Why Does Buttercream Get Hard Once Iced On Cake?? Help!!!
Decorating By Normita Updated 10 May 2009 , 10:42pm by umgrzfn
I have made the wilton, sugarshack and indydebi's buttercream and I can get them really smooth. But when I apply it to the cake, and it sits over night the icing gets hard and I dont like that. Does this happen because it is a crusting buttercream?? I want an icing that will keep that smooth consistency even when on the cake. What am I doing wrong....what can I do instead??
All of those recipies are crusting buttercream so that is what they are suppose to do. I don't have a non-crusting recipie (sorry) but if you do a search in the recipie section of this site I'm sure you'll find a good one.
I usually use the Wilton recipe and substitute half the shortening with butter. The buttercream tends to stay softer this way.
Here is the no crust buttercream recipe.
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1610-100-No-Crust-Buttercream-Icing.html
Try Swiss SMBC or Italian IMBC Meringue Buttercream. They don't crust.
Here's one that I just LOVE!!!!
http://cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-4633-Gabes-Satin-Vanilla-bean-Buttercream-Frosting.html
Good Luck 
Try Swiss SMBC or Italian IMBC Meringue Buttercream. They don't crust.
Yep...and the taste will knock your socks off....and before anyone says anything about it tasting like a stick of a butter....if it is made properly...no. it. won't. 
sorry, i make it properly.. from some of the finest recipes.. and it still taste like a stick of butter... to me and to ones that i get to taste it.. i make it at times.. i make the american buttercream also.. and all kinds.. i want to know how to make it all.. to please all..
I love SMBC and IMBC, I use princess emulsion and haven't had any complaints about butter-tasting. It's warm and humid here. I use it all the time and haven't had serious problems. Although it is really soft, it hasn't given me problems.
Thanks everyone...I have been trying to try SMBC. Is the texture silky and smooth?? But I heard that it wont stand in the heat? And I'm assuming you just smooth it with a hot spatula?
I personally love IMBC, the trick is to put enough vanilla or other flavoring in. Also if you realllllly are bugged by the butter, add 1/4c melted chocolate. Now you have the SILKIEST chocolate icing you have ever eaten in your life.
Hot spatula is not recommended for IMBC. It works but if your bc is colored, you will have problems with the hot spatula briefly melting the butter which draws the color out into puddles. I am sure I have more than one cake in my gallery that can demonstrate this issue; you can definitely see the effect in my green "tea party" cake and also in my first cake ever (the fish cake).
For my most recent IMBC cake I used Antonia74's technique and it worked BEAUTIFULLY. Check out my surfin' santa cake to see the results (well, as if you need to do that; just check out Antonia74's cakes!!). She explains her technique midway down p3 of this thread http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=404613&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=imbc&&start=30
For a noncrusting american BC I like the Whipped Cream Buttercream here in the recipes section.
I love IMBC, I use "classic vanilla buttercream" from the food network site. It doesn't taste like a stick of butter at all. I have people that ask for extra icing on their cake because it is so yummy. It has a smooth, melt in your mouth flavor and doesn't crust at all, so you don't get that sticky mess on the knife when you cut into cakes.
I made a cake for yesterday. And after that I think I am going to the WBH buttercrean the house one. I love soft icing. I always use crusting but I like soft icing.
I'm with homemaluhia!! If you want a "SMOOOOOTH" icing use, IMBC. I made it for the first time and have to admit I was quite overwhelmed by the "Butter" flavor and did not like it! SOOOOOO, I added about 3T of vanilla and it was AMAZING!!! It has the smoothness of whip cream. It's AWESOME.
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