Hi Everyone,

I'm new to cake central and the forum.  I've discovered the wonders of SMBC.  In a couple of weeks I am making a graduation cake for a friends daughter.  In testing out SMBC I cam up with a couple of questions/concerns.  I'm hoping some of you that have a lot of SMBC experience can help.

1.  I intend to cover the cakes in SMBC and attache fondant cutout decorations on the sides of the cake.  (I will not cover the cake in fondant).  Will I have issues getting the Fondant Cutouts to stick to the SMBC without sliding down the sides of the cake given the high butter content?

2.  2. On Saturday evening I made the SMBC.  I took it out of the fridge Sunday morning and re-whipped it.  It lost at least half of its volume.  I’m not sure what I did wrong.  Is this normal?  Any tips of suggestions?

3.  3.  Finally, the SMBC was great, but I have seen on that you can even pipe with it.  I don’t think mine would have held up to piping.  It seemed a little thin.  Is this a normal problem that can be corrected?

ThThanks in advance for any and all suggestions and hints!

3

AOh! I used Sweetapolita's recipe with pasteurized carton egg whites if that helps

Also, I used the Sweetapolita recipe and used carton pasteurized egg whites if that helps at all. 

1. Should be fine, I do this often and don't have trouble. Obviously they can't be too heavy, or they will indeed slide. 

2.It will shrink up a bit and seem to not have much as volume especially when it's cold. I let mine come to room temp, or heat the bowl in spurts over an open flame on the stove to speed up the process. Whip it until its fluffy again.

3.It pipes fine as long as it's fairly firm, not runny, not hard, but just right. Just need to play around with it.

i used my smbc brand new fresh so i don't have to fridge it--because i didn't like to have to re-whip and go through all that extra work--previously i would make it the day before i needed it and leave it at room temp as most recipes do not even mention fridging it--and the recipe i started with says it can be left at room temp for that length of time--

but i'm coming to realize these meringue icings need to be handled as carefully as a cream cheese icing or a cheesecake to avoid food borne illness--especially if served to really young, seniors and people who are already sick-- so there's that too -- in other words it's safer to use it immediately without reheating and always keep it time & temperature controlled--

shoot if i was in business now i'd so switch back to wilton's french buttercream

Thanks everyone.  This is really helpful.  I appreciate it!

AI definitely find SMBC easier to work with when it's fresh. If I end up freezing leftovers, I only use it for filling [B]or[/B] icing a cake that will have a fondant covering. A naked bc cake only gets fresh made icing. Just doesn't look or smooth down the same again. Slightly changes color, and it's just...different.

I guess I'm the odd one.  I always make my SMBC ahead of time.  I think it's because I don't have time to make it at the last minute since I do more than just cakes at my job.  And I'm the only one that does cakes.  I don't have any trouble with it at all.  I find it helps with eliminating air bubbles and I can smooth it better if I have stored it and re-whipped, which I only do with a paddle.  Everybody has their own experiences with it, and you have find what method works best for you.

I'm going to play around with it this weekend.  I'll let you all know how its going.  Thanks again for the advice.