Sooooo...I've been experimenting with crusting buttercream (I've been trying out IndyDebi's recipe). I'm a little frustrated.

I LOVE it for cupcakes. I'm getting beautiful fluffy swirls that hold their shape nicely.

I'm fighting with it on cakes. I took lessons at a bakery where we used a non-crusting buttercream. I let it set up hard in the fridge and then smooth it with a wet-knife or a hot-knife. I can get a very nice clean edge at the top of the cake this way.

How do you get a clean edge w/the crusting BC? When I smooth the sides it pushes a ridge up to the top. When I smooth the top, the ridge bulges out around the sides.

Any tips before I go back to buying huge tubs of bc at the bakery?

TIA,

Kristy

See, I can't get a smooth finish on a non-crusting buttercream.

I guess it comes down to practice, or what you're used to working with.

I love Edna's video on icing a cake - this might give you some good visuals as to how to get a clean base with a crusting buttercream.

I tried Edna's technique tonight(again!) and still failed miserably. Sadly, though, this was an improvement from the last one

I'm with you. I really prefer a non-crusting, but like Indy's bc for cupcakes.

Non crusting is where it's at ! People always tell me how 'fluffy' my frosting is and feel as though it's less gritty due to it not crusting. I prefer the extra butter, personally .

Smoothing wise I also have better luck with it. If the crusting buttercream crusts and you're not ready for it to crust, you can mess up any progress you've made. On uncrusting buttercream you can keep reworking it (in my experience).

I am however, no expert and am not that great at smoothing buttercream or fondant! So take my opinion w/ a grain of salt

I thought perhaps it is just me. There seem to be so many people who swear by the crusting BC.

I think I will end up using it for cupcakes but stick to what I best at for cakes. I have a big baby shower cake for my cousin in a few weeks--not the ideal time to be relearning everything I know about cakes.

FYI--here's my little practice cake, made as a gift for the friend who redesigned my DH's flying club website.

Here's a different technique for icing that you could try:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-682196.html

HTH

Kristy, I think I'm with you! I've also fought with that weird bulge at the top ridge of my cakes with crusting bc. GRRR. Tonight I'm working with my first batch of non-crusting and wow! I can get a beautiful crisp edge. OK--I'll admit that there's an inconsistently crisp edge because my spatula smoothing skills aren't honed, but I'm enjoying working with this frosting. Or, at least I'm not fighting with it *more* than I fight with my regular crusting recipe. Cake's back in the fridge for the second time so I can work some more on the smoothing.

Jan, thanks for linking to that post. I hadn't seen it before and it's intriguing.

karabeal, you're most welcome.

Not that my icing is 100% smooth, but to get a crisp edge I use 2 fondant smoothers. I put a piece of parchment paper on the side and top, and then use the smoothers to get a crisp edge.

Jan--thanks for the link. I have one more BIG batch of Indy's BC prepped so I might try again on another practice cake this week.

I'm pretty happy w/my non-crusting results so I may just stick with that in the long run but I like to have options. I'm always a little worried that I will run out of BC at a time when my bakery supply is closed.

Kristy

i'm like sugar shack not so sweet, but edna's looks so smooth, i do notice she puts a lot of bc on her cakes, my cakes come out pretty smooth, i had a cake disaster this week though, i kept getting a wrinkle on the top, really had to work at it, ended up scraping it all off and starting over, i think i might try the non crusting just once and see how i do.

I have to say that at the end of my first non-crusting BC experience I was pleased with the result. It looked smoother and crisper than my work with crusting BC. Even my husband commented that the cake was an improvement over my recent cakes. But it is SO delicate. At least the Whimsical Bakehouse recipe that I made was. Even one slight brush with a finger or a piece of decorative fondant that I don't place perfectly leaves a mess that I couldn't figure how to fix other than (a) redoing all the smoothing or (b) placing a bigger piece of decorative fondant over it!

You're very welcome KJ62798.

Don't most cakers use crusting buttercream in hot weather so it holds up in the heat, and non crusting bc in cool weather because it tastes better (not so sweet)?
This is what my newbie self has been doing.

I am terrible with a crusting buttercream, much better with non crusting.

Jan you absolutely rock!! thanks for the link !!

I love my crusting buttercream, but it is a tedious process to get it flawless. I cant wait to try out tutugirls method.

I am glad I saw this post! I am doing a practice wedding cake next week and was going to try the crusting recipe, but now I am having second thoughts. I get good results from my non-crusting, but the way everyone raves about Indydebi's recipe I thought I would try it. It is a practice cake so I guess that is the time to try....right?

Oh, you should totally try IndyDebi's recipe or another crusting recipe just to see how you like working with it. You never know, you may love it. I think experimentation is great. It's all about self improvement and cake improvement!