How To Ice A Wedding Cake With Buttercream In 3 Steps

Those who want to know how to ice a wedding cake with buttercream can simplify it into three steps. This tutorial will help you frost your wedding cake with buttercream icing smoothly and ready for decorating. 

We will also guide you in choosing the best buttercream frosting for the wedding cake and if it’s the best one to use. Then, we recommend that you read how to decorate a wedding cake after decorating it with buttercream frosting. 

how to ice a wedding cake with buttercream

 

How To Ice A Wedding Cake With Buttercream For Beginners

 

Step 1. Start icing the first cake layer

  • As with any tiered cake, start with the first cake layer and place it on a cake decorating turntable
  • Prepare your buttercream wedding cake frosting and pour it into a piping bag
  • Cut the piping bag according to the tip you’ll use; tip #789 should be good for finishing wedding cakes covered in buttercream icing faster because of its size
  • Start the wedding cake with buttercream frosting in the center of the first cake layer
  • Smoothen out the buttercream with a small offset spatula evenly

 

Step 2. Layer the tiers of the cake to frost

  • Continue building the wedding cake by positioning the next cake layer over the frosting 
  • Check if the layers are even and there are no crumbs at the bottom
  • Since wedding cakes are thoroughly covered, do the frosting over the top layer evenly 
  • Apply the buttercream frosting to the sides after the top surface
  • Use a larger spatula to smoothen the buttercream wedding cake frosting on the sides 
  • Refill the piping bag as needed

 

Step 3. Continue covering the wedding cake with buttercream

  • After ensuring that the wedding cake sides are evenly covered with the buttercream frosting, you’ll start at the top of the buttercream wedding cake
  • Allow the frosting to dry for 7 minutes or longer and check by touching it lightly
  • If the buttercream icing on the cake does not transfer to your finger, you can put a paper towel over it
  • Lightly even the top of this paper towel going from the left to the right with a small scraper to smoothen the surface of the buttercream icing 
  • Lift and reposition the paper towel as needed when you scrape the top frosting
  • Repeat the paper towel ironing on the sides of the wedding cake, so the buttercream is perfectly smooth and ready for decorating 

 

Can I Use Buttercream For A Wedding Cake?

Choosing what you’ll use to frost your wedding cake depends on many factors, but buttercream is a classic choice. 

 

Pros of using buttercream frosting for your wedding cake

  • Easy to do, and the ingredients are relatively cheap
  • Versatile because you can finish it differently according to your wedding cake type
  • Ideal for indoor and outdoor weddings
  • Suitable for different wedding themes whether it’s rustic or elegant
  • Can be used for decorating wedding cakes even as a beginner baker

 

Cons of icing the wedding cake with buttercream

  • Some types of buttercream wedding cakes are not stable for challenging wedding venues
  • Some wedding guests might prefer cakes with less sweet frosting than buttercream icing
  • The couple might choose a lesser common way of decorating their wedding cake 
  • Can be hard to smoothen over the wedding cake
  • Unique wedding cakes with intense colors may be hard to achieve

Please read what flavor is the wedding cake if you’re interested to know about different tastes for weddings. 

 

What Buttercream Is Best For A Wedding Cake?

There are different buttercream wedding cakes, so please choose the best one according to your taste and visual preferences, wedding venue, and budget. 

 

American buttercream

The classic and most straightforward buttercream frosting used on wedding cakes is American buttercream. It should be stable for about 6 hours so you can use it for an outdoor wedding. 

American buttercream is also affordable compared to other types of frosting. Consider using a whipped cream filling on your wedding cake if you find it too sweet. 

 

Italian buttercream

If you love meringue, then consider Italian buttercream for your wedding cake. It is also less sweet, so it’s perfect if you don’t have a lot of guests who love sweets. 

Another advantage of using Italian buttercream on your wedding cake is its texture is ideal for big, tiered wedding cakes. And of course, the smooth finish makes it suitable for fondant decors on wedding cakes. 

 

Buttercream and cream cheese frosting

Consider adding cream cheese to your frosting for couples who want a unique flavor for their buttercream wedding cake. This taste is ideal for wedding cakes made with lemon or red velvet. 

However, you may be limited with the color you can have for the wedding cake if you don’t like a classic white cake. Furthermore, cream cheese is only ideal for indoor wedding venues as it can spoil quickly. 

 

How Far In Advance Can You Make A Buttercream Wedding Cake?

The earliest you can make a cake with buttercream is three days before the wedding day. This will ensure that the taste and texture of the frosting will still be optimal for your wedding cake. 

 

Conclusion

And that’s it! You just learned how to ice a wedding cake with buttercream in three steps. 

You’ll start with the base layer, then frost the top and sides evenly as you stack and finish the tiered wedding cake. Use different sizes of scraper and spatula to ensure that the buttercream frosting is even. 

We hope this was helpful; let us know below if you have other wedding cake questions. 

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