Butter icing on b'day cake questions !!! ...

Hi all,

I was wondering when you make a birthday cake with butter icing on it how long before you bring out the birthday cake to sing " happy birthday " and blow out the candles at the party do you place the butter icing on the cake ?

I'm making a plain vanilla cake the night before and will place the butter icing (will be a bright green colour butter icing) on the next morning the day of the party but i'm worried the icing may not look as good hours later and i don't wanna put it in the fridge as may dry the cake out. And i want it to be edible ;)

It will most likely be a cold day ... and i will have the iced cake away from the kitchen where there maybe heat from the oven on heating up party food, so that's no worries there will pop the iced cake in the cold laundry.

So how many hours before you bring out the cake at the party do you finish butter icing a cake ??

Just i don't want to be icing the cake moments before guests arrive like i have the last two years of my DD's birthday party.

TIA for any suggestions :D

I've iced many birthday cakes the day before and put it in the fridge and never had a problem with it. Firstly, take it out an hour or so before its time to eat it so its not too cold, but generally the butter icing acts as a barrier so the cake doesn't dry out the same as if it was put in the fridge without anything on it at all.
I generally find for some reason the icing seems brighter and a better colour after putting it in the fridge to set or keep.

Having said that, I've also iced a butter icing cake in the morning and left it out of the fridge til the afternoon cause there was no frdige space and it wasn't a particually hot day and it was fine aswell.

I generally do mine ahead of time and refridgerate just to be organised and save doing it last minute.

I've been making and decorating cakes for years and years and one in particular (3D Elephant cake) took 5 hours to decorate and i would do some, stick it in the fridge, take it out, ice some more etc

Good luck with the cake!

Thanks heaps Dee :D ... how do you think sugar flowers will go on the butter icing in the fridge overnight ?? ... i'm fine with icing the cake the morning of party just was wondering if say approx 4 hrs before actually cutting the cake to eat would be too long ??

(3D elephant now that sounds impressive :dance:, what a talent you have there ... i'm lucky i can bake the cake right, ROFL :lol:)

I would put the sugar flowers on before serving, rather than overnight, esspecially if its going in the fridge, cause the moistre in the fridge and in the icing can dissolve the sugar flowers.
Icing the cake 4 hours before the party would be fine :)
Another option is to make the butter icing the night before, cover and put in the fridge. Get it out a few hours before icing and let it sit at room temp to soften, give it a beat and then ice, that way you don't have to make it all up before the party as well as ice it

I second putting the sugar flowers on at the last minute.
The colour (assuming its different) could bleed of they are on for too long and in the fridge.