Comments on: Your Guide to Frosting a Cake with Smooth Buttercream

By: Whitney

Whitney — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 15:46:38 +0000

In reply to bee.

Hi there! It sounds like you’re applying too much pressure when smoothing. You should be using a gentle touch as you glide the smoother over the buttercream. I do have a hack that would work for you though! Try this next time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HogEImUsI0

By: bee

bee — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 22:53:02 +0000

I feel like I smooth and smooth and smooth so many times that I end up stripping all the the buttercream off the cake and I end up with see-through thin patches. How much pressure should i be using? How can I fix this issue?

By: Whitney

Whitney — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 15:53:48 +0000

In reply to Sarah. Hi Sarah! What kind of buttercream are you using when that happens? I always use American buttercream and have never had issues with cracking!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 18:29:35 +0000

This is a very helpful post and video. I do have one question. Have you ever had Your buttercream on your cake crack? I have had this happen a few times after frosting decorating and chilling a cake once it was pulled out and come to room temperature. Any advice?

By: Maria Colomer

Maria Colomer — Sun, 26 Jun 2022 15:41:49 +0000

excellent video

By: Whitney

Whitney — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 03:26:38 +0000

In reply to Shawna. Hi Shawna! You can add the color gel right after you make the buttercream. If you're using soft gel paste, there should be no need to adjust the amount of milk – those are designed to be added to buttercream without affecting the consistency. What color are you planning on making? If it is a dark color, it's best to start with a darker buttercream (like chocolate) so you don't have to add too much color gel.

By: Shawna

Shawna — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 22:07:01 +0000

Hi,

Thank you for all of the tips! When do you add the coloring to tint the buttercream? Do you adjust the amount of milk you add depending on how much food color you add so it doesn’t affect the consistency of the buttercream? I will probably use a soft gel paste. Maybe this is obvious question…I find if you are tinting it a darker colour, it can make the buttercream more runny.

By: Whitney

Whitney — Sat, 09 Apr 2022 04:45:43 +0000

In reply to Nabila Atwas. Hi Nabila! I've never used Italian meringue buttercream before so I can't say for sure. I use American buttercream for everything I do. The purpose of chilling the cake after crumb coating is to lock in the crumbs and the shape of the cake. This way the layers don't slide around while you're applying your final layer of frosting. If this technique doesn't work for Italian meringue buttercream though, you'll need to revise your process accordingly. I'll let you know if I ever end up trying that frosting in the future so I can speak to it better!

By: Nabila Atwas

Nabila Atwas — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 09:24:49 +0000

Hi Whitney,
Thank you so much for these tips. My worry is when using the Italian meringue buttercream.
do you have to chill the cake after you crumb coat it? will coating the final layer wont be affected by the temp of the chilled cake? like affecting the texture of the buttercream when final coating the cake? This has happened to me before and I don’t know how to avoid this, or do I need to bring a chilled cake (that has been chilled for not more than 30 min) to a room temp before working on a final coat?

By: Whitney

Whitney — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 20:14:36 +0000

In reply to sarah macartney. Hi Sarah! I used three 6 inch layers (my tins are 2 inches tall) for this size. So happy these tips are helpful!