Trouble With Sharon Zambito's Bc Technique
Decorating By SarahBeth3 Updated 28 Aug 2011 , 5:50pm by Mystic
I recently watched "Perfecting the Art of Buttercream" and was super excited to try it. It was going well until I got to the step of using computer paper. When I removed the paper, half the bc came with it!!! Anyone know what I did wrong?
Thanks for the email info. I tried it a little later, thinking maybe it wasn't crusted enough and it did better, but still pulled the BC in a few places. Does it have to be more crusted for the PC paper than the Viva? Cause the Viva did great!
I wait like an hour to get a good crust! And, I do not use the same paper in two spots, the paper will absorb oil and cause it to stick and tear your bc! jsut get it nice and smooth with your viva! I use her technique all the time, took a while to figure out HOW LONG I should wait!
With a viva paper towel, I can pretty much start right away. I didn't like using computer paper, it didn't work for me, it stuck, with the paper towel it crusted enough to use after 5 minutes.
I love this technique, the computer paper really completes the finish. My cake is room temp., my icing is medium consis., and my home temp with a/c is cool 73. Good luck !!!!
I wait like an hour to get a good crust! And, I do not use the same paper in two spots, the paper will absorb oil and cause it to stick and tear your bc! jsut get it nice and smooth with your viva! I use her technique all the time, took a while to figure out HOW LONG I should wait!
I only used one piece of paper once and when I pulled it off, my BC came with it, so I didn't even get a chance to use the same paper a second time. I'll remember what you said about only using each piece once though when I attempt it again. I did not wait an hour for sure before using the PC paper, but when I tried it the second time it had been almost that long, and like I said it was much better, but not like on the video by any means. I think I'll take a break between Viva and computer paper next time. I just didn't know if after that long you would be able to do anything with it. She mentions in the video that after a certain amount of time it will just get messy. Thanks for the info, that helps a lot.
Is your cake chilled or room temp? If it's chilled, condensation will keep the icing sticky for a long time.
I thought I had let my cake come to room temp. but maybe I should have waited a little longer. I will be sure to on my next attempt. Thanks.
So is computer paper food safe now?
Have you ever tried using a bench scraper and turntable? Smooth as glass and no worries of whether or not it's food safe.
I wait like an hour to get a good crust! And, I do not use the same paper in two spots, the paper will absorb oil and cause it to stick and tear your bc! jsut get it nice and smooth with your viva! I use her technique all the time, took a while to figure out HOW LONG I should wait!
I only used one piece of paper once and when I pulled it off, my BC came with it, so I didn't even get a chance to use the same paper a second time. I'll remember what you said about only using each piece once though when I attempt it again. I did not wait an hour for sure before using the PC paper, but when I tried it the second time it had been almost that long, and like I said it was much better, but not like on the video by any means. I think I'll take a break between Viva and computer paper next time. I just didn't know if after that long you would be able to do anything with it. She mentions in the video that after a certain amount of time it will just get messy. Thanks for the info, that helps a lot.
Sometimes the weather can make a difference too. Don't give up! You have to gently rub the cake too, pushing too hard can move the icing, you just want to smooth out those tiny little marks that the viva left behind! All your smoothing is done with the hot bench scraper and viva smoothing! Same with the impression mat, if I did not wait long enough, the icing stuck and got messy, but waiting for a really really good crust works great! Her recipe stays workable longer than any other recipe I have ever used, yet you can viva very soon after frosting! Good luck and please post pictures!! I want to see 
I only have to wait about 5 minutes between the viva and the paper. Things that might be causing it to stick:
1) cake was chilled and it is sweating
2) room too humid
3) icing is too soft or has too much fat in it
and u can buy non chemical organic paper, or use wax or parchment paper.
I use sugars recipe and it crusts really fast, and I like viva method.........as far as food safe....your not eating the paper , but if you wanted to eat the entire sheet, it would not hurt you...unless ya got a paper cut lol
I was skeptical of the computer paper technique before I tried it, but wow! does it leave a flawless finish!! In humid weather, I do need to allow the icing to crust 10-15 minutes.
So is computer paper food safe now?
Have you ever tried using a bench scraper and turntable? Smooth as glass and no worries of whether or not it's food safe.
SugarShack's technique involves using a bench scraper and turntable, followed by Viva, then computer paper. You won't believe the difference!
I only have to wait about 5 minutes between the viva and the paper. Things that might be causing it to stick:
1) cake was chilled and it is sweating
2) room too humid
3) icing is too soft or has too much fat in it
Sharon, I am so giddy right now that you posted on my topic! Wow! Thank you so much for your advice, that helps a lot! Thank you!
So is computer paper food safe now?
Have you ever tried using a bench scraper and turntable? Smooth as glass and no worries of whether or not it's food safe.
SugarShack's technique involves using a bench scraper and turntable, followed by Viva, then computer paper. You won't believe the difference!
cakestyles, you should totally check out Sharon's video "Perfecting the Art of Buttercream". Talk about smooth as glass! I have always used a scraper and turntable, but even with me messing up the last step of Sharon's method my BC was so much smoother than normal. It's not just about the technique, it's about all the steps from the way you mix your BC to the temp of the water you dip your scraper in. Check it out!
! Good luck and please post pictures!! I want to see
It's the cowboy cake in my photos with the GP boot on top. You can see I got a little bulge, but I had a feeling I didn't make my dam thick enough, so that will be better next time. It doesn't look that great, but for me, it's a lot better than other attempts, so I am hopeful with practice and all these great tips from y'all that I'll get it looking smoother and sharper soon.
Also, I would like to add, I found out the gage of the paper plays a huge factor. I've been doing Sharon's technique for a while and love it and then I ordered a bulk of computer paper through this company and it was pulling the icing off and it was getting very greasy very fast 
But luckily, I've been doing it for a while to know how the paper should release. You need to use a heavy/thick computer paper in order for it to work properly. 
Hope this helps for the future 
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