Cake Is Bulging....please Help.

Decorating By IrishEyes Updated 6 May 2008 , 1:32pm by Loucinda

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IrishEyes Posted 5 May 2008 , 11:41pm
post #1 of 9

I am very new to cake decorating and I have a newbie question. When I put the fondant on, it sags terribly and the cake and filling bulge out under it. Someone told me to let the fondant sit for 24 hours before I try to put it on. Does this sound correct? Should it be in an airtight container, or just covered with a towel or plastic wrap? As far as the bulging cake goes, I really don't know what to do. Would torte-ing the layers help? If so what is the best way to go about that?

I have a graduation cake to do for the alternative high school that I work at. It is not due until June 6th, but the pressure is on. I really don't want to disappoint. The design of the cake is a 3 tier, stacked cake covered in all black fondant, the trim around the bottom of each layer will be 2 inch green ribbon. I am sewing another thin silver ribbon around the middle of it that says congratulations. The last cake I did was also a 3 tiered easter cake and it was pretty much a disaster. I donated it to my son's fundraising event at school. It was a really big hit, but it really was not that good.

I am told that you guys on cakecentral are the best. I am really hoping that someone can help me out. ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, and one more quick question.....in your opinion, is it better to color the fondant before hand, or airbrush it on the cake?

Thank you all so much for your time.

~Andrea

Here is my previous attempt
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8 replies
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smab109 Posted 5 May 2008 , 11:49pm
post #2 of 9

Looks like the fondant is to soft. Try adding more powdered sugar. and yes, let it sit overnight. Wrap it very well in saran wrap.

As far as bulging... I am still trying to master this one....be careful not to overfill your layers. And let the layers "sit" before you put the fondant on. I've had tilted cakes because I was in a rush and impatient... good luck!

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Bossy Posted 5 May 2008 , 11:51pm
post #3 of 9

Did you use plates between layers and dowels to support them? I know that a more serious CC user will be able to give you a link to a tutorial on how to stack tiers! Cake is heavy stuff, and needs support to stand up.

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foxymomma521 Posted 5 May 2008 , 11:51pm
post #4 of 9

Can you tell us how you constructed this cake? (ie dowels, cake boards etc)

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ericaann79 Posted 5 May 2008 , 11:56pm
post #5 of 9

If you are making the fondant from scratch, then yes, definitely let the fondant rest for 24 hours. I wrap mine in two layers of seran wrap and then put it in a zip loc. This must be air tight to prevent drying out. If you are going to put filling in your cakes you must tort them. You will need to use a very thick buttercream well...this goes around the perimeter of the cake, sometimes I do to rows of this and put the filling in the middle. I frost my cake in a thin layer of buttercream and then cover with fondant. It also looks like your cakes are missing a support system. Did you use any dowels? These should be places in each tier to support the one above it. Your decorations also look a bit too thin...your flowers are losing their shape a bit...try a stiffer consistency icing. Also, if you need black fondant I would recommend buying it...it is nearly impossible to do yourself...

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IrishEyes Posted 6 May 2008 , 12:01am
post #6 of 9

Wow! you guys are fast. I did use cardboard cake boards under each layer and 4 dowels under each cakeboard. I know that the frosting was way to soft. I have since found a much better recipe. A stacking tutorial would be awesome if anyone knows of a good one. Thank you guys so much for all of the responses.

~Andrea

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sugarshack Posted 6 May 2008 , 3:53am
post #7 of 9

you need a firm cake to support the fondant.

and a nice firm icing too.

you can chill the cakes before covering to make the fondant go on better.

HTH

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Crazy-4-Cakes Posted 6 May 2008 , 1:31pm
post #8 of 9

I am having trouble lately also. So Sugarshack, by firm cake do you mean a pound cake? I've always used doc'd box mixes that are pretty dense but moist.
To the OP - good job on your first attempt, alot of this is trial and error. Thankfully we've all got CC here to help us. I learned through mistakes through the years. It does look like the fondant was soft (been there, done that LOL) but it was a cute bunny! icon_smile.gif

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Loucinda Posted 6 May 2008 , 1:32pm
post #9 of 9

You also need to cover the cardboard rounds with something that is moisture proof to keep them from sagging. (I use foil or saran wrap)

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