My sister's wedding cake in Chicago was a total disaster because of the humidity

I made a three-tiered buttercream cake for her outdoor July reception, and the frosting started melting and sliding off before they even cut it. I had to prop it up with skewers and hide the mess with extra flowers. What's the best way to stabilize frosting for a hot, humid day?

3 comments

3 Comments

jackson.wesley2mo ago

Propping it up with skewers is a classic move, I've been there. Did you chill the cake right up until it went outside? Sometimes that extra cold start can buy you a crucial hour before the heat really hits it.

the_eric2mo ago

Chilled it so much the frosting had goosebumps lol

uma8963d ago

Read somewhere that adding a bit of cornstarch to your buttercream can help it hold up in humidity. @jackson.wesley is right about chilling it too, but I've heard you gotta let it sit at room temp for like 10 minutes first so the frosting sets properly. Otherwise the cold cake will make condensation and that's worse than the heat. Also, switch to a shortening-based buttercream if you can, that stuff handles sweat better than real butter. I tried that for a beach wedding last August and the cake only got a little soft, not a total landslide.