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.
General Icing Questions
Do I need to ice my cake before I put on fondant?
Jennifer - from New York, NY
Why does the icing on my cake crack as it dries?
Joey - from Rockland, IL
What type of icing can I use to ice cookies with?
Noelle - from Lynwood, IL
My piped leaves have points. What am I doing wrong?
Alena - from Woodridge, IL
My cake domes in the middle while baking. How can I prevent this?
Jeff - from Medina, OH
When writing with icing on a cake, after a while the icing cracks? What am I doing wrong?
Jeff - from Medina, OH
Why am I getting white spots in my icing?
Syndy - from Bloomington, IN
What is the difference between fondant and buttercream icing?
Angela - from Lansing, MI
What is the best consistency of icing to use for roses?
Joe - from Portland, MI
If I use cream cheese icing to ice my cake, can I use buttercream icing to make the decorations?
Michelle - from Mishawaka, IN
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
When using fresh strawberries as a filling instead of preserves, how do you keep them from bleeding?
Shirley - from Chicago, IL
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
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 making buttercream icing, can you use butter flavored solid vegetable shortening?
Donna - from Greenfield, IN
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
What is crumb coating? What pointers can you give us regarding successfully applying a crumb coating?
Kim - from Mayport, PA
How do you get whipped cream icing to stay stiff to spread on cake?
Leatha - from Ballwin, MO
What is a good icing to use for ice cream cake?
Toy - from Brooklyn, NY
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
Can you share a recipe for a delicious frosting for cookies that won't smear if stacking the cookies?
Linda - from Rochester , NY
Do I have to refrigerate cookies I have frosted with icing made from butter, light corn syrup and confectioners' sugar?
Lucy - from Tucson, AZ
You said that freezing royal icing is not recommended. Why? What happens if you freeze it?
Ricki - from Redding, CA
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
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
When using boiled icing, how do you apply it to the cake? What kind of consistency comes from this particular recipe?
Athena - from London, CA
Why is shortening used in "buttercream" icing? I would expect it be made only with butter.
Beverley - from Ottawa, Ontario canada
Is there a chocolate buttercream recipe that doesn't crust?
Wendy - from beverly, MA
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 have heard that fondant will keep for 2 weeks, 2 months or even 6 months. Exactly how long can you keep it? How long can royal icing be kept? Buttercream?
Sandy - from Trussville, AL
Can I decorate cookies with Color Flow or is regular royal icing better?
Yael - from Herzylia, Israel
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
Should you put homemade icing or store bought icing on a cake, or does it matter?
Kayla - from Granger, TX
I love your show! It has gotten my 11-year-old daughter interested in baking and cake decorating. Our question: Is it necessary to sift powdered sugar when making buttercream icing? What difference does sifting make in the icing?
Kate - from Tomball, TX
Can I use buttercream icing to place dried fondant cutouts on a fondant covered cake?
Kim - from Mississauga, OK
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 want to try to decorate a cake using Color Flow decorations. How do you store the Color Flow icing while the outline is crusting? I’m going to be using several colors. Do I prepare all the colors needed and try to keep them moist, or do I color as needed, and then how do I keep the icing moist?
Tina - from Cape Coral, FL
How far in advance can you ice a cake with buttercream and fondant?
Sara - from St. Louis, MO
How can I make my own colored icing and cakes?
Viola - from Bossier City, LA
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
Why put shortening in icings?
Lisa - from Chicago, IL
Besides royal icing what other kind of icing can I use to make flowers?
Joisy - from Carlsbad, NM
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
What is the difference between lard and shortening?
Linda - from Canada, Canada
Some recipes, like for icing, require corn syrup. Can I replace the corn syrup with golden syrup?
Rahayu - from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I know you use a lot of royal icing for flowers. I have always heard that you cannot eat royal icing. Is this correct?
Cora - from Millersburg, KY
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 would rather cover a cake in modeling chocolate than rolled fondant. Has it been done? If so, what recipe would you use?
Rachael - from St. Augustine, FL
Can I melt the fondant I bought to cover cakes and cookies?
Sheila - from Houston, TX
I prepared your perfect buttercream icing with cream cheese, but it had a weird consistency. It wasn’t combined and a little bit separated consistency. I used margarine and everything was cold. What did I do wrong?
Gaby - from Guatemala , Central America
Why do you use buttercream icing?
Rosanna - from Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic
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
Dear Nancy in the ganache i can change the whip cream for milk? Or just i have to use whip cream? What i can do?
Massiel - from venezuela, caracas
What type of icing is best for under fondant?
Zoe - from New Glarus, WI
How do I transport cookies that have iced decorations?
Barbara - from Akron, OH
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
When I make boiled icing, it looks really good. However, it is gritty like the sugar isn’t dissolved. My recipe calls for brown sugar, egg white, cold water, vanilla and salt. Would a bit of corn syrup help?
Kimberly - from Saint John, New Brunswick
I want a frosting that will harden when it dries (like the birthday letters at the grocery stores). Is there an icing out there or recipe to make one at home?
Angela - from Ventura, CA
If you use a chocolate buttercream to ice a cake, will it come through white fondant?
Tameka - from Orlando, 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
Nancy, I tried the marshmallow icing and it came out very soft. I need to know how can I make it stiffer for decorating? Is there a difference between marshmallow fluff and marshmallow crème? Please help
Linda - from Country Club Hills, IL
Can you put buttercream decorations on top of fondant?
Linda - from Lafontaine, Ontario