Hiya

I've had a quick shifty at the new messages since I last posted.

Some gorgeous cake pics!! 

Tiddy - sorry to hear you're still not well.  I hope the docs can help with your headaches.

I've had a cake-free week.  I was going to get ahead and do some prep for cakes I've got coming up in the next few weeks.  But have I?  Have I heck!  Mrs Procrastination - that's me!!  I'll regret it later, of course.

That looks lovely Tiddy is every tier gonna be like that, it will look gorgeous. 

Not quite friends yet Maisie men eh can't live with them and can't kill them 

Kuuushi I'm sure your cake will be fine tomorrow.

Can't wait to see it Tiddy.

This made me laugh... hope no-one is offended!

A SHORT... BUT BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY

A man and a woman who had never met before, but both of whom were married to other people, found themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train.

Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, they were both very tired and fell asleep quickly, he in the upper berth and she in the lower.

At 1:00am, the man leaned down and gently woke the woman saying, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold.'

'I have a better idea,' she replied, 'Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married'.

'Wow! That's a great idea!' he exclaimed

'Good,' she replied, 'Get your own bloody blanket!'

After a moment of silence, he farted.

The End.

AI've not been baking long and every time I try and do buttercream it's either too soft or too hard :-( I know it's getting the right butter and icing [IMG]http://www.cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3276597/width/200/height/400[/IMG]sugar right but it I rarely get it right. I recently did a cake covered it in buttercream and it didn't look smooth. The buttercream looked holey and rough. I've attached a picture. Can anyone advise where I'm going wrong. Thanks.

ALmao Suzanne. I was sat here with a tiddy style rock eyebrow until the end when I nearly peed because it's soo true! Hahaha

Hi Danielle, welcome to the thread! Can I ask if you sieve your icing sugar? Do you leave your butter out overnight to soften or do you microwave it? Also can you post your recipe to so we can see if we can point out anything that might help?

AHi!!! :smile:

Tiddy, Your cake is so pretty!!! :smile:

Siany and Kuuushi, congratulations on getting your cakes to favourites. :smile:

Kuuushi, good luck for tomorrow. ;-D

Danielle, it looks like you have beaten the butter cream a bit too much. The ratio I normally use to make butter cream is 1:2 butter and icing sugar. Always make it with Lurpack, Anchor or Sainsbury's own brand butter. If you are going to cover the cake in sugar paste, don't put lot of butter cream.

Ok second tier done 

A

Love this Tidds. Been wanting to do a cake covered in my mini blooms for an age. Can't wait to see yours finished... =)

ASo an odd sort of evening. Unfortunately, the girl that was hosting the wedding reception for my best friend had to cancel with no notice as her daughter was taken poorly. Obviously, the cake wouldn't keep, so we just went over BFF's with the cake and had a takeaway, followed by wedding cake!

oh thats a shame m4rvel :(

I think if I did it again I may be tempted to use a larger cutter ...The bottom tier is a 12" and took an age to do! Mind you i covered it with sp and made sure it was all smooth as you do...then thought why am i doing that! Im covering the thing with flowers 

Needless to say the next tier went quite fast haha! Two more to do tomorrow and thats another ticked off the list 

A

I love ticking things off the list! ;)

I'm on a self-enforced cake break now until after my holiday now though. Been running myself ragged. Need to have at least a bit of a break during the school holidays, or I'll go back to school as tired as I was at the end of term...!

This is true! Why on earth are you awake at this time then? ....I am trying to avoid the demon....dont know why because it'll come anyway, just delaying the inevitable really :( 

AThanks everyone. I've used a half fat half butter recipe and then double of icing sugar. Think it was 250g fat (tree), 250g butter (sainsburys own) and 1kg icing sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons milk. That cake is amazing you are very talented tiddylicious.

AI didn't sieve my icing sugar. I left my butter out a few hours til it was soft. I creamed the butter and vanilla extract then added icing sugar a bit at a time.

AMorning All!

Tiddy so glad to see you back, sorry things haven't been going great for you, but hoping you are ok. X Good luck at doctors, I hope they can help, surgery is scary (I've had at least 4 operations!) but if it can help ease things it might be worth it. Looovely cake as well, that's an idea I've wanted to do too, it's beautiful!

Love your cake too Siany! The pleated tier looks great combined with the lace and bright pink!

Kuuushi your Minnie cake is too cute! Good luck with the transport!

Hi everyone else! :)

Hi Danielle, for my BC I use 1:2 butter and icing sugar, but I don't add milk, just flavouring. I always sift icing sugar so that might help you, as you will get little lumps otherwise. I also beat mine in my stand mixer with the K beater on slow/med speed for at least 5mins. That gets it nice and fluffy but without loads of big air bubbles. HTH :)

I had another go at SMBC yesterday, this time for cupcakes! I really like the 'airiness' but not sure the flavour is quite as nice as BC...! They disappeared pretty quickly though and no complaints from my test subjects! :grin:

[IMG ALT=""]http://www.cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3276734/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

AMorning Mel, nice to see someone else up at this ungodly hr!

They look delish, so been tempted to make that cream, cant be bothered with the faff tho.

Like you I never used milk, it shortens its life span, thats what I was told by my tutor, and like you I leave it beating for ages, even had a shower while beating away and its always light and fluffy.

AOoh morning early birds! Glad it's not just me who's up to see the moon go to sleep!

Gorgeous as always tidds. Patience of steel too I may add!

Nanny that's hilarious! We all know your butter is well beat then haha! I leave out milk but I do add a little cream if there's some left over.

Danielle you may have lumps due to not sieving your sugar. Sugar can crystallise very quickly and that's no exception for icing sugar. By sieving you are catching all of these bits. Think of it like catching the seeds from a lemon when it's squeezed!

I also don't use Trex as the taste for me is vile! I use all butter. Real butter none of that churned like butter crap. I'm welsh and my butter of choice is dragon dairies or castle dairies butter. I also use salted butter for buttercream as it eliminates the need for me to balance it with my own salt. I also use vanilla bean paste instead of extract. I love the look and the flavour is gorgeous!

My recipe is: 500g salted butter 1kg icing sugar 2 tablespoon vanilla bean paste Double cream (optional)

I only use the cream to thin it and I add it a tablespoon at a time.

Like nanny and Mel said, beat the crap out of it! When you beat butter for a long time it takes away most of the yellow ness which eliminates the use of Trex (bleugh) also you can buy a super white powder from sugar flair you want to make it more white and there's a violet colour you can use by the tiniest amount to offset the colour making it look white!

Don't be tempted to follow the Americans on their crisco/shortening/veg fat crusade. Half of their cakes don't even taste nice under all the amazing sugar work they do!

AHave to be honest Kelsey, since buying my butter from the ystrad shop, its the nicest ever, in my opinion,its whiter than white.

AWhat brand is it nanny? Is it the real deal? Not like willow or stork?

ANo idea Kelsey,she gets it from the warehouse, I was reluctant when she said about it, thats when she gave me a taste, hate changing something that works, and I use willow for my BC, so I thought I‘ d try it and if I'm honest its isn't as sweet as normal BC, and much much whiter than mine, I wouldn't use anything else now as had amazing comments about the cream.

AOOOH! I think they use BAKO. Will have to have a look in to that!

Maybe it's just me but I get hit and miss results from willow!

Right then nannster, I'm off to bake hubby and I some eggs, toast and coffee then I'm off to get ready for the trip to London with a 10kg cake on my lap! Haha

Will see you all later! Byeee

AHa ha ha, you dont like willow?, I bought it once with it was on offer then just kinda stuck to it, but now I use this as its nicer.

ALoving all the cakes!

Tiddy I hope you get it sorted and feel better soon.

Kuuushi good luck with the travel!

I have a question about the delivery of a wedding cake. When do you deliver it to the hotel, is it the day before or on the actual day of the wedding? My gut is telling me it is on the day, but it would be sooo handy the day before :D

AHi newstreet, sometimes it has to be on the same day as some have weddings the day before yours and wont allow your cake to be there, why dont your ring them and find out? It would be lovely if they let us all do that but sometimes it just isn't possible.

AGood luck Kelsey.

Maybe it is, I am very fussy with my BC, but this is nice honestly.

Tiddy - OMG...  I can't imagine how long it's taken to cut out a gazillion blossoms.  But such a lovely effect!  Can't wait to see the whole thing.

Newstreet - I wouldn't deliver the day before.  In fact, I like to find out what time the guests are due at the venue and then deliver about an hour before.  I like the room to be as set up as possible so that there's less chance of some Herbert knocking into the cake table and causing an accident!!!  (plus there's the bonus of often being able to get nice photo if room's ready!)

Marvel - sorry to hear about the wedding reception.  I hope the little girl is OK?  And I'm sure your cake was just as appreciated.

Mel - I haven't made SMBC but I have made IMBC.  I just LOVE it.  I do like a little bit of cake with my IMBC!