Ask Nancy Archives
Do you have a baking, decorating or celebrating question for Nancy? Now is your chance to have it answered.
Check here each month, Nancy will select ten questions submitted by viewers and posting her answers here.
Buttercream Icing Questions
Why does the icing on my cake crack as it dries?
Joey - from Rockland, IL
When writing with icing on a cake, after a while the icing cracks? What am I doing wrong?
Jeff - from Medina, OH
My buttercream icing often cracks after it has sat for a few days; is there anything I can do to prevent this?
Karen - from Springboro, OH
What is the difference between fondant and buttercream icing?
Angela - from Lansing, MI
Why does my buttercream icing seem gritty at times?
Malissa - from Checotah, OK
If you use butter instead of vegetable shortening to make buttercream icing, does the cake need to be refrigerated after decorating? Karen.
Karen - from Davenport, FL
What consistency should the icing be for icing a cake?
Lisa - from Austin, TX
I make 18"x24" cakes for church and have trouble getting the iced surface flat and even. Is there a way to do this?
Linda - from Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada
When making buttercream icing, can you use butter flavored solid vegetable shortening?
Donna - from Greenfield, IN
Can butter flavored shortening be used instead of regular shortening for buttercream icing?
Stacy - from Katy, TX
How do I keep colored buttercream from darkening or lightening while the finished cake is on display?
Babette - from South Lake Tahoe, CA
I have been having a problem with my buttercream icing (the recipe with only shortening - no butter) breaking when I try to do my roses. I have tried thinning and it still breaks. What could be the problem? Would adding corn syrup instead of water help?
Amy - from Calhoun, GA
Hi Nancy, LOVE LOVE LOVE the show!! It is everything I wanted to refresh my skills from classes I took. I am having problems getting a real smooth look on my cakes when I ice them. Whether I work it to the end or to the middle I am still left with lines and marks on the cake. I have done some awesome cakes but I still see lines.
Trini - from Lake Ronkonkoma, NY
When I took my decorating class we used a recipe that only had shortening in it. I have lost the recipe and am trying to locate it again.
Margie - from Shreveport, LA
Your buttercream icing includes milk. I keep a kosher diet that does not allow mixing meat and milk. Can the milk be omitted or replaced with a different ingredient?
Rina - from Brooklyn, NY
I would like to know whether I can use stiff buttercream icing, maybe with meringue powder added, in place of royal icing to make roses?
Pani Thuly - from Atlantic City, NJ
What is crumb coating? What pointers can you give us regarding successfully applying a crumb coating?
Kim - from Mayport, PA
How can you tint classic buttercream icing ivory? My best friend wants her wedding cake to be cream colored – how can I get a true cream color?
Joanne - from N. Ridgeville, OH
When you prepare your cake with buttercream icing before covering with fondant, how thick should the icing be?
Cynthia - from Durham, NC
What is the best way to thin buttercream icing for icing a cake?
Aurora - from Sitka, AK
Is there anything I can do to make buttercream icing hold its shape better in warmer weather and for outdoor weddings?
Linda - from Keokuk, IA
What tools should you use to get icing on the top of a cake the smoothest?
Carly - from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
My friends and I tried to frost our cupcakes with buttercream icing, but the icing melted too quickly. What can we do to prevent this?
Ainaa - from Singapore, Singapore
What would be a less sweet icing that I can use for my cakes?
Juanita - from Houston, TX
Nancy, can I use buttercream icing on a cake, then add a fondant bow without covering the cake in fondant?
Cathey - from Camden, AR
Nancy, I'm new to cake decorating, but I love it! What is the difference between buttercream and royal icing, and when do you use each one?
Amanda - from Shelbyville, KY
Is there a chocolate buttercream recipe that doesn't crust?
Wendy - from beverly, MA
Why is shortening used in "buttercream" icing? I would expect it be made only with butter.
Beverley - from Ottawa, Ontario canada
Hi Nancy! I was wondering what consistencies of icing I should use? I want to make my daughter's birthday cake, and I want to put buttercream flowers on it.
Pam - from Homewood, IL
I tried to freeze my leftover buttercream icing and after I defrosted it to use it, it had a funny taste. What is the best way to freeze buttercream icing?
Elizabeth - from Paris, KY
How do I make the different consistencies of buttercream icing? Also, which consistency is good for icing a 2 layer cake?
Diane - from Fall River, MA
I am having trouble with my buttercream icing not sticking to my cake and it will not even stick to itself. Do you have any suggestions?
Debbie - from Hesperia, CA
Can you add strawberry flavoring to the Buttercream icing recipe for a strawberry Buttercream icing? Would it give it the right flavor?
Nancy - from New Market, AL
Can I freeze leftover buttercream icing?
Brandy - from West Terre Haute, IN
Why do you use buttercream icing?
Rosanna - from Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic
Nancy, I can’t wait to try some of the many cake decorating techniques you have shown us. I notice that when I use butter or margarine in my buttercream icing, it has an ivory or off-white color. Can you help?
Jaimie - from Round Rock, TX
I have tried numerous methods to make a stiff buttercream, including ones posted here for high altitude and high humidity. Flowers still seem to pipe out soft and droopy. Do you have any other suggestions as to a way to stiffen the buttercream without creating a royal icing?
John - from Topeka, KS
When i ice my cakes,the icing almost always runs down the sides.How do i prevent this from happening?
Sherry - from San Antonio, TX
Why is Karo syrup used in the icing you use for writing?
James - from Azusa, CA
What type of icing is best for under fondant?
Zoe - from New Glarus, WI
Hi Nancy. Is there any other ingredient instead of vegetable shortening to make buttercream icing?
Alejandra - from Chandler, AZ
How do I keep the icing from running down the sides of my cake?
Megan - from St. Louis, MO
Since vegetable shortening now is trans fat free, my buttercream icing no longer crusts the way it used to. What can I do to compensate for this change?
Mike - from Hixson, TN
How can I make chocolate icing?
Brenda - from Redwood City, CA
I live in Florida. When I’ve tried to decorate a cake, the buttercream is way too soft. Should I refrigerate it first? I’m trying to make it look like fur and it keeps mushing together.
Erin - from Hallandale, FL
I use unsweetened cocoa for the frosting in a chocolate cake, but it never turned dark brown. Do you have to use other kinds of chocolate?
Mrs. Adria Ramirez - from San Juan, Puerto Rico
How can I get a nice smooth icing finish on my cakes before decorating them?
Cordieann - from Bossier City, LA
Can we add water instead of milk to make buttercream icing?
Ashirwad - from Milpitas , CA
What is it to "spatula stripe" an icing bag?
Sheila - from Bronx, NY