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Just wish I could find some cake stands that weren't crooked. No matter what, EVERY single one of my pretty white pedestals has a lean to it. I usually compensate for it and position the stand so it doesn't make the cake look crooked, but sometimes I screw it up. The wedding I did that same day looks crooked and it's NOT. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
It is not something that I can see from the photo. Is it something that could be corrected, say with a couple of tiny thin compensators (like felt) placed on the bottom of the stand could level out the stand?
Went to the Post Office and my new book has arrived. 'Sensational Buttercream Decorating' by Carey Madden. Dang she puts potato starch in her yellow cake recipe. I guess I've got some reading to do this week. Fingers crossed - there will be some good stuff here. So many books are just about fondant.
Cruised through quickly and looked at all of the decorating pages. It is all buttercream, all the time. She does not use MC or fondant or gumpaste. She actually made Cheetah pattern and Zebra stripes with buttercream - quite impressive! She also shows how to do that cupped flower that's so popular.
There's a lot of very beautiful 'new school' modern style decorating with piped buttercream. 
Definitely two thumbs up.
Ahhh a thread after my own heart, I would rather work with buttercream or whipped Ganache rather than fondant any day. I love the way they look, fondant cakes while looking amazing don't make me want to eat them, whereas a buttercream cake makes me want to grab a plate and fork and go have a slice. Yum. Thanks for the heads up about Carey Madden MB, I will go take a look.
Originally Posted by 810whitechoc
".........Thanks for the heads up about Carey Madden MB, I will go take a look."
You're welcome 810whitechoc. I think that it's a newly published book. I had to wait a month for it to be available.
The thing that most interested me was how she made the Cheetah and Zebra prints out of Swiss Meringue Buttercream. If that method works, I should be able to make the camo cakes the same way.
It means that I could abandon AMBC (it's required on camo cakes because of it's crusting ability is needed to be able to smooth the surface out, by using the paint roller on it )........ and Go All SMBC, all of the time. so we'll see. Having big hopes here.
Zebra print out of SMBC??? I want to know how to do that just because I want to know how to do that.
- I checked it out in the reviews on amazon and ordered it through Abe Books. Hopefully it will only take a couple of weeks but it is coming from the States and books from there seem to take a lot longer than from Britain. I am more interested in the buttercream flowers.
Lots of buttercream flower instructions.........
calico, cherry blossoms, chrysanthemum, climbing roses, English gardens, fairy ring, gerbera daisy, hydrangea, lily of the valley, lotus flower, pansy, poppy, roses, sunflower, vintage china flowers, violets, cupped (those new popular ones made with the "U" tips 79-80-81 from Ateco), daisies, dropped, petals, rosepuds, wisteria, even buttercream feather pattern and bamboo.
Dang! I've been trying so hard to be good. *sobs quietly* I've been staying out of the bookstore and away from online book sites and then you show me this! Whatever that purple flower is that's on the cover? I want to be able to do that! Arrrrgh!
MBalaska, I plan on blaming you for this. (But in a good way!) That's a book that's going to wind up on my shelf.
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Dang! I've been trying so hard to be good. *sobs quietly* I've been staying out of the bookstore and away from online book sites and then you show me this! Whatever that purple flower is that's on the cover? I want to be able to do that! Arrrrgh!
MBalaska, I plan on blaming you for this. (But in a good way!) That's a book that's going to wind up on my shelf.
The purple flower on the cover is called the 'cupped' flower. It's made with the Ateco 'U' tips # 79, 80, 81 I'm happy to take the credit 
This book is AMAZING. Love it. Learned lots of tips and along with a few classes at White Flower Cake Shop, I created this cake:
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It means that I could abandon AMBC (it's required on camo cakes because of it's crusting ability is needed to be able to smooth the surface out, by using the paint roller on it )........ and Go All SMBC, all of the time. so we'll see. Having big hopes here.
why do you want to abandon american buttercream do you think you might need it someday
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why do you want to abandon american buttercream do you think you might need it someday
Isn't AMBC American Meringue Buttercream--stays kind of fluffy and doesn't crust as much so you can get it very smooth, as opposed to American Buttercream that (usually) crusts over? Or have I got my icings confused yet again? *confuzzled*
Thank goodness there are others still out there! I do accents in fondant sometimes, but it's mostly buttercream. I tell people all the time, I don't see the point in covering a cake with something that takes that much time and effort (not to mention money) just to take it off before you eat it! It is cake after all and should be eaten and enjoyed!
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Isn't AMBC American Meringue Buttercream--stays kind of fluffy and doesn't crust as much so you can get it very smooth, as opposed to American Buttercream that (usually) crusts over? Or have I got my icings confused yet again? *confuzzled*
i don't know about ambc--but i'm sure it's out there somewhere--american buttercream is usually powdered sugar, fat, liquid & flavor--to me if it's made with butter and cream it's as lovely good as any other to cover a cake--when it's made with shortening it is great for piping-- idk why anyone would not continue to keep it in the arsenal--each different thing has at least one feature that it does better than any other --
easy example-- for brides who want summer outdoor weddings--it's a viable option
Thank goodness there are others still out there! I do accents in fondant sometimes, but it's mostly buttercream. I tell people all the time, I don't see the point in covering a cake with something that takes that much time and effort (not to mention money) just to take it off before you eat it! It is cake after all and should be eaten and enjoyed!
Reasons to use fondant:
It seals in the moisture
Keeps you from dying icing the customers will eat
Allows a bright white cake with real vanilla and butter in the icing (the customers will eat)
Protects the cake from the elements while it sits out for hours being decorated. Aka breathing on it.
Allows types of decoration not otherwise possible
The look
My base price is the same for fondant and buttercream.
I would rather be shot in the face than do a buttercream with a lot of fondant accents. You, know those cakes that are supposed to look like fondant but aren't? The only place I've seen this done really well is CorrieCakes, but i'm sure there are others.
If someone posted one up thread, I'm not putting your cake down - I just haven't read the thread yet. 
I was so excited to find this thread. I do 99% of my cakes in BC but I found that most cake decorating magazines these days are all fondant. Especially Wilton. It's been a couple years since I've done a big cake (had two babies that loved getting into everything so cake decorating got put on hold until they were older) so I'm getting nervous to do my parents 50th anniversary cake for this next weekend. I'm trying to replicate their original wedding cake. I came on this website to refresh my memory about technique and get some recipes. That's how I stumbled onto this thread. I just LOVE BC!!!! Here is the first wedding cake I did for my brother.
Just received and watched Sharon Zambito's DVD 'Perfecting the Art of Buttercream'.
It's a very detailed tutorial. I like the way that she talks about everything that she does, and give tips on things that may happen and what to do if it does happen. I've never made a crusting buttercream with all (meaning 100%) Hi-Ratio shortening or with Coffee-Mate creamer. I will do so later, but until then, has anyone made this icing or tried her techniques????
It certainly makes a perfectly white-white icing for wedding cakes.
I have and it really works. Love the buttercream! If I use a different recipe my husband always tells me "you didn't use the right frosting recipe". And the buttercream looks super smooth on my cakes. I'm still learning, but her techniques really have helped me get smoother looking cakes.
Michelle04, your wedding cake for your brother is beautiful!! You did a terrific job!!! Very nice.
Jdelectables, your cake is awesome!!
Both of you did excellent jobs!!!
MBalaska, I've used her tips and recipe for making her buttercream. It is by far the best I've found, although I don't make it with milk or hi-ratio shortening (just regular Crisco)…and it works amazingly well. VERY good for smooth buttercream cakes. LOVED.IT!
AI'm making a cake for a wedding in Sept. I just found out I will have to be out of town the day of wedding. I will be frosting and decorating them a week ahead. I plan on freezing them. What is the best frosting for this? That will keep its shape and texture without going grainy. I was thinking SMBC.
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