I find that when I make (butterless/traditional)buttercream and use it the same day, it is more likely to have the grainy mouth feel. Now, I make 2-3 5 gallon buckets on Mondays. Sometimes, it will take me through 1 week sometimes 2-2 1/2. I make 1-2 separate 2 gallon buckets of stiff icing. The petals are so much smoother after the icing has rested a couple of days.
I've been on vacation this week so I haven't had a chance to keep up with everyone. We had a birthday party just before we went and I took the leftover cake (made by me 
) with us! Oh, soooo good! Let's see, I baked and frosted the cakes on the 5th, everything still tasted good up until the 10th, cake was going downhill but the frosting was still delicious! And yeah, it is the plastic cake carrier that was to blame for my frosting going awry 2 weeks ago. When I took the lid off the carrier when we got to our vaca destination, the frosting was 'wet'. There was even a bc rose in the carrier and that lost it's shape and was mushy. *sigh* Anyway, those will be retiring for leftover's use only.
Indydebi -loved that cake! Some looks just don't go out of style, I have always loved the lace effect but haven't had a chance to use it yet!
vstar_pilot -glad you liked it! Did it work well for you?'
Kim_in_CajunCountry -That cake is beautiful!!! I don't think they look like grapes at all, I would say hydrangeas but I'm not familiar with lilacs Excellent work, again, absolutely beautiful!!
And here's 2 cakes that I am ridiculously proud of Nothing special, just happy that I could say it's all buttercream!
A book cake:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1154318
I didn't have a cake comb so I used a fork-for future reference, not the same effect and I have since bought a cake comb
And many many flowers, including my first daffodils! Everything piped right on the cake!
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1208523
I was trying to do tulips too but was defeated
I have to agree that BC is more difficult than fondant. I can't do anything with BC! Not that I'm all that great with fondant, but I can usually make it do what I want...eventually! You guys truly do have a talent. Of course I'm jealous! I wish I could make BC look as smooth as fondant and at least make a rose or something. I have SugarShack's DVDs and hopefully with some practice I'll get good, but until then you BC decorators rock! 
,vstar_pilot -glad you liked it! Did it work well for you?'
It worked WONDERFULLY!! I have to admit, I was worried, because I live on Guam and it is INSANELY humid here. But the icing crusted perfectly. The flavor and texture are way better than the recipe I was using before.
I'm just getting back into decorating, so all of this informtion is so great! Now I just have to re-train myself on how to make flowers and everything else!!
Awesome!! I've found that it has held up well for me too this summer, the only time I have problems is when I'm not paying attention to my consistency and I add too much liquid! I've gotten messages from a few women in the Phillipines as well as Puerto Rico that said it worked for them too, that made me feel pretty good!
is there anyone who still follows the classic butter cream recipe..?i.e, only butter ,icing sugar and flavor, no crisco or any other form of shortening
I still use an all butter buttercream at times. I did my basketweave for the Wilton Course 2 in it. I prefer the taste. Unfortunately because it's not pure white it's not so easy to color as the shortening version. I found this out in course 1 when I tried to make the blue frosting for the rainbow cake and it came out green instead (yellow + blue= Green, duh) 
Anyways I just used it for my final cake, it is so yummy. Don't get me wrong my shortening one is pretty awesome too, I just prefer the butter. 
A pet peeve: Anyone get the monthly "Slice" from ACD and MBN? They are looking for buttercream cake tutorials, but the restrictions are so-o-o annoying! Things like the cake has to be able to be completed in 2 hours or less, nothing made ahead of time, and has a skill level of zero. To me, they're saying that no decorator of any caliber works in buttercream. Why can't they ask for buttercream cakes that'll knock your socks off? I'd actually pay for a subscription if they would highlight cool BC cakes. I quit taking ACD when they concentrated only on fondant. Sigh.
That IS aggravating! Yes, you can SIMPLY decorate a cake in 2 hours, is that supposed to include making the frosting then frosting the cake? I said on another thread that I want to write to Food Network, I'd like to see the cake challenge done in all buttercream. Let's see how many famous decorator's sign up for that!!!
That IS aggravating! Yes, you can SIMPLY decorate a cake in 2 hours, is that supposed to include making the frosting then frosting the cake? I said on another thread that I want to write to Food Network, I'd like to see the cake challenge done in all buttercream. Let's see how many famous decorator's sign up for that!!!
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW! That would be quite the contest! I'd watch that one, for sure. I stopped watching a lot of those things, because I just don't plan on learning fondant anyway, except maybe for small elements.
I have extra icing from my cupcake project, if its raining next weekend, I think I'll just sit and pipe flowers until I get it. Nothing more impressive, in my eyes than a good buttercream bloom. There is a skill to it. Sure, fondant and gumpaste makes more realistic, but I just don't see the artistry of it.
I too am a buttercream gal, specifically IMBC. I've tried crusting buttercreams but didn't care for the taste as much as straight butter and I'm too lazy to keep trying recipes : ) I do use fondant but only for decorations, my husband is dead set against the stuff so I challenged myself a bit when I made hamburger cupcakes using all buttercream. I thought I was so creative by freezing the cheese on a cookie sheet and cutting it out, but obviously you all are just as inventive! I wish I could do flowers like some of you, the talent here is absolutely amazing!
Hey Indydebi, let's sign up for that challenge!! You be the team leader, I'll be the quiet one in the background, everyone will only see my hands Ah yes, that cash prize would buy a lot of fun caking toys!
Steph, those are so cute!! Me and the kids finally made one of the bigger versions last month but I'd love to do them as mini's!
Steph, those cupcakes are too cute!! I swear I would have NEVER thought of that on my own. It's great to see what people can do with buttercream.
Ya know, I'm really beginning to feel like less than rank amateur around here... HAHAHAHA!! I need to get practicing!
Ok... so here's a question for you ladies. Are you just completely sick of the taste of buttercream? I was talking to another decorator friend. She said her biggest thing was, she just can't stand the taste of it anymore. I still think it's yummy... wonder if that'll go away?
My thighs can verify the fact that I still love buttercream! I am able to make and decorate a cake without licking the bowl clean but a good bit still finds its way into my mouth-quality control right?
for starters. Thank you for your wonderful compliments, you ladies just made my day!!!!! You have no idea!
as for not eating cake... Oh my gosh, that is too funny! I LOVE a chocolate cake with buttercream icing, I can't pass it by for all the money in the world, but my husband and daughters don't eat cake! People don't believe me when I say that! all that cake at our fingertips and we don't eat it, how can that be?!? It doesn't stop me from making them cakes for their birthday though, I just give all the leftovers to my human garbage disposal, a.k.a. my DAD!
Yup! I'm going to have to join the "I don't eat it" crowd. Honestly, I love making cakes, but I don't want/need to be eating them. What I make either comes to my office or goes to hubby's office. I really don't have a problem with that. My biggest problem keeping the icing off my fingers while I'm decorating!!!
I was telling a friend recently about some flavor ideas I had and she asked why I didn't just make a cake for my family to try it out. I shook my head sadly and told her I couldn't, cake is not safe in my house! I taste the cake scraps (quality control again) but I cannot have cake around, I am an admitted sweet tooth and will devour any and all cake!
*sigh* the women my hubby works with are always dieting!! I have sent in a few but they get upset if I do it too often. I have other outlets though, a local bookstore that we go to often have offered to be guinea pigs
Just checking in as a BC fan here -- I appreciate all the ideas and tips in this thread. There is a certain magic that comes from taking a few simple metal tips and some icing and creating pretty much anything. I think I finally "got" it when I realized I had to control the stiffness (or temp) of the icing to get the different looks.
Butter-cream reminds me of artists who work in watercolors -- it looks clean and simple, but to do it really well...it's actually harder than oil painting.
Is it just me or is hard to find good decorating books that focus on buttercream? I gave up and turned to eBay. I was so excited when I won a copy of "The Homemaker's Pictorial Encyclopedia of Modern Caked Decorating" by McKinley Wilton & Norman Wilton. Copyright 1954. The book is mostly black and white but SO wonderful. It shows all the classic piping techniques and some I've never even seen. Lots of flowers and great borders and variations of each. It also has other stuff like gum paste and sugar molding, pulled sugar, cookies, candy, etc.
I really want to be able to make "modern" (not 1954 modern) buttercream cakes that incorprate classic design elements.
I also won a copy of "Cake & Food Decorating" by Wilton. It's part how-to (lots of wedding cakes) and part mail order catalog. Probably an early version of what is now their yearbook. I can't find a date, but judging by the crocheted mini-dress on one of the women, I put it in the early 70's. Oh, and cover price is $1! They offer a KitchenAid K5A lift-bowl stand mixer with "Planetary Action mixing" for $159.50. Ooh Ooh and they introduce a "Thrilling New Touch for Wedding Cake or Reception Table - Kolor Flo Fountain!
These are two fun and nostalgic publications!
I LOVE the old Wilton books, I must have like, 7 at least. It's awesome because a good 95% of the cakes in them are buttercream, and a lot of them have like a practice section, there's several techniques that I've used but kind of updated and a few I'd still love to try. One of my favorite cakes is the one where Norman Wilton wraps and decorates an entire cake with pulled sugar, so beautiful!!
I, too, have picked up some old Wilton yearbooks. I also have a couple of their "Cake & Food Decorating" books, and agree they are early versions of the yearbook. You won't find a lot of new material on BC because it is considered "old school". I've often wondered if a "Beautiful Buttercream Cakes" book would sell to anyone but me. We should all collaborate and put one together!
Kim, Gemini, or Serious_Cakes:
Do your older books indicate if you can do bridgework/fine stringwork on butter-cream cakes?
I've done it to practice, but I'm not comfortable doing one for a wedding, because I wondered if the BC would soften, and the RI strings would all crumble from the moisture and/or fat content of the BC after being out a few hours.
The newer books I've used to learn (like Toba Garrett's) all seem to do very fancy RI work on a fondant or marzipan base. If you did know...or have experience, I'd really appreciate your answer!
Thank you.
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