Preparation

• Stack the cheesecakes or other layers before you apply the crumb coat of frosting. While cakes are commonly layered with buttercream frosting in the middle, you might try other ingredients, such as chocolate ganache, fudge or caramel, when layering cheesecakes. After assembling the layers, it helps to freeze the cheesecake before adding the buttercream frosting. A few hours in the freezer make the soft cream cheese filling hard and less likely to damage with an icing spatula. Additionally, freezing helps the crumbly crust stick together better. The low temperature can affect the fat in the buttercream, so spread it quickly before the frosting gets too cold.

Crusting Buttercream

• Not all buttercream frosting is capable of forming a crust when a crumb coat is applied. Buttercream frosting made with only butter has a low melting point, which means the frosting softens easily even at room temperature. Vegetable shortening has a much higher melting point, so it stays solid and will form a crust within about 15 to 20 minutes after spreading it on the cheesecake. Instead of sacrificing all of the buttery flavor in buttercream frosting, replace only half of the butter with shortening.

Spreading the Buttercream

• The cheesecake only needs a thin layer of buttercream to seal in the crumbs and prepare it for decorating. An offset spatula with an angled blade works especially well because you can smooth the frosting without getting the handle in the frosting. Work with a small amount of frosting at a time, slowly working your way around the cake so you don't spread too many crumbs with the frosting. If crumbs build up on the spatula, scrape it clean on a separate bowl before dipping into the clean frosting. If the frosting seizes up and is difficult to spread, dip the blade in a cup of hot water, which melts the sugar and softens the frosting.

Decorating Over the Crusting Buttercream

• The cheesecake must rest for about 20 minutes at room temperature for the buttercream frosting to crust, but you can put it in the refrigerator if you're in a hurry. Lay a non-textured paper towel over the crusted frosting and rub it with your hands to smooth out the frosting. Once you achieve a hard, smooth crust, you can easily spread a thick layer of frosting to finish decorating or pipe decorations on the cake. Cheesecake must be kept refrigerated, which leads to condensation when you remove it from the refrigerator. The condensation softens fondant so buttercream is best for decorating cheesecakes.