I had half-expected the corners to be very dry and overdone by the time the center set, but it actually turned out great without baking strips or a heating core.
This was also the first time that I (semi) successfully used the "viva method" for smoothing buttercream. The idea is to let the buttercream set and then use a viva (or other unpatterned) paper towel to smooth out the icing by placing a sheet over the cake and rubbing it smooth over the towel. It worked relatively well here, but I think I should have let it set outside of the fridge, since some ridges were nearly impossible to move after being fridge-set (it was just too stiff at that point).
I liked the way this cake turned out because of all the different techniques used. I was able to use piping gel transfers, stars, round tips, shells, gel filling, and flowers.
I should mention that I purchased the black and red icing from Cub's bakery. My attempts at red and black in the past have failed miserably so I opted to go the safe route with these since, Coon Rapids High School's colors are red and black. The only real issue I had was that the icing was too soft for roses, but after adding more powdered sugar and meringue powder, it ended up working just fine.
-Beth
