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.
Decorating Techniques Questions
Do I need to ice my cake before I put on fondant?
Jennifer - from New York, NY
How can I get a nice smooth icing finish on my cakes before decorating them?
Cordieann - from Bossier City, LA
When making fondant bows, the loops on my bows tend to break easily, how can I prevent this?
Diane - from Tyrone, PA
If I use cream cheese icing to ice my cake, can I use buttercream icing to make the decorations?
Michelle - from Mishawaka, IN
What is the best consistency of icing to use for roses?
Joe - from Portland, MI
When I use the leaf tip, my leaves tend to have a "forked tongue" shape at the end. Is there a trick to making a pointed end?
Dawn - from Baton Rouge, LA
I have trouble getting the fondant onto a cake that is more than 10 inches wide. I try wrapping it around the rolling pin, but it always has stretched spots and breaks.
Laurie - from Winnipeg, ME
What consistency should the icing be for icing a cake?
Lisa - from Austin, TX
What is it to "spatula stripe" an icing bag?
Sheila - from Bronx, NY
My Cornelli Lace looks very bad. Is there a trick to improving my technique?
Beverly - from Griswold, CT
I saw a recipe for fondant adhesive. What is it used for and how?
Diana - from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
How do I place a shaped cake on top of a round cake to ensure it does not fall off?
Kim - from Chesapeake, VA
I need to make a number of small tiered cakes for personal cakes at a wedding. How do I frost them smoothly?
Ty - from Chicago, IL
When decorating a cake baked in a character pan, should you ice the cake with a smooth base layer first, or pipe your decoration directly onto the cake?
Angela - from Ann Arbor, MI
When icing a two layer cake, I always end up with a bulge around the middle and never seem to get smooth sides. What am I doing wrong?
Virginia - from Fort Smith, AR
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 you get ready to decorate a shaped cake, for example the bear, do you ice the whole cake before you start decorating?
Arsenia - from Hemingway, SC
I would love to know how a professional decorator connects the first and last part of icing borders. i.e. first and last shells, etc.?
Jeannie - from South Bend, IN
Is there an easy way to make a gingerbread house?
Gerry - from Fort Wayne, IN
You featured the square Violet Cascade Cake is decorated with purple flowers on one of your shows. What tips do you have to create that lovely effect of cascading flowers?
Lynn - from Liverpool, NY
Is it better to put your freshly baked cake in the freezer right after it cools, before you put your first layer of icing on? Will this make it easier to ice your cake?
Brooke - from Madison, MS
How can I make the chocolate leaves you used to decorate your cake?
Jean - from Williamston, SC
What is the tool called that you cut the dowel rods with?
Ann - from St. Louis, MO
How is flooding done when icing cookies?
Caron - from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
What do I mix with food color to make a brush on color for fondant that dries to the touch?
Delilah - from Kerrville, TX
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
I am making a cake for my mother's upcoming 50th birthday party and I need to make black fondant. I know with icing to use chocolate and then dye that black but what do you do with fondant to make it black? Please help.
Sandra - from Parlin, NJ
How do you stack the cake when making layer cake? Bottom side up and the second layer bottom side up also?
Margarita - from South Amboy, NJ
What kind of bag are you using for your icing? Just a plain plastic bag or a special bag?
Louise - from Orem, UT
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
How do I put dowels in a cake, and how do I stack the second cake on top of the first cake by using dowels?
Ali - from Port Coquitlam, WA
What do you put into Rolled Fondant to make it stiff enough to hold the shape of a bow? Also, can fondant ribbon roses or other decorations be added to cakes frosted with buttercream icing?
Julie - from El Mirage, AZ
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
Nancy, what is glucose and glycerin, and what are they used them for?
Charlotte - from Saskatoon, Canada
My niece would like to have cheesecake for her wedding cake. Do you have any suggestions and/or recipes for making and decorating a cheesecake for a wedding?
Bronda - from Marshall, TX
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
I'm going to be making my first wedding cake in June. The bride wants a tiered cake with 3-4 square tiers, however, she doesn't need all that cake. How do I do this?
Sharon - from Kansas City, MO
How do you make apricot glaze? And, how can I keep the fruit looking fresh on the top of my cake?
Kim - from Sugarland, TX
When removing the cake from the pan to cool, should you place the top of the cake down or up on the wire rack?
Minnie - from Cypress, TX
What is the best way to thin buttercream icing for icing a cake?
Aurora - from Sitka, AK
What is the best way to fill a decorator bag?
Mark - from Honolulu, HI
What tools should you use to get icing on the top of a cake the smoothest?
Carly - from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Hi Nancy, love your show! I also like to watch cake decorating contest shows. Could you please tell me what they use to add color to their flowers? I see them brushing on a powder. Thanks and keep up the great job!
Maria - from Covert, MI
How do I stick fondant cutouts to fondant covered cakes?
Maria - from Doral, FL
I'd like to add fondant stars to a cake to make it look like they're shooting off the cake. Any safe ways you can think of to add these stars to a fondant-covered cake?
Karen - from S.F., NY
Nancy, can I use buttercream icing on a cake, then add a fondant bow without covering the cake in fondant?
Cathey - from Camden, AR
I tried making flowers with royal icing like I saw you make on your show. I made them on a cookie sheet, but once they were dried, I couldn't get them to lift off without crumbling. I also tried making the flowers on a piece of foil, but the foil kept lifting when I lifted the decorating tip. What did I do wrong?
Sonja - from Youngstown, OH
Is there a difference between fondant and gum paste? If so, can gum paste be worked with the same as fondant?
Jen - from Norfolk, VA
Hi Nancy. I was wondering if there is a product that could be used in home made fondant that would have the same effect as gum tex in store bought fondant. I always find that my fondant is too soft for cut outs and will not dry the same as store bought.
Bridget - from Marystown, Newfoundland/Labrador
When I bake cakes, the center is always high and the sides low, causing the layers to crack when removed from the pan. What can I do?
Dianna - from Columbus, OH
How do I keep sheet cakes from cracking? I especially have problems with the very big (12x18 in.) cakes.
Linda - from Gatesville, NC
Is it possible to use cardboard cake boards to make tiered cakes? Or, must I use only the plastic stacking plates with the feet?
Billie - from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
I am just learning how to use the Wilton decorating tips. I would like to practice more. What is an inexpensive way to practice? I'll be making a lot of buttercream or royal icing?
Kim - from Waco, TX
How do you put your tips on your decorating bag?
Chloe - from Pearland, TX
How do I keep my powdered sugar from lumping up in my frosting and clogging my decorating tip? I always beat my frosting thoroughly, but this still happens. I also sift my powdered sugar thoroughly.
Kiere - from Pearland, TX
I want to bake train cookies for my son's 5th birthday. What would be the simplest method to decorate for someone with no experience at this?
Tracy - from Redding, CA
What does it mean to torte a cake and how do you do it?
Andrea - from Colbert, WA
How do you attach marshmallow popcorn balls to a stick?
Erica - from New York, NY
My niece will be getting married this July. She wants “personal” cakes at each table at the reception – that will be 35-40 cakes plus the small wedding cake. Plus, I have to haul everything a distance. I plan to start baking the cakes soon and freezing them, but when should I start? What size cake 8 or 6-inch should I use? I plan to ice with buttercream icing, and use some fondant decorations. I’ve never done this many cakes before at one time!
Marcia - from Johnstown, PA
Is "non-toxic artists' chalk" the same as "non-toxic chalk? Is it edible?
Elny - from Carlton, NSW
What can you do to a cake that is so moist that it is difficult to ice? Can you let it sit out and air dry for awhile? Will anything help?
Betty - from Fulton , IL
How can you make your icing shiny? Also, what would you use to make black colored icing?
Jocelyn - from Topeka, KS
I can make beautiful roses out of buttercream icing. However, when I make them from royal icing, they go flat. What am I doing wrong?
Marlene - from Logansport, IN
How many recipes of buttercream icing would I need to ice and decorate a two-layer 9-inch round cake such as the World of Swirls cake?
Elizabeth - from Houston, TX
Is it possible to ice a cake in buttercream icing and then use fondant cutouts and other fondant decorations to decorate the cake?
Liza - from Penang, Malaysia, Malaysia
What is a 1M tip? What is it usually used for?
Rita - from Laredo, TX
How can I make my own colored icing and cakes?
Viola - from Bossier City, LA
When do you sprinkle the colored sugar onto spritz cookies … before or after baking?
Laureen - from Worcester, MA
When making a topsy turvy cake, do I have to cut a hole in the bottom layer for the next layer or can I just stack them on top of each other and use a wooden dowel rod?
Rachell - from Haltom City, TX
Besides royal icing what other kind of icing can I use to make flowers?
Joisy - from Carlsbad, NM
How would forming a gerbera daisy be different from the daisy seen in the techniques section of this website?
Maureen - from Williamsville, NY
You used a technique with chocolate to make flowers like you would with fondant. What was the recipe?
Sherrie - from Cleveland, OH
Is there any way to make a cake made from a box mix more dense? I find that my cakes crumble and get rounded edges and it doesn’t make for a nice, crisp shape when decorating.
Karen - from Salem, OR
On one of the Wilton videos you mention a crumb coating for cakes. What frosting do you use for this? Also, how much frosting do you need to frost and decorate two 9-inch round cakes? Is there a recipe for a cake in a 9x13 inch rectangular pan? How much batter do you need for this size cake pan?
Diane - from Fall River, MA
I saw a rose that had color only on top and when the man was piping the rose, the bag had 1/2 of one color and the other 1/2 was white. How do you do that?
Maricela - from Bakersfield, CA
When making buttercream roses, my edges are very ragged and they look like carnations. Adding a small amount of water makes the petals droop. I can’t find the right consistency!
Laura - from North Royalton, OH
I am taking a cake decorating class and my instructor said not to use any plastic when making or storing Royal icing because it will break it down. Is this really true? I have a mixer that is all plastic – does this mean that I can’t use it to make the icing?
Kristen - from Logan, UT
I would like to know if I can use fruit leathers (roll-ups) for the number and name on my cake.
Alice - from Iowa, LA
On show #305, you talked about amounts of batter needed for different cake pan and cupcake sizes so it will bake above the rim and you have a good 2 inch cake. Can you please repeat that information?
Dawn - from Milan, MI
I need to make Swiss dots in a triangle for a wedding cake. How do I keep them from having a “tail” on top? What tip do you recommend?
Julie - from Mt Pleasant, NC
Can you use real flowers on a cake?
Linda - from Angola, IN
How do you put the lace icing on the sides of the cake so it stays? Do you tilt the cake?
Elida - from Donna, TX
Help! How do I transport the Choo Choo Train Cake which is on a cake board? I have to travel 85 miles by car with it.
Sylvia - from Lutz, FL
I make buttercream icing with half butter and half shortening, however, when I ice my cake I get a lot of air pockets. They seem almost impossible to smooth out and the more I try to respread the icing, the more I get. Any suggestions for how to get rid of them?
Jodi - from Edmonton, Alberta
I am trying to remove my royal icing flowers from the foil used on the lily nail. They keep breaking! How do I remove the foil without breaking the flower?
Leana - from Chandler, AZ
Love your show! I was wondering about sheet cakes. It seems most of yours are round. Could you give ideas on sheet cakes?
Bonnie - from Richmond, KY
How do you keep your decorating bags so clean on the top? Every time I use them, they get really messy and sometimes the frosting squeezes out the top. How do I stop this?
Leyla - from Houston, TX
I get a bulge around the middle of two layer cakes when I stack them. I have done as you suggested with adding an outline of Tip 12 icing, but I still get the bulge, whether I fill with icing or filling. What should I do?
Cathy - from Cardington, OH
My gumpaste flowers do not seem to ever harden or set up. I have rolled them very thin and let them air dry, but they are still pliable after many days.
Lise' - from Fox Island, WA
When you make your fondant strips for bows how do you get them to stay up, mine fall down.
Helen - from Charleston, WV