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how to avoid buttercream blowouts?! - Page 2

post #16 of 34
6/11/12 at 12:20pm
Same here. Most of my fillings are stiff anyway, but I don't ever ever put the dam right on the edge of the cake. I think that is key with a lot of these issues. For me, the dam gets piped about 1/4 inch in from the edge. Then it gets refrigerated so it's nice and hard. But even if it's a loose filling it will stay in. Two things-don't overfill and don't put the dam right on the edge of the cake.

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post #17 of 34
6/11/12 at 12:25pm
Oooh, I think this has been my problem. I always try to pipe the dam right to the edge. Then the dam seems to squish out a little when I place the layers on top. Sometimes I've seen some leakage of fruit filling when the dam squishes out. I will try bringing them in 1/4" and chill next time. Thanks so much (and sorry if I have digressed this thread a bit)!
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post #18 of 34
6/11/12 at 12:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnnieCahill

For me, the dam gets piped about 1/4 inch in from the edge. Then it gets refrigerated so it's nice and hard. But even if it's a loose filling it will stay in. Two things-don't overfill and don't put the dam right on the edge of the cake.

Yes!
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post #19 of 34
6/11/12 at 12:37pm
Thread Starter 
I've never made or used a meringue BC before. It seems like it would be more time consuming than your traditional BC and a little intimidating?! I'd love to try this but I'm afraid to try something new for such an important event!!
Debbief: Do you let the iced cake with holes poked in it sit for a while before covering with fondant??
Sassy74: I've done that before but I don't think I let them sit in there long enough. I was afraid they would dry out. I'm going to try it again letting them sit longer but also use the spackle AND poke a few small holes in the cake!! Maybe all my bases will be covered then?
It's super important that I nail this cake guys, no room for mistakes!!!!!! icon_cry.gif
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post #20 of 34
6/11/12 at 12:46pm
Two more links to threads about icing blowouts.

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-731220.html

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-744501.html
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post #21 of 34
6/11/12 at 12:50pm
Swiss Meringue Buttercream is super easy, & to die for delicious. I was nervous at first, too. But after I realized how wonderful it was, I never looked back. I use FromScratchSF's recipe. Here is the link:

http://fromscratchsf.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/tutorial-swiss-meringue-buttercream/

icon_smile.gif
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post #22 of 34
6/11/12 at 1:02pm
Ok I am coming in on the tail end of this conversation and hopefully my question(s) are appropriate for the the thread! I'm not sure what a BC blowout is so I'm guessing here...

I am noticing that a couple of hours after covering a cake in fondant, the sides become bumpy/lumpy. It's like the cake has settled a bit and relaxed and maybe even sunk a little on the sides (I've never weighed down a cake - never even heard of such a thing until reading this thread!).

I am using a BC with 1/2 shortening and 1/2 butter. I make my cakes ahead, freeze them, let them thaw maybe halfway before I crumbcoat. Put the crumbcoated cake in the fridge for 30 min or so, then do my top layer of icing. Back to the fridge, then fondant. Yesterday I had my first ever mysterious bubble appear on the top of the finished cake (possibly the blowout of which you speak?). I poked a hole in the fondant then let the air out.

Reading through all of these posts, I see there are roughly a million ways to ice a cake as well as a million types of BC!! I have also not tried a meringue BC for fear of screwing it up! Could this be my issue though? Wrong BC? I use MMF and yesterday I actually combined my MMF with some Duff's fondant because it made the right blue shade. Could my fondant be too thin?

Any advice is surely appreciated.
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post #23 of 34
6/13/12 at 10:24pm
So I was just pouring over Beyond Buttercream's blog (fromscratchsf), just because I love her advice & sassy writing skills. In one of her posts, she mentions that she weighs a freshly crumbcoated cake, filled with SMBC, with a heavy object, to help settle it & prevent airbubbles. This is what I've been doing, but is it not necessary with SMBC? Is it just personal preference? I'm a bit confused.

Here is the link to her blog post: http://fromscratchsf.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/swiss-meringue-buttercream-how-to-make-your-cake-look-awesome/
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post #24 of 34
6/13/12 at 10:32pm
And yes, just in case you were wondering, it's 11:30 at night, and I'm reading baking blogs in bed. Healthy, no?
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post #25 of 34
6/14/12 at 9:03am
If Jennifer does that, then it's probably a personal preference. I personally have found no reason to do it by following the steps I do.
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post #26 of 34
6/14/12 at 9:17am
Thanks! Maybe I'll try skipping this step on a cake that's not super vital, & see how it goes. I really appreciate your advice.
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post #27 of 34
6/14/12 at 12:08pm
I fill my cakes, crumb coat...let it crust, then put a piece of parchman paper on top and set a cookie sheet on of the parchment...Then I allow the cake to sit at room temp for an hour or so. Then I ice my cake like normal. this prevents bulging.
I also make sure my dams are made with stiff icing.
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post #28 of 34
6/14/12 at 1:06pm
When you guys let the cake settle for a few hours or overnight, what do you do to prevent the cake from getting stale? I've always wraped the cake in saran wrap while its setteling, but I am now wondering if I'm doing the right thing because I still get air bubbles. Thanks for any help
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post #29 of 34
6/16/12 at 9:52pm
Thread Starter 
ok so I had my important wedding cake today. I followed all the steps to prevent the blowouts.. stiff dam, let them settle with the same size pan on top with some water, used 'cake spackle', made wiltons high humidity icing, didn't bring it in n out of the fridge much, poked holes in it.. so the cakes had to be transported almost 1 1/2 hours to the venue in my trunk, unstacked and except for the giant bottom tier were in boxes. it wasn't super hot today, and I took my time driving. when I got there and opened the trunk there was a huge blowout on the side:/ I was SO mad since I did pretty much everything possible to avoid that. the second tier which was pretty big was also in the trunk but in a box and I had no problems. the other 2 small tiers rode inside the car with the air on and I didn't have issues with them either. it was easily fixed but I hate opening the trunk and finding stuff like that icon_sad.gif and the florist was mean and wouldn't let me put the flowers on the cake myself. ok, that is allicon_smile.gif
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post #30 of 34
6/17/12 at 2:40am
Did you ice the cake at room temperature or did you chill the cake first and then ice it?

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