Why Buttercream Cracked After Being Perfectly Iced!?

Baking By CakeCouture23 Updated 29 Oct 2017 , 1:47am by Cake-Monster

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CakeCouture23 Posted 27 Oct 2017 , 11:38am
post #1 of 6

Hi Ladies and Gents! 

Okay so perfectly, beautifully iced 8" round cake. Torted 4 layers. I did it yesterday afternoon and this morning it had a small line all the way around the buttercream mostly all around the base. Kind of like a fault line if you will.  What caused this? Why? My thought was maybe the weight of the icing above it..and what should I do? It's very faint. This tiered cake is due today and I have a ways to go. I really don't have time to reice it. I can gently and faintly rub the line and it disappears.  I have to deliver it 30 mins away. Think it would be ok or too risky and get worse? Any advice appreciated! 

5 replies
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ypierce82 Posted 27 Oct 2017 , 12:59pm
post #2 of 6

What kind of board is it sitting on? Sometimes if the cake is too heavy, and the board is too flimsy, it will flex when you move it, causing a crack in the buttercream. Without more info it's hard to say what happened, but if the board is strong enough to support it, I'm not sure what else could have caused it. 

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-K8memphis Posted 27 Oct 2017 , 3:17pm
post #3 of 6

yeah it just sounds like it settled --

i keep my cakes refrigerated through delivery -- i'm not saying to do this if you haven't already tested this with your recipes -- i'm saying that's how i avoid this so i don't have any good answer except the obvious to re-ice which i know you said is not a good option with all the work you have to do -- do you have any cake scraps from leveling that you could toss a little torted cake together and slap it in the fridge to see how it does -- idk -- 

once you get into those final crucial days we can't start second guessing -- but refrigeration will invisibly hold the cake for delivery -- i'm not saying it's the best choice for your present situation --

and what kind of icing is this? american? 


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remnant3333 Posted 27 Oct 2017 , 8:14pm
post #4 of 6

I add maybe a tablespoon or two of corn syrup to my buttercream recipe because it helps when you pipe lines to be more flexible and the lines are less likely to break.Not sure if it would help alleviate cracks in buttercream or not. I have never had cracks in mine before but like others said maybe the weight of the cake was too heavy for the cardboard cake plate. 

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kakeladi Posted 27 Oct 2017 , 8:36pm
post #5 of 6

Perhaps the recipe is too dry.  Add an additional couple of tablespoons of 'fat'....be it butter or shortening to make a creamier icing.   Mixing for up to 10 minutes at low speed also helps produce a creamy icing.

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Cake-Monster Posted 29 Oct 2017 , 1:47am
post #6 of 6

Were your cake layers cold or frozen when you were working with them? Cold cake will crack room temperature buttercream.

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