First Fondant Anxieties

Decorating By morganbarkley Updated 12 Dec 2014 , 12:38pm by 810whitechoc

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morganbarkley Posted 11 Dec 2014 , 2:53am
post #1 of 7

Hello everyone, I will be covering and decorating my first fondant cake this week and my nerves are a little stirred. I frost and decorate several cakes a week but always with a butter cream, ganache, cream cheese, etc frosting. The on-line tutorials I've watched have me relatively confident that I can get my ganache as smooth as I need to and that the covering of the cakes (a 6" and a 9") isn"t going to be TOO challenging. But with Christmas 2 weeks away the inevitable special orders and requests are crunching in on my schedule and I'm worried about timing and some of the best methods of decorating. If I may, I have a few questions: Would it be advisable to cover the cakes the day before decorating? The cake is going to be covered in different sized, different color, metallic/shimmery polka dots. I have heard that gum paste works better than fondant for making dots on a cake because they hold their shape better when moved and attaching. Any advice? Also, I have no idea what the best thing to use is for attaching onto fondant. Any additional advice would be marvelous and hopefully help get me through! I've been reading these forums for a while and have learned so much from the everyone! Thanks!

6 replies
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bubs1stbirthday Posted 11 Dec 2014 , 4:44am
post #2 of 7

The trick to moving fondant without stretching it when doing little shapes is to spray a little cooking oil on a piece of baking paper just bigger than the shape you are moving (I spray a little then wipe it over the whole piece so it is just a tiny film of oil) then gently press that over the fondant you will be moving.

 

Pick the fondant shape up using the oiled paper, apply whatever glue (water/tylose or plain water, vodka etc to the front of shape) and attach to your cake, gently rub your finger/smoother etc over the paper that is still attached to the shape then gently peel the paper off.

 

Make sure that you have dusted your mat/bench etc well so that the fondant lifts easily from it. 

 

The cake below I did using that method and the circles held their shape excellently.

 

Present Box cake for my FIL - this cake made it on a one hour long trip on rough 100kmph country roads without a broken hair on it's head - super happy with that!! Buttercream iced cake for both the box and lid

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mattyeatscakes Posted 11 Dec 2014 , 6:08am
post #3 of 7

A

Original message sent by bubs1stbirthday

The trick to moving fondant without stretching it when doing little shapes is to spray a little cooking oil on a piece of baking paper just bigger than the shape you are moving (I spray a little then wipe it over the whole piece so it is just a tiny film of oil) then gently press that over the fondant you will be moving.

Pick the fondant shape up using the oiled paper, apply whatever glue (water/tylose or plain water, vodka etc to the front of shape) and attach to your cake, gently rub your finger/smoother etc over the paper that is still attached to the shape then gently peel the paper off.

Make sure that you have dusted your mat/bench etc well so that the fondant lifts easily from it. 

The cake below I did using that method and the circles held their shape excellently.

[URL=http://www.cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3268406/]Present Box cake for my FIL - this cake made it on a one hour long trip on rough 100kmph country roads without a broken hair on it's head - super happy with that!! Buttercream iced cake for both the box and lid [/URL]

Beautiful cake and awesome tip! Thanks for sharing, will try that next time ;) i hate it when my cut out fondants stretch or deform when i pick them up :(

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bubs1stbirthday Posted 11 Dec 2014 , 11:34am
post #4 of 7

Thankyou Matty - it works really well. I can't remember where I originally picked up the idea but it is a very helpful one, especially when you are working with something that you need pliable when you put it on your cake so you can't let it dry out first.

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cazza1 Posted 11 Dec 2014 , 1:56pm
post #5 of 7

This is the same as Jessica Harris' wax paper method.  She uses it for all sorts of complicated patterns.

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morganbarkley Posted 12 Dec 2014 , 12:24pm
post #6 of 7

Thank you! Today's the big day and I'm excited/nervous!

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810whitechoc Posted 12 Dec 2014 , 12:38pm
post #7 of 7

I'm sure you will do well, you have obviously done your research.  Your day is just beginning and mine is just ending, I have just arrived home from work, I hope you let us know how you went, I'm off to bed but will check in tomorrow (my time).

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