Icing Options

mim29

So obviously the most popular icing options for cakes right now are fondant, buttercream, or whipped... Fondant to my knowledge is mostly peeled off the cake/eaten around. It's not very attractive looking once you start eating and seems like kind of a waste... Buttercream icing is DISGUSTING. It literally just tastes like cold butter most of the time. I'm not a fan of whipped either... Am I doomed or am I missing something?

cafarrie

If you're set on a traditional wedding cake, I am not sure what other options you have.  However you could do a variety of other things depending on what your venue allows.  Cheesecake, brownies, cookies, pie, candy bars are very trendy right now.  Or you could do one of those delicious flourless chocolate cakes with a glaze or ganache...

SO MANY OPTIONS!!!!

Also - I hate fondant too, and typically pick most icing off cakes.  BUT I would try a variety of flavors from a variety of places (if you are able based on your venue) because there are certainly frosting flavors I DO like. 

allispain

Talk to your baker about what options they have and make sure you taste them all. Personally, I didn't mind the fondant that was on our cake - our bakery does it super thin, as opposed to caked on (pun intended) like some places do. Maybe instead of a buttercream they could do a cream cheese frosting? Or maybe they have some other, non-traditional options you could explore.

atlastmrsg

Ask for "white frosting" at your tasting.  It's more like creamy, sweet, sugary than buttery or cream cheesy.  

MesmrEwe

There are over 300 variations of American Buttercream, some bakers have better tasting icing than others. Some are downright nasty!  Do some tastings and you'll find a good tasting option...  The meringue buttercreams tend to taste more like the mouthfuls of butter than traditional American Buttercreams..

kvruns

not all buttercream tastes gross or like butter.  I usually like buttercream, but at a wedding this summer the cupcakes had buttercream and it literally tasted like eating butter - it was gross.

Fondant is good for pretty decorations, but not eating.  I'd sample the buttercream and if its gross pick a different place

Maggie0829

If the buttercream that you are eating tastes like cold butter then you are eating crappily made buttercream.

There is also Italian Meringue frosting which is pretty darn delicious.  And you know, you don't have to have only white icing.  If you are a big chocolate fan you can certainly have chocolate frosting.

klk111415

I recently had italian cream frosting.  No idea what it was but it was very tasty.

What kind of cake are you having?  

bahamabride2015

I make some pretty damn good buttercream that tastes nothing like cold butter... I call bad baker on that one.

BlueBirdMB

Buttercream can be horrible or fantastic.  Find a good baker with icing you enjoy.  I have huge issues with icing- I can't tell you how many times I've scrapped the icing off of cake.  We had buttercream on our cake that was AMAZING.  I could have eaten a bowl full of it.  I also make a cream cheese frosting that I literally have eaten bowls full of...

mim29

I actually used to work in a bakery (Caroline's Cakes) who is quite famous for her confectionary deliciousness; if you ever order or visit try the 7 layer caramel!!  This helps a lot though - especially the Italian buttercream ideas! I will definitely look into these. Thinking back though, I remember noticing that sometimes buttercream which hadn't reached room temperature ran a higher risk of "Land-o-Lakes syndrome". Don't get me wrong - I come from a family who cooks French food and Lord knows we love our butter!!! I just don't want to eat sticks of it in my cake

MobKaz

Using whipped cream on a wedding cake offers all sorts of logistical nightmares.  Layers tend to slide, and the cake needs to remain refrigerated.  You cannot leave a whipped wedding cake out "for display" on a cake table the way you can a buttercream or fondant covered cake.  If your venue is the type that slices the cake and leaves slices sitting out on a table for guests to grab, they cannot sit out for any length of time. 

mim29

Good to know!! Thanks!

[Deleted User]

hyechica81

i am a hobby baker and i am very fussy about how my buttercream taste i do lots of cupcakes and i have two types of vanilla buttercream one american and one american but with marshmallow added. when we went for our cake tasting his buttercream was amazing just as good as mine and did not have the huge buttery taste to it

when you meet with your cake person ask to try out a few different types of frostings

mim29

Yeah, I'm really beginning to think it's because I have often had it served to me as recently refrigerated which, if I think about it hardens butter and gives it that "butter > sweet" ratio. So far I just want to find a great one in MD who isn't obsessed with using fondant that just gets eaten around/goes to waste