Dearest friends,

I was doing so well. But it's warm here, I let my buttercream get soft, and my lime curd didn't really set up as much as I'd hoped. I piped a dam with too-soft buttercream and then filled with probably too much lime curd and now I've sprung a leak. I keep trying to patch it, but to no avail. I'm guessing there's no way to stop it. So I'm thinking of scraping the frosting and filling off and starting over. Is that what you'd recommend? It'll be cooler here in a couple hours, and I hope to get the fondant on and let it sit over night, then take it to a cooler climate to decorate it. Wedding is tomorrow night. Thanks for any advice!

Feeling low,
trifles

What kind of buttercream are you using? Is it just too soft from the heat or is it thin consistency from too much liquid? I'd put the whole thing in the fridge to let the icing set up, and chill a small amount that you can use to patch your leak. Scraping and redoing sounds horrible, but then again if your curd is really too thin, it may be best to cut your losses and redo tonight rather than having a disaster on your hands tomorrow when it may be too late. Did you let your lime curd set up well in the refrigerator before you used it?

I had the same thing happen to me...what I did was put the cake in the freezer. It stopped the leaking. Then when I took it out I scrapped out the oozing part...(it was firm from being frozen somewhat) and then put some icing back in then I filled the rest with ganache! That is the key!! Ganache! Then I covered the whole cake in ganache. I had a white cake so I had white chocolate ganache. I hope you didn't trash it and will be able to save it! It worked for me and I hope it will work for you!

Alimonkey - I made the BC with half spectrum shortening and half Earth Balance buttery sticks, and I made it kind of thin to use for frosting the cake, forgetting that the dam should probably be thicker. I've been going in and out of the fridge trying to patch it, but the leaks reappear. The lime curd was made a couple days ago - dairy free recipe and just didn't "gel" though it did thicken. If I had used a firmer BC and less filling, I think it would have worked. My 10" later seems to be holding - the BC had just been made and I was less generous with the curd filling. The 8" that is leaking - my bC had been sitting on the counter getting warm for an hour....

NC&B - I will try freezing - if I can redo just one part of it instead of the whole thing, that will make me happy. No ganache - it's a lemon cake with lime curd and orange buttercream! I'll try freezing next.

Thank you, both! I'm sure learning a lot. Wish my brother had planned a winter wedding....

I think using a white chocolate ganache might be the only way it will survive. Once you freeze and repair with the same buttercream, you may have the same thing happen once it is out and thawed. Unless you make a stiff buttercream but still has the potential to leak again. If there is anyway to cover the whole cake in white chocolate ganache..that's what I would recommend.

I see what you're saying. I just pulled it from the fridge again - it was in there quite a while. And it seems the leak has stopped. The last patch of buttercream held. I'm tempted to chill it real good, cover it with fondant and then hold my breath until midnight tomorrow. Am I courting disaster? I suppose I am.

I've never made ganache, know nothing about it, and don't have the stuff.

I guess I'm going to wing it. It's for my brother - what's he gonna do, fire me? I'll put a daisy on top of the leak.... Thanks for all your good advice and efforts to help me! I sincerely appreciate it.

No problem! Doing ganache is very very easy! Check out this video tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFtm8q4m4Bk&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL for the future...I still put buttercream on my cakes then ganache then fondant. It helps so much to keep them smooth and tastes really yummy! Fingers crossed for you!