If you look in my photos and see my latest birthday cake, it has a lot of cracks in the icing. What cause that to happen so I know not to do it again?

Kathy

It is the result of not enough support under the cake usually. I use plywood under all of my sheetcakes.

If you DO have enough support and still find it cracking, you can add a few drops of vinegar to your buttercream as you're mixing it up and that helps minimize cracking. I have no idea WHY, but it does! And you really only use a few drops . . . that way you don't impact the flavor of your icing.

Well I have had to battle this problem . I have found out a couple things in the few years i'm been doing this. There are a number of reasons that this is happening. If you icing is too stiff when you put it not only is it harder to put it one but it cracks easier. Of course if your board is too week then it will also crack. There are a number of things to try, plywood which can get expensive, foamcore, or even plywood. Another things that I have found is that if you add to much meringue powder the icng gets really crusty and it WILL crack.
Good luck and keep at it.