Shanna's Comments

Thanks for adding me... :)

Your so sweet , thank you. And good luck today!!!!

As for the royal icing problems, my first guess would be that you had a little grease of some sort left on utensils or bags. That is a sure fire way to keep royal icing from getting hard! If you have previously made buttercream using same bowls, spoons, ect. or in a reusable icing bag, I am willing to bet there was some left behind! It is so greasy, I usually have to take a paper towel and wipe down really good after items have already been cleaned! Let me know if that works!!!!

Thank you Shana, you are kind :-)

Hi Shana,
thanks for the compliment im glad your little girl liked them, i used a butterfly cutter and left them to dry on folded paper and then dusted with edible glitter

HiShana:

Welcome to the World of Cake Decorating!

Hi, no never used gumpaste, it looks soooo daunting. hahaha! I currently use a lot of ganache, glaze and whipped cream. This weekend, I learned to make chocolate leaves. I will post a picture. I decided to start with buttercream icing and get a proper hang of it. I am also trying to get better icing equipment than I currently have. Then I will move on to gumpaste :-) All the best, let me know how it goes.

thank you shana for the compliment. the wilton practice board will help you alot, that is what i used when i started decorating (which seems like a lifetime ago LOL)! and i have purchased alot of books from great cake artist, like debbie brown, you can get cake decorating book for a cheaper price at www.alibris.com. i have ordered from them and have books in very good condition. good luck

I get C&H powdered sugar from Sam's Club, it is much cheaper there. Walmart also carries it. It is the best for this recipe but, GW (at King Soopers) powdered works pretty well also. It is the generic brands that give it a really grainy texture. I do use the GW (and sometimes sifted generic brand) for making marshmallow fondant though, because the C&H seems to make the texture of the fondant to soft. If it is really hot and humid when I am working with the icing I keep a ziploc bag of ice wrapped in paper towel next to me to place my icing bag on to keep the icing cool. I tend to have "hot hands." It just takes a little experimentation to get the right consistency for piping, so dont give up!

Hi Shana, I do have a buttercream icing recipe that I love. It is from CakeCentral.com.
For royal icing, I just use the recipe that comes with the Wilton meringue powder.

Simply smooth white buttercream
Ingredients:
2 sticks of salted butter (at room temp)
2/3 cup of crisco or high ratio shortening
1 tsp clear vanilla (i use wilton)
1/2 tsp butter flavor (also wilton)
1/4 to 1/3 of cup of heavy whipping cream
2lb bag of C&H powder sugar ( any other brand doesnt get smooth and feels grainy)
Instructions:
In a large mixer cream the butter and crisco untill smooth. Add the vanilla, butter flavor and the smaller amount of the cream. Mix until creamy. Add half the bag of powedered sugar and beat for 3-4 minutes until smooth, making sure to scrape the sides. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat for another 3-4 minutes. The longer you beat the buttercream the lighter and fluffier it gets. Add more cream if you want it softer, add more powdered sugar to make it more stiff. I always beat it with a spoon after its done just to knock out some of the air bubbles. Also, i noticed that the flavor tastes better the longer it sits. Keep any extra frosting in an airtight container, in the fridge or freezer.

Welcome Shana...Thanks for "friending" me...
You have linked to a great site for learning and sharing....Don't give up...it does get better with practice. My favorite phrase I read in a craft store years ago is: "Everything will give up its secrets if you love it enough!" And I have recently found out that it is very true! Have fun learning and experiencing....

Hi shana,

i have an idea that might make it alittle easier for you. Wiltons have a practice board set. Go to www.wilton.com and in the search box put in practice board, you can purchase them online or go to ACMOORE or MICHAELS to buy them, you should be using decorators icing (you can get that recipe online, just do a search for it) or you can visit Edna De La Cruz @www.design me a cake.com, there she has some great tutorials and recipes, like for the decorators icing that will help you. Also i have purchased some great dvds form Yummy arts.com decorating from A-Z) and from online cake decorating supliers one Sharon Zambito has alot of them i purchased 2 of hers and she is a very good teacher. and Edna De La Cruz is a wonderful teacher also. good luck

Hi Shana thanks for adding me. Do not give up borders take practice, just keep playing with different icings. I like a stiff buttercream to work with makes decorations much stiffer and they come out better.