Right, it is DS's birthday tomorrow and I have messednup the icing on his cake. How can I fix it?

[AKMD]

...short of running to the supermarket and buying a new one?

I've managed to get buttercream, jam and crumbs in the white icing on top of DS's first birthday cake. I know there isn't much I can do to fix that but is there a way of Irving out the lumpy, wrinkly bits on the icing?

Thanks!

Are you talking about fondant icing on top of buttercream?

How lumpy and wrinkled is it?

Silly silly DH's iPad, sorry.

I have messed up the icing,
I want to iron out the wrinkles.

It's royal icing, yes.

Very wrinkled and worse where it stretched and I tried to patch it up with other bits of icing

Yes it goes cake, jam, buttercream, icing.

Tell us what the white icing is - is the cake filled with jam & buttercream and the white icing on top?

Did you roll it out? If so, it's fondant not royal icing.

ok, so have you tried a palette knife dipped in hot water, and spread quickly over the top?
If that doesn't work, get some coloured fondant icing and make some design to go on top, hiding crumbs etc.
I do this every Xmas,... try to ice cake, end up with fondant poinsetta
Still tastes delicious and I'm sure your ds will love it

oh is it fondant on top?
did you have to mix with water AKMD?

So have you put the royal icing directly on the buttercream? Or did you miss out another layer of cake in your summary?

If it was really bad, and I had sufficient ingredients, I might be tempted to bake another layer to add on top, then try again.

Or just smother the entire thing in sprinkles - he won't care he's 1!

I cheated and rolled it out from a packet. It says royal icing but it sounds like fondant.

I will try the wet pallette knife trick to see if that works.

The recipe said to spread the cake with jam to stop crumbs getting into the buttercream, then to spread buttercream over the cake, then put the icing on. I might have misread the recipe I might also have tried to be rather too ambitious and tried to make a two tier very hungry caterpillar cake for my first go

Icing sugar dusted on top?

Make up more butter cream and make it stippled on top?

Most importantly, it is cake and when he is putting chubby fistfuls into his mouth, he really won't mind - and nor will anyone else as they will recognise the effort you have clearly gone to!

Next time, spread a thin layer of buttercream (called a crumb crust) to stop crumbs getting into the buttercream - although I can't see how crumbs would matter if you're covering it in icing.
< not helpful >

If you have cracks in it, some vegetable shortening rubbed onto it from the end of your finger can help disguise.

For wrinkles, icing sugar and rub gently with something flat

Obv, am very bad good at icing!

WWWY - the crumbs cause lumps and the buttercream helps smooth it flat so they don't show through. Apparently.

If the lumps are simply wrinkles in the icing, sprinkle it lightly with a dusting of icing sugar, and rup it firmly and smoothly with the palm of your hand.

Is there any chance of a picture, then I might be able to talk you through fixing it a bit better. (I do novelty cakes as a hobby)

A bit late, but photos posted to my profile.

I tried smoothing it over with a water and sugar icing paste this morning and it looks slightly better.

I'll out it down to experience, thanks for all your help.

Sorr,y I can't click on your profile so can't see the pic. Glad to hear you managed to do something with it

If you are planning on doing it again, try watching this video for a few tips first :o

Thanks, next time might be a sneak shop-bought base ;)