How to Keep Buttercream From Crusting

Buttercream frosting on cakes will dry out if it comes in contact with air.

A stylishly decorated cake can quickly become ugly when you take a bite and find that the buttercream icing on top dried out and developed a hard crust. Contact with air for more than 10 minutes will result in the buttercream crusting. This hard crust is most likely to happen in buttercream frosting recipes with a higher proportion of powdered sugar to fat. Carefully choosing your buttercream recipe and storing it to keep it away from air contact will help your frosting to retain its initial softness. Does this Spark an idea?

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Plastic wrap
Damp towel
2 gallon resealable freezer bag or airtight cake container

Instructions

- 1
  
  Make the icing and frost the cake just before serving to keep the icing moist.
- 2
  
  Choose a buttercream frosting recipe with just enough sugar to make it a spreadable consistency, such as the one that uses 2 pounds of powdered sugar to 1 1/2 pounds of fat.
- 3
  
  Keep the bowl of prepared icing covered with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the icing. Cover the plastic wrap with a damp towel to provide another barrier to drying out.
- 4
  
  Seal the frosted cake in a resealable freezer bag or airtight cake container.

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"Cupcakes"; Sue McMahon; 2007
"BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with Over 200 Magnificent Recipes"; Shirley O. Corriher; 2008
"Professional Cooking"; Wayne Gisslen; 2006