I feel like this is going to be hard to describe but hopefully someone will know what I'm talking about!!

I've made a lot of fondant stacked cakes but I'm never satisfied with how rounded each cake looks on the edges. I would like to see a more defined edge and straighter sides, if that makes any sense. Do you think the fondant being too think might be the problem? Any suggestions on how to achieve a neater, more professional look when it comes to the edges/sides of fondant-covered tiers? I've tried doing a lot of smoothing but if I do it too much/too hard the buttercream starts to ooze out the bottom and/or the fondant tears.

I also have problems with my tiers looking bulge-y in the middle - you can almost see the line going all the way around the cakes where the layers meet and are filled with buttercream. Any tips on how to correct this? I'm thinking maybe, again, the fondant is too thick and heavy and it's making my cakes "sink" a bit. I've even heard Duff mention this on 'Ace of Cakes' but he didn't mention how to avoid it! The cake recipes I use came from this site and are supposedly of a more dense variety to best support fondant's weight.

I've attached a picture of one of my cakes so you can hopefully see what I'm talking about (it might be kind of hard so look closely!).

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated! My sister-in-law has asked me to do her wedding cake and I want to do a great job. Thanks so much!!

Sarah

did you let your cake settle after filling? maybe that causes it. o

I have the same problems...... any help out there?

Hi Sarah,

I am by no means an expert, but if you have time before the wedding cake, I strongly recommend Sugarshack's Flawless Fondant DVD. I just got it (I have my first wedding cake in a couple of weeks) and it shows how to avoid all the problems you mentioned. Sharon shows how to trim the sides after filling the cake and letting it settle to get rid of the bulgey look on the sides and how to use two fondant smoothers to get a sharp top edge. It is worth every penny!

HTH.

Lara

Thanks for the quick response!

What do you mean by "settle" exactly? When I fill my layers I usually push them together pretty firmly. Do I need to let them sit a bit longer? Before I frost them? Room temperature?

Thanks again!!

Sarah

Awesome Lara, thank you! I will check out the dvd for sure, I have plenty of time.

Sarah

I can't help with the whole rounded thing, I am still working on that myself but here is something that might help you for the bulging part. This has helped me alot.

http://www.cakeboss.com/PreventBulging.aspx

I too recommend SugarShack's DVD! It's AWESOME!
And yes, you should let it settle longer than that. I usually let mine settle overnight.
Sharon also shows how to do a filling so that you can avoid the dreaded middle "bulge."
http://www.sugaredproductions.com/Sugar_Ed_Productions.html

You want to let your cakes sit at least for a couple of hours or overnight to let them settle. There's a natural compression that occurs and you can correct it if you give the cake some time to show it.
I have to say Sharon's video is worth every penny, it is very informative and gives you a lot of help to avoid problems like bulging, shows you how to make sharp edges.
As far as the seam showing, your fondant might be too thin on the side by the time you finish all the smoothing.

Ditto to sugarshack's DVD's! I have all 3 it's the best $$ I've spent!!

In her Buttercream DVD she goes into more detail about putting a stiff dam of buttercream in the middle, then filling, and letting the cake settle overnight. She actually puts her cakes into large food safe plastic bags to seal them overnight. I bought some of these and they are great!

Go Sharon!

I roll out my fondant a bit thicker (per Sugarshack's DVD!), and I have not had the bulging problem. I wonder if that's the reason? Sharon also shows in her DVD how to get that "sharp" corner along the top edge of the cake. If your fondant is tearing while being smoothed, it sounds like it may be a bit dry or even too thin perhaps - ?

Thanks so much, you guys have all been so helpful. I'll be ordering Sharon's dvd for sure! I never knew about the "settling" thing so I'm pretty sure that's a big part of my problem. I'm really excited to get the dvd and try the new techniques!!

Sarah