but the third one is almost all buttercream borders and flowers.

As for HWC, Serious' recipe calls for half and half, and I subbed the HWC. It was all I had, and I couldn't have been happier with the outcome. You just add it like you do any liquid to BC.

Yup... I used heavy cream in Serious Cakes recipe as well. DELISH!! I really love the texture. I feel a caking weekend coming on!

Got it! In this age of no more words and only using abbreviations it's easy for me to get lost.

I was referring to the Wilton Way of Cake Decorating Complete Encyclopedia, Volumes 1, 2, & 3. The first one is a lot of basics, the second one deals with a whole lotta flowers and various ways of decorating that were popular in various parts of the world, as well as some gumpaste and candy info, and the third one goes through every tip and tube imaginable and what you can do with them. They are a good comprehensive set. You can find them on Ebay from time to time but be prepared to pay big $$$ for them. They are old (early 70s) but comprehensive. If you can only afford one I would recommend getting Volume 3 for what your needs are. Hope that helps!

OK...here's the deal...I just ordered these from Amazon:

Figure Piping Ideas for Cupcakes & Larger Cakes - Roland A Winbeckler $12.95

Buttercream Flowers & Arrangements - Roland A Winbeckler $12.95

Sixty-Five Buttercream Flowers - R V Snyder $17.77

By the way, Sixty-Five Buttercream Flowers is $100 on Half.com. I went with Amazon.

Now I think I'm going to need a second bookcase. My cake and cookie book collection is rivaling my murder mysteries collection!

You'll be happy with anything by Roland Winbeckler. I've taken classes with both him and Marsha -- awesome!! Another book you might want to consider is "Watching your garden grow" by Le King and Linda Reese. It's all about buttercream flowers. Hope that helps!

Thanks, Mister Buns, just ordered it, too!

DH is gonna LOVE all these charges on his PayPal card. He sells stuff online and the payments go to his PayPal account - then I buy stuff with his PayPal account. Isn't it great when a married couple creates a partnership?! I mean, after all, he should appreciate the fact that I don't have any credit cards, right?

Kim

The library is also a great resource, gives me the chance to kind of preview the book before buying it. I recently borrowed this one:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2351/2284565636_f086482501_o.jpg
It's going on my wishlist
I have Wilton's Celebrate books, 2, 3 and 5, as well as their very old Book of Wedding Cakes. lol-that's in addition to the old yearbooks *sigh* I love books

You know... it is delightful to know I'm not the only obsessed person!!

Kim... honestly, I was skeptical about the Winbeckler thing, but went for it anyway. I love the illustrations. It seems like often flowers are just piled onto a cake without consideration to making them look "real". That's what this book is all about. I like what he suggests.

my library doesn't have that book! Guess I'm going to have to take the plunge, I love buttercream books

serious_cakes: I definitely started out at the library, but there was a limited selection. Then I visited Books a Million and spent time "reviewing" the books they had to offer. I've also read lots of reviews on Amazon before making buying decisions. I recently started buying the used books they have to offer and have been pleasantly surprised. I got Peggy Porschen's Pretty Party Cakes for less than a dollar plus $3.99 shipping. Figured for that price I didn't mind if it had grease spots and icing on the pages. But what I received was a brand new book - dust jacket and all! And then there's always eBay for old, out of print stuff.

Ahhh...so many books to buy, so little time.