Bride wants a wedding cake with whipped icing.First off...can it be done???Second ..will it be able to be stacked???Last How do you make whipped icing???

Well first of all you have to find out what she means by whipped icing. Do you mean whipped cream, an icing made with a Cool Whip or Dream Whip type of topping, The Wilton Whipped Icing Mix, some other product. Can it be done, well technically yes, but for a stacked cake, you will have to use something underneath each tier like chopped or shaved chocolate, cookie crumbs, coconut something like that. Because whipped cream or products like that do not set and so the upper tiers sink into the icing even when the cakes are doweled and boarded. I take it the Wilton Whipped Icing mix sets up. But the others will not. Not my choice for a stacked cake, more for cakes on pedestals or stands where each tier is supported by the stand, like the Garden Stand for example.
Most of the whipped icings will need to be refridgerated up until serving time and shortly thereafter.
Whatever type of whipped icing she chooses, you should really make up a practice cake to see how it holds up. Unless you are dealing with a regular type whipped buttercream or the Wilton mix, you will have issues to deal with.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

so if i use the whipped buttercream, will it work with less problems?

Haha, well yes truthfully it would, I almost hesitate to say that. I got jumped on on another site for saying that you cannot directly stack a whipped cream icing covered cake. Well, it is quite true you cannot. You have to put something on the lower supporting layers, like the cookie crumbs or a load of chocolate or coconut, otherwise that cake is going to sink into the whipped cream type of icing. That is because these toppings do not set up and once outside of the refrigerator, they start to break down. I will never understand why anyone would want to use a stacked cake for that type of topping when it can be done with so much more ease and less problems or issues or concerns, when each cake is on its own pedestal or the garden stand kind of stand.
Heehee, maybe I am getting grumpy in my old age, but common sense tells me to do things in the easiest manner. Seems to be a tendency to defy logic or reason and put added stress on the decorator.
Yes, a whipped buttercream or the Wilton whipped icing mix - I hear it is excellent as long as you don't ice the cakes too many days in advance or it can dry and crack. But apparently for folks that don't like too sweet an icing, it goes over well.
But you can get away with those hidden pillars and a small space between tiers although, officially, this isn't really a stacked cake but becomes a tiered cake with pillars.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

i see. well the bride is my sil so i think i am going to try and talk her out of this but if i cant then i guess i will try the wilton wipped bc. do i buy this in a can or is in the cc recipes?

Hi Squirrelly!
I know you're a Canadian, so I can ask you about "Nutriwhip". It's sold in the whipped cream refrigerator section. It comes in a small sqaure box/carton and when whipped, makes about 6 cups.

Is Nutriwhip considered to be "whipped cream" icing? Is it real whipped cream or is it a whipped topping like Cool Whip? Also, what's the difference between "cream" and "topping"?

Sorry if that sounds silly!

Purpple Petunia

Wilton makes a boxed mixed, it is called Vanilla Whipped Icing Mix, i believe, you add ice water to it. I have a number of cake pals that really like it but you cannot make it up several days ahead, I believe a day or so is the best bet. I haven't tried it, but know several folks that used it for a wedding cake.
Hi Purple,
Haha, well I am one of those people that only uses real whipped cream, no Cool Whip, Nutri-Whip, Dream Whip, none of that stuff. I don't like edible oil products but I can see a need for them.
But here is the goods on Nutri-whip from the Maple Leaf site.
Nutriwhip

Without a doubt, Nutriwhip is the perfect, low-fat dessert topping! Deliciously decadent and ready in an instant, Nutriwhip brings desserts and fresh fruits to life with only 30 calories and 2.5g of fat! Nutriwhip is guaranteed to whip perfectly every time. Even prepared the day before serving, Nutriwhip ensures that fresh-whipped taste and texture your treats deserve. Sensible eating has never been so easy or tasted so sinful! For an even lighter alternative, chose Nutriwhip Lite Tasting with only 20 calories and 2g of fat! Look for them both in your grocers dairy section.

Nutriwhip Tips:

Use Nutriwhip Whip Topping as a topping on fruit, pies, cheesecakes or any other dessert that needs that little bit extra.
Nutriwhip can be used to replace whipping cream in cream sauces or fillings suitable for cakes and pies. Note: Nutriwhip is not suitable for savoury sauces or fillings as it has a sweet taste. For great recipe ideas, use the Maple Leaf recipe search function in this website.
Nutriwhip products are ideal for lactose intolerant diets as they contain no dairy ingredients.
Both Nutriwhip and Nutriwhip Lite Tasting are Kosher products.
Nutriwhip is easy to whip and will never over-whip. Just poor, whip and serve! For best results, use a narrow deep-sided bowl for beating. In hot weather, chill bowl and beaters before use.
Nutriwhip will not whip with a single-blade hand mixer, it requires a hand-held or counter-top electric mixer.
Add a twist to Nutriwhip by adding your favourite flavours like almond or peppermint. You can also add cocoa or melted chocolate to Nutriwhip.
If using Nutriwhip to make that special coffee or hot chocolate, always use it whipped, so it does not separate.
Always store un-whipped Nutriwhip in the refrigerator, never in the freezer or at room temperature.
For your convenience, there is a best before date printed on the top of the package.
Once opened, un-whipped Nutriwhip can be stored in the refrigerator in its original package for up to two weeks.
Leftover whipped Nutriwhip? No problem. Nutriwhip will stay whipped for 48 hours if kept covered in the refrigerator. You can also store whipped Nutriwhip in the freezer for up to two months. Just scoop small dollops onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Freeze until firm and store in a freezer bag for future use. When ready to use, defrost the dollops of Nutriwhip in the fridge.

Wow! Thanks for all that info Squirelly!

So, you say Nutriwhip is an edible oil product?? I guess that means it's not real whipped cream?
So what do you use then if someone asks for "whipped cream icing"?
Is it the whipping cream that comes in the carton, like milk?

Sorry, but I'm a bit confused between "topping" and "cream".

Thanks!
Purple Petunia

Haha, you know Purple, I get confused too because folks use the terms interchangably. I use stabilized whipped cream, I use the recipe from the Wilton site that you add the piping gel to, I like it the best. Whipped topping can cover anything from whipped cream, to Cool Whip to Nutriwhip, to Dream Whip to Riche's Bettercreme which I cannot get here and a few other products our Yankee friends can get, but we Canucks are not able to. Then there are whipped buttercreams like the Whimiscal Bakehouse Recipe and so on. It does get confusing. Sometimes folks are not sure what people want or what they are talking about at all.
Yes, the stabilized whipped cream is made from the whipping cream you buy in the carton. The whipping cream you buy in the can with the spray nozzle is too thin to use as an icing, but great as a dollop of cream on a cake. If it is real whipping cream in the can, it will say so, otherwise it will say whipped topping or something like that.
The stabilized whipped cream recipe on the Wilton site will hold up well on a cake that is refridgerated for about 2-3 days. Once it is out of the fridge, like any real whipped cream unheated or uncooked icing, it will be effected by heat or room temperature and will start to get messy in about an hour. That is why it has to be refridgerated until shortly before serving time and that is also why it is a bit of a pain to serve as it takes a long time to serve a wedding cake. So generally, reception halls return the cakes they are not cutting yet, to the refridgerator and remove them as needed.
A lot of bakeries use a whipped topping that is made mostly from shortening with just a bit of powdered sugar added.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Thanks for clarifying that Squirrelly.
I get it now.
I've always heard people using all those terms and could never figure out which one they're talking about.

I'm going to give the real whipped cream a try.

Thanks again for taking the time to explain that. I've learned so much from you here and on the Wilton site since last fall (although I haven't been there in a long time).

Purple Petunia

Hi again Purple,
Haha, I am just re-reading my post, I think I made up a new word, interchangably. Can't for the life of me think of what the proper word is or the spelling. Hhmn, should have stuck to coffee instead of that wine cooler. One drink and my one remaining brain cell, goes haywire, haha!
You may have to experiment a bit with the stabilized whipped cream. Sometimes folks overwhip it before adding the piping gel and it doesn't work as well. Basically you are going for the same consistency as a tin of whipped cream would have, before you add the piping gel. Even though it won't seem as thick as you expect it to be, it will still pipe out stars and such when you put it in our icing bag. Don't get discouraged!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Hi Alracntna,
You can buy Rich Bettercreme at Sugarcraft.com or if you able to buy Frostin Pride, it is pretty much the same thing. Here is the link.

http://www.sugarcraft.com/catalog/misc/icings.htm

Unfortunately, those of us in Canada do not have access to the same products you folks in the U.S. do and if we can order it, by the time we pay the exchange on the dollar, the shipping and handling fees and the Custom's duties, well it is way out of range for costs. Many items here are only sold to licencsed registered bakers with licensed businesses.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Thank you all so much for helping me but i was just told last night that the bride, my sil, is going to ask some one with more experience to do her cake. i guess what i know about doing cakes is not good enough to save her 600-800 $. guess i havent gotten as good as i thought. Thanks again

Hi Squirrelly Cakes - I have a question - I have used the piping gel in the cream before, but I thought it left kind of a funny taste. Do you get that - or am I adding too much? Thanks for all your wonderful patience and helpful advice, it really has helped me more than you know!!

Maryanne

Thanks Squirrelly I appreciate that a lot.

You know Purple is right. I just don't get it sometimes. Family members are supposed to support each other, sort of an, "Us Against the World" thing. I keep seeing all of these posts about how families are treating each other, geesh! If families treat each other like that, what hope is there for customers being nice?
Personally I find brides are taking weddings far too seriously these days, some of them are complete control freaks and by the time the wedding day comes, they have alienated almost everyone around them, haha, sometimes including the grooms. I know of several cases where the bridesmaids and maids of honour were barely speaking to the bride as of, the day of the wedding.
The best weddings I have been to are the ones where family members somehow contibuted their skills to the weddings, whether it was the cake, the flowers, the favours, the music, the ceremony, the photography, whatever. That made the day very special and meaningful.
Anyway, this situation is the bride's loss. Who better to do her cake than a caring sister-in-law? This would have made a special bond between them.
Oh well, her decision and one less headache for you!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

I know I will be fine with the whole thing soon. It really does hurt my feelings that she doesn't want me to do it. I thought I would save her a good $1000 because I was going to buy the cake top, of her choice, and all the things needed for the cake plus I was going to decorate the cake table for her. She still wants me to stand in the wedding as a brides maid but cake is my specialty. Maybe I will make a cake in the next couple of weeks anyway and just say I'm practicing just to show her I can do it. I guess to show myself too.

You know, I would feel the same way too, hurt! But I find folks that don't do things like cake decorating don't realize that. With being a bridesmaid you will certainly be busy, so it may be a good thing not to have to worry about the cake too.
You could make a shower cake for her?
The thing that sort of bothers me is it sounds like she has you doubting yourself and that is not a good thing. Of course you can do it, we know you can!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Hi Everyone! Along the same lines I have a request for a 40th anniversary cake with cream cheese frosting, can you stack a cake with this? How well does it hold up at room tempature?

Well Cakemaker, I find it holds up well at room temperature for a few days. However when I make it for strangers or customers, I tend to refrigerate it or not leave the iced cakes at room temperature for more than a day or so. Room temperature is 75F or less.
I don't use it for stacked cakes, it doesn't set up like buttercream although it is much better than whipped cream. It can crust on the outside but still remain soft underneath. You can try adding meringue powder to it to see if that helps. It is also difficult for a lot of folks to smooth. You will likely get some sticking to the boards, so perhaps this is a good time to use coconut or cookie crumbs or chocolate on top of the lower cakes that will have cakes on top of them.
I tend to use it more as a filling for a wedding cake (remember to use a stiff buttercream icing dam first) and then ice with buttercream.
I would suggest doing a small two layer stacked cake to try it out to see how your particular cream cheese icing holds up.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Should have added that a lot of folks fill with cream cheese icing, do the sides of the cakes with it and use a regular buttercream on top, when they are stacking.

Hi Alracntna,
Don't feel bad about not doing the wedding cake, sometimes it is a blessing in disguise. I went through the same thing to help a friend out, I even made "practice" cakes so I could get it right. Turns out her family wanted someone else to do the cake. I was disappointed but as it turned out my daughter had a seizure the night before the wedding and had to be hospitalized for a few days. So I even missed the wedding too.
kalikw

Squirrelly thanks for all the great info on your posts.

Kalikw, you are most welcome and thank you! Your words are very true, sometimes it all works out for the best. Heavens that must have given you a good scare!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

You are all great with such kind words to make me feel better. Kalilw, I am sorry about your daughter, I hope everything turned out well for the two of you. I do have some doubt about my cakes but not just because of the wedding. I see some of the other cakes on here that people have have been doing them as long as I have and they are much better. For example, peacock, She does beautiful cakes way past what I have done and she has been at this the same amount of time as I have. I guess I feel like I am trying and trying but nothing is happening and then my own family kind of throws it in my face. I guess it was the icing on the cake, No pun intended. Anyway I just wish I had someone who lived close to me to work along side me sometimes to catch some of my mess ups. Anyone live close to College Station TX?...lol

Hello alracntna, I don't live anywhere near TX, but I took a look at your photos and they look wonderful! Don't feel bad about not doing the cake instead you should do something that builds your confidence. Confidence is all it really comes down to. Just don't give up, everytime I want to give up I just imagine I made a big beautiful cake and I imagine the look on the customers face and how happy they are, that keeps me going through the tough times. My goal is to bring a little beauty into someone's life through cake, sounds cheesey but it keeps me focused. We are all here with ya!

thanks cakemaker. i think i will make a cake this weekend just to perk me up. anyone have any suggestions. i really enjoy torting (I hope I spelled this right) cakes. i was thinking of a cream cheese filling. what flavor cake would go good with this? Then what should I decorate it with? I have taken course 1 so I can do all the decorating they teach you there, plus roses and transfers. Anyone Hit Me With Your Ideas!!!