Thankyou for the info,never heard of the mayonaise thing but will try it. I have also heard that securing a wet towel around the cake will stop a crust forming.

Okay bakers, I need your help. After I do a crumb coat on my cakes, I then refrigerate so the crumb coat hardens and I can apply my buttercream. I use the large icing tip to pipe buttercream all around the cake, then smooth it out. However, I have noticed that if I don't work fast enough, the buttercream starts to get cold and then doesn't smooth over well. What do I do to fix this? Should I refrigerate for a less amount of time?

thanks for all the tips

I also use heavy whipping cream in my buttercream, it gives it a nicer texture

A

How much heavy whipping cream do you use in your buttercream?

AI have heard that sugar is a preservative therefore icing stored with milk is ok. I use two sticks of soft butter, 4 oz buttercream, 1/4 teaspoon salt and about 4 cups of double sifted PS. Yum! Not sweet. Crisco made mime sweeter. May have to add more PS or more liquid depend on humidity.

AHey ladies! I love this topic since I'm new to using buttercream. Soooo many questions, I hope they all get answered as I can learn so much from you ladies. Here goes: 1- what is the viva/ paper towel method? I tried the link but it's not working. Anyone willing to elaborate? 2-what is the crisco recipe? I've been wondering if there was a way to make the butter cream less sweet, so if this is it I would love the recipe. 3- I would love to know the details of the upside down trick and what it helps with?

Hopefully this is not too much, thanks ladies!

Ahttp://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dIXHFqpJK84

About how warm is the warmest you could have an "only butter" (American) buttercream  that will hold it's shape?

.......... After I do a crumb coat on my cakes, I then refrigerate so the crumb coat hardens and I can apply my buttercream. I use the large icing tip to pipe buttercream all around the cake, then smooth it out. ....noticed that if I don't work fast enough, the buttercream starts to get cold and then doesn't smooth over well..........

I know I'm getting in on this topic rather late but...........

This is just another reason to NOT refrigerate a crumb coated cake!  Really folks, it is totally Unnecessary - if using a standard ABC recipe.  It should only take a few minutes - no longer than 10 min. for a crumb coat to dry to the touch at room temp.  If nothing else - keep a recipe of Wilton class buttercreme on hand just to crumb coat with - you won't have a bit of trouble getting it to dry to the touch in just a few minutes:) Then you can cover that with whatever recipe you want to use.  The crumb coat should be *very!* thin so I doubt anyone would really taste it.   In fact to get it thin - melt about 1/4 cup of it in the Micro (only takes about 5-8 seconds) then quickly spread  that all over the cake.  It dries very quickly - producing a glaze covering- just perfect as a crumb coat!

AOops! Correction. That's 4 oz heavy cream 2 sticks soft butter 1 teaspoon Lorann butter/vanilla flavor 1/4 teaspoon salt

ATo make frosting less sweet...don't use Crisco.

AI have that issue. Why my buttercream came out with void spaces? When I have use to see how it will spread over the cake, I noticed it is not totally smooth. :(

AThanks. I will try the crumb covering part and I am getting a new mixer so I will see if makes a differnce. :)

Ovo Vegan (dairyfree) buttercream; in the UK we don't have easy access to earth balance butter/margarine. Lots of different vegan spreads..but nothing which works and will hold up like butter in buttercream. I tried coconut oil but it went sloppy, and Cocoa butter but it's incredibly heat sensitive and so is a fail. In the end I went back to the drawing board and made a batch with  *half shortening (I don't like the taste or texture) *half soya or sunflower marg, *icing (confectioners) sugar, *2 heaped tablespoons dried egg white (fresh WON'T work), *2 tablespoons soya cream and lots of flavour (vanilla or other essence). I also add a pinch of salt to take off the edge of the sweetness as I do in most sweet dishes. Beat everything except cream together and add enough cream or more sugar to get the consistency you need. I found the shortening and egg white helps keep its shape and stop it bulging as a filling. It's smooth, tasty, pipable and ovo vegan. 

Alternatively, rolling some fondant or buttercream which has had icing sugar added til it's the consistency of fondant- into a thin roll and using it as a dam before filling the cake also prevents the icing from bulging. 

I have some friends who eat eggs but are otherwise vegan so this became a bit of a challenge... It does work and I no longer have fondant on their cakes which is a midriff disgrace!