I mixed 50/50 fondant/gumpaste and am rolling it out about 1/8" thick. As soon as I try to pinch the ends together the fondant tears near the edge and then of course when I try to pick it up it breaks.
What am I doing wrong?
Rub a little Crisco onto the palms of your hands, not too much, just a bit. Knead the fondant, roll it out to the size you need, cut the edges with a pizza cutter or sharp knife so you get clean edges all around, fold a tiny hem under at the bottom. What I do is pleat or gather it by using bamboo skewers, say 3 under the fondant about 1/2" apart, 3 more on top inbetween the bottom skewers, with index finger and thumb of both hands move the top and bottom of the skewers into the center at the same time until they all meet. Carefully slide out the bottom skewers, lift off the top skewers and then pick up you piece of fondant and arrange on your cake. You can make the gathers as tight or loose as you wish by how close together you place the skewers.
I did everything just like the CC article on fondant swags. Could it be that my fondant is too dry. I was watching Nicholas Lodge DVD and his looks so much softer than mine. If I add some shortening will this soften it?
Also, I have to drape a fondant drape down the front of a 14" cake (top side to bottom opposite side). How do you pick this up to put it on the cake? It seems to large and heavy to pick up by the ends? I wish I could see someone actually putting a large fondant drape on a cake.
Thanks for any and all advice.
I have found that adding gum paste makes it too dry and it tears. I just use straight fondant.
it DOES sound as if it got too dry....were you removing air from packaging each time you weren't using it? is your home dry? heater running lots? or is it dry outside? has it been handled lots? any of those can certainly affect the conditions.....
when i have worked in classes with other folk, theirs always tended to be VERY soft and pliable....mine tended to be dry.....they always had 'warmer' hands/warmer body temps than mine.....
hope you get all your kinks worked out....
I think Nicolas Lodge uses Gumpaste ..but maybe i am wrong.. If the fondant is too dry is going to break a lot.
If you take too long in placing it ...is going to break
If you handle it too much..is going to break..
One thing i tell you for sure..The more practice the easier it gets..
Edna
I went back and tried it with all fondant and it was much easier to work with (no tears). I still need some practice with placing it on the cake, but I feel much better now knowing that it isn't impossible for me.
Thanks for all your help.
sandralita, why do you ask if there was a lot of food colouring in the fondant? What should we know about quantities of food (gel/paste) colouring in fondant?
My last fondant cake was blue and i was trying to reach the "good" royal blue when I realized I was working too long with it and it started to go dry. I managed to cover the cake with it but I also intendend to do somes waves in a darker blue to put on the sides of the cake but it just crackled and I ended up throwing it away.
I do home-made fondant.
I find it easier to work with white fondant, what's the secret?
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