I'm having some problems with my fondant. I made a beautiful fairy figure out of fondant recently and 2 days later, my figure had somewhat melted and the paintings on it smudged. I had kept my fairy in an air tight container and left it on a table.

I figured, coming from a country whose weather is constantly hot, that the problem could be due to humidity. I dare not refrigerate it for fear that the fondant will sweat when I take it out. Is there anything else I can do to solve this problem?

Many thanks for your help!

Marrissa

I think the biggest culprit is the airtight container. It won't allow the figure to dry. It should be stored out of light and protected from dust, but not airtight.

Hi JoAnnB, thank u for your reply! No more air-tight containers from now on. Where do u usually store your fondant figurines?

Talking about fondants, how early should I cover a cake with fondant? A week? I have a 2 tier birthday cake to be delivered next sunday..

Many thanks!

I cover mine about 2 days in advance. All depending on what else it has to be decorated with. Also in response to your humidity question, you may have to add a little more powdered sugar if it seems too soft. Are using your own or store bought?

Hi Larie, thanks for your reply! I will be super busy from this Tuesday onwards till the birthday itself on next Sunday. If I cover the cake tomorrow, will it be too early & cause me more problems?

I use the ready-made kind, Pettinice.

Yes you can cover your cake in fondant today for Tuesday


HTH's

Christi

Hi Christi, sorry I must have typed it out wrongly.

The birthday cake is for next Sunday. I'm wondering if it's alright to cover the cake with fondant tomorrow.

Marrissa

Ohhh.....then no I wouldn't....that would cause yucky problems .... is this a reg. cake (sponge/pound) or is it a fruit cake?

Hi Christi, it's a chocolate fudge cake.

I'm more concerned about the fondant. Because there was once, I covered a wedding cake with fondant a week in advance and the sides of the cake sag on the wedding day itself.

I don't know if it's the hot weather or the fondant was too soft or too thick or that I covered the cake too early..

Marrissa

If you mean a week from today, I would wait. I think that I would probably not do it until thursday. I think that the cake would be ok b/c the fondant somewhat locks in the freshness. Also, you may have had too much buttercream that melted in the heat on your previous wedding cake and then the weight of the fondant made it sag.

I add cmc or tylose powder to my fondant for making figures it makes them dry out better and quicker. I also store my figures in a cardboard box once made. Drying your figures on a base of foam/sponge lets the air circulate around the figures too, helping with the drying process. HTH

thanks all for the tips!

By the way, roughly how many cups of icing sugar should I add to a packet of pettinice fondant so that it won't be too soft?

Marrissa

Yes, it is was the "airtight" container!!!! I am currently in a fondant class and the instructor just told us to leave the fondant uncovered to dry for about 24 hours!!! I just put it in a cake box with the lid open and covered it with a paper towel so it could breathe....

minkiemoo-how much tylose do you add to your fondant?

a lady i know from texas uses pettinice for her g/p flowers etc. she uses 2tsp tylose to 1lb of pettinice she teaches g/p flowers and also demos at the convention she does this because of the humidity i do this way with wilton fondant when i make figures or mix half g/p and half wilton fondant and let them air dry i would wait at least 2 days in advance and cover my cake so it won,t meld altogether and sag this is just my opinion

Hi icer101, then can I add tylose to the fondant when covering my cake?

I added 2 cups of icing sugar to the fondant but still it's still soft..

I don't measure my cmc and just add a little to the piece I am working on but if I had to guess I would say it is probably about 1 teaspoon to 500g / 1lb of fondant.

no, I wouldn't add it for covering the cake. It is more for the figures and or additions you might make. It is pretty bitter and will make it taste gross.

right.. I'll just continue adding more icing sugar to the fondant then.

Thank u all for the great tips!

Marrissa