Re: Christmas Wedding Cake

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: This is all very helpful.  Thank you!  I'll have to look for the bench scraper.  It sounds like the wider edge makes the smoothing process quicker and more even.  I use a buttercream with Crisco, so I assume that is what you mean by a "crusting buttercream?"  How is yours non-crusting?


: I use a non-crusting buttercream.  I smooth the sides using a turntable and a sheet rock knife [like a bench scraper with a handle].  I smooth the top with a small angled spatula.  After completly icing the cake, I dip the knife in HOT water, dry it, the hold it against the cake side, and with the other hand, turn one complete turn WITHOUT STOPPING.  It usually take one or two passes to get them smooth.  Then use the small angled spatula to smooth over the built up top edge.

As for the flowers, I've never had any problem with the weight of them damaging the cake.

As for transporting them, it depends.  If it is a short distance, I will usually deliver fully stacked and decorated with flowers....BUT ALWAYS COLD!  Long treks for cake 5 tiers or more may be delivered in two sections then assembled and decorated on site....but this is rare....and again ALWAYS COLD.  I also box the cake in a heavy brown cardboard box...insulates the cake also while driving so that it stays cold.  I've nevery used the paper towel method.  Sharon Zambito of Sugar Ed Productions just put out a new dvd on smoothing buttercream and I have seen it, and if you use crusting buttercream, her methods produce excellent results.  I'm sure Delores can get the video, or you can email me and I will tell you where to order it.  

Hope this helps some.  Please feel free to ask any questions you have...we learn best when we learn from each other!


: I was looking at your albums on Webshots and your cakes are beautiful!  How do you get your buttercream so smooth?  I use the hot knife method, but mine doesn't come as smooth as that!  Also, even with your gumpaste flowers being wired only two at a time, on 3" skewers,how do you place them in the tiers so that gravity doesn't cause them to pull/rip the cake?  One more question...do you transport cold,fully decorated cakes or do you put all the flowers on the cake at the site?  Thanks for your help.




: The flowers in the cascade are not all wired together...in fact there's not a group of more than two wired together.  If flowers are heavy, I will use floral tape to attach them to wooden skewers that I have cut to 3 or 4 inches in length so that they go deep enough into the cake to support the flower's weight.

: I usually don't have luck with using gumpase wired flowers on buttercream in a cascade.  They seem to be too heavy.  Do you have pointers for making it work like that?  Again, the cake is beautiful
: : 
Exquisite!  

*Thanks for the compliment!

Is the icing buttercream or fondant with the gum paste Poinsettias?  

*The icing is buttercream. My market area is not interested in the taste of fondant.

How did you get them to stay on the cake?

*The flowers are wired.

Is the cascade only on the front?  Very beautiful!

*No, the cascade goes down both sides. The cake was placed so that it could be viewed from all sides.




: This is a cake I did for a friend's daughter a week before Christmas....normally I won't do cakes in December due to my candy making and Christmas baking, but I had to do this one.









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