Hi,

I'm new here, hello, and have a question about buttercream. Before you start on at me I have seen the topic about the 'All You Ever Wanted To Know About Buttercream' (which I think is a fab idea), but I need a rather more immediate answer if possible!

I have been making cakes for many years, just recently I have been branching out into making celebration cakes for friends and family. Usually, my covering of choice would be marzipan and fondant for a fruit cake, or buttercream and fondant for sponge cakes (a thin layer of buttercream, and then a covering of fondant).

However, a friend has asked me to make her a wedding cake, she wants just a single layer 12inch carrot cake with a vanilla buttercream frosting.

My problem is that the cake is for a Saturday, but it looks as if my friend will need me to deliver the cake on Friday morning, meaning that I would have to bake and ice the cake on Thursday evening.

My question - will the buttercream icing (buttercream, icing sugar, vanilla extract) last ok until Saturday? My friend is getting married on the Friday and then having an Afternoon Tea party on the Saturday. I would dread to think that everyone would end up with food poisoning because the buttercream had gone rancid!

The cake would be in a box and not refrigerated (I've seen the horror stories about sweaty, melting cakes!)

If anyone could please put my mind to rest I would be most grateful! If it comes down to it I will recommend that she has a fondant layer to protect the buttercream but this will put her costs up.

As a final question, does any one have any tips on how to get that perfectly smooth coating of buttercream? Would you have to put on a initial think layer to seal the crumbs, let it set, and then put on a second layer to get the proper finish?

Thanks very much to all for your help

x

Yes, just make sure the house is cool. We keep ours around 67-68 and I have never had any issues with any of my buttercream recipes melting down or drooping.

To get the smooth finish, do your crumbcoat and let that set up for a few minutes. Then apply a very thick second coat of icing, and using a wide, flat scraper (bench scraper), scrape around the side of the cake in one pass (thinking of a round cake here). It is very helpful if you have a turn table for this.

Hi Annie,

Thanks for this, and for putting my mind at rest!

The cake is a 12 inch square, so doing the buttercream finish should (in theory?!) be easier than on a round. I do have a turntable so that will make it easier still.

Thanks again.

x

Good luck and remember to post pictures!

As long as the buttercream contains white fat and no butter you'll be ok, but my main concern is the cake. It has fresh carrots and probably crushed pineapple in it which (if it isn't kept cool may produce gas inside the cake and blow out the icing). If you have a large picnic cooler and some frozen ice packs, please consider using it to keep the cake cold for as long as possible. Or even a large box with frozen cold packs on the bottom. And for the best results in a smooth icing place your cake in your freezer for 15 minutes or refrigerator for 30 minutes, remove then heat your metal offset spatula under very hot running tap water and smooth, reheat and smooth, reheat and smooth..