No-Cracking Buttercream Icing

By AzWench

One of our readers asks, "... is there anything that can be added to buttercream icing to keep it from crackling or wrinkling when you move the cake after it has set for a while?"

Here's the "believe-it-or-not" answer:

When making icing, add just a few drops of vinegar to your mixture. This'll keep your icing from cracking when it dries on the cake. (And, a few drops won't affect the taste at all.)

Preparation

Step 1

For the sake of thoroughness, here's how to handle a cake to prevent cracking the icing...

Icing cracks typically result while lifting or moving your cake. Especially when your icing has formed a "crust," (and sometimes if the cake is just cold).

To prevent this:

1) never pick up a cake by holding on to the sides of the cake board, and

2) make sure your cake is on a solid surface.

For large sheet cakes use two cake boards or one double thick board. Place the cake on a decorative board (a piece of cardboard or cake board that has been covered with foil, contact paper, etc.) then put the cake on a masonite board before you decorate it.

Masonite boards come in all shapes and sizes for your round, square, sheet, and other cakes.

Masonite boards are re-usable so you don't throw them away like cardboard cake boards.

You can always put foil or contact paper directly on the masonite board first, then put your cake on the board before your decorate, if you choose.

Always have at least one hand under the cake when moving it, to keep the board level and to keep it from bending.

To place a cake in a box for transport, first slide the cake off of the masonite board into the side of the box. Then, lift the cake with one or both hands under the cake box.