I will be making my very first fondant cake. I would like to ask tons of questions. I've already done my research in the forums but I would love to summarize it.

1. I've read GREAT things about buttercream recipes. The most I've heard about are:

Sugarshack's recipe
Serious cake's recipe
IndyDebi's recipe
Buttercream Dream

Here's my question. I live in a hot dry climate. I don't have any access with hi-ratio shortening. I have purchased Crisco and the storebrand shortening with little transfat. What is the best recipe I can use? I am going for crisp edges, doesn't melt and great under fondant. Also should I use Crisco or storebranad?

2. Baking cakes. Here are my steps.

-Bake
-Cool
-Refrigerate
-Torte
-Add buttercream filling
-Crumbcoat
-Refrigerate
-Add another layer of buttercream and smooth
-Refrigerate
-What do I put on the buttercream so fondant sticks to it? Water? Tylose/water mixture?
-Put fondant

Do I have the right steps? Do I have to alter it? Kindly show me your steps for I would love to know.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I would love to hear from a lot of people so I can see what would work best and what I should try first.

Not sure why of the refrigeration after you let it cool and or before putting on the fondant. You want the BC to be tacky so that the fondant adheres (gives it something to stick to) at least that's how I do it.

HTH

Not the way I was tought, I was tought you don't want it to crust because the fondant needs something to stick to.

Oh okay. That makes sense. THANKS for the reply =]

Although other members do refrigerate so that the b/c sets up... Helps the b/c to not move/shift when applying fondant. (As in not pushing all the b/c down and out when smoothing fondant.)

Guess you'll have to see which method works best for you.

you can always lightly touch up the buttercream with a damp paper towel if it's crusted prior to laying the fondant. It will help it stick if you choose crusting (which I do).

I've hear of spraying a little water to the crusted bc for the fondant to adhere, I let it crust just a little, not all the way, it works great for me

Thanks for all your advice. I'm glad people have replied.

Do you also think that refrigerating the cake(covered in pastic wrap) before torting will dry it up? Am I doing so much refrigeration? Do I just refrigerate after filling with buttercream and after crumbcoating?

I always refrigerate my baked layers over night wrapped in plastic wrap before I tort and fill and ice and cover in fondant. It makes the cake firmer and easier for me to work with without fear or breakage.

Jenn2179 is right! That method also allows the layers to "settle." Please be careful if you choose to spray a water onto the BC. Fondant is a water magnet! Water eats away at Fondant! Thats why people take such great care in using cornstarch when working with the fondant (the before application stage like rolling out and cutting figures and so forth).
You dont necessarily have to use a crusting buttercream if its going to be under fondant.

Few other important things (I'm only writing this since its your first):
1. have a sturdy cake recipe. NOT straight from the box mix. Thats too soft and will crumble.
2. Dont use Wilton fondant. The client wont be able to eat it - its too chemical laden. If you need ideas for fondant just let me know.
3. If you have time....do a practice cake. Esp if you are not experienced with coloring / rolling the fondant out. That way you will know if every element is "sturdy" or not.
4. Oh...make sure you dam your filling. Trust me you dont want your filling bulging from underneath your fondant.

I have to strongly disagree with the refrigeration of the cake layers overnight or any other time for that matter and those here who have baked professionally for years will agree with me. UNLESS you have a humidity controlled PROFESSIONAL refrigerator, your cake layers WILL definitely dry out if you keep them refrigerated.

There is no need to refrigerate those layers unless you have a PERISHABLE filling. Freezing is the better method. SOME professionals refrigerate layers, but they either spray them with a simple syrup first to keep them from drying out OR they have PROFESSIONAL refrigerators.

Why are you mixing fondant with your gumpaste? Are you planning on covering your cake with this? If so, gumpaste should not be used to cover your cake, only to sculpt figures or make flowers, it hardens way too much and tastes gross.

Don't depend on the refrigerator or freezer to firm up your layers enough to hold the fondant, you need to use a firm cake recipe for that.

I use serious_cakes BC recipe, then I just place the fondant on that.

I torte, fill and crumbcoat and leave overnight wrapped loosely in plastic wrap. The next morning I ice and cover in fondant, that way the cake has had a chance to "settle" but the final icing is still moist enough for the fondant to stick to it.

I don't mist it, or do anything other then the above.

Please don't refrigerate cakes or breads, it is the "enemy" and will dry them out.

Sorry, I have to leave for work but if you have any other questions, I'm sure there will be a lot of people on throughout the day.

Good luck!

I have to disagree. My cakes have never dried out from being refrigerated overnight wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. I need to let me cakes rest overnight and I don't depend on the refrigerator to "firm" my cakes for fondant. Mine are firm enough but it helps them to settle.

Again I will have to agree with Jenn2179. I personally have industrial large freezers (and use them like dkelly states above) but I bet .... RylanTy does not which is why I support the refrigeration method. As long as, after the crumb coat stage, the cake is properly double wrapped in saran wrap....the cake should be fine. I'll assume you aren't using a past down grandmother's avocado 1970s fridge or your small dorm fridge from your college days (hee hee). I have never had a cake to dry out (either by freezing or in the fridge) regardless of using a simple syrup method or not...and yes I've done both. I never fridge a fondanted cake.
IMHO.
Many people mix their fondant or gumpaste only for decorative elements though which I will assume is why you mentioned that above (figures, flowers, etc., that will not be eaten)...but why is your GP too tough? If you are using the type found at a craft store (Michaels, etc)...take it back and get your money back...that type is unreliable. Satin Ice GP is great. I am relieved to hear that you are using Satin Ice for your fondant.

I love from scratch but ...May I suggest if you are new at cake baking in general check out this large topic it contains a lot of "cake mix extender" recipes. I think that would be a great place to start for you IMO. MacsMom has poured her "Pay it Forward" heart out over that topic (it is fantastic):
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=614554&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0
dont worry about cutting and pasting all 80+ pages. there is a google doc that has been started:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=df4f9hbq_46cs9f28fs

If you will use the Crusting BC as the icing thats fine...no need for anything to go between your fondant and the crumb coat.

Also watch all the youtube videos you can on fondanting a cake. TonEdna has one (she is fantastic and so nice). That way you can see someone in action. Read all the articles you can find on this site on the subject as well. Everyone is different. You will find your groove as to whats best for you.

If your BC icing is going to be used as a filling too...then no need for a dam. Daming helps keep separate types of filling from "bleeding out." You might find using an Icer Tip (with a large pastry bag) to be a big time saver in your efforts when applying your BC. Some people like a spatula method and some like the icer tip.

Let me know if you need any links to articles, youtube videos, etc.
Oh is this cake your doing one tier or multiple tiers?

I am so happy to have found this thread! I am also making my first fondant cake and had a few questions! I think this thread has answered them all

My yellow cake is scratch and it's very sturdy, almost pound cake-ish. I don't use fondant with it but I know sayhellojana does, here's a picture of her work with it:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1326470
Yeah, she's awesome, that is one cool cake

Here's the recipe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYQ-dryteww&feature=channel_page

here is how I do it.

1) I never fridge any of my cakes at any time and do not use perishable fillings or icings
2) u can make my recipe with store shortening; just try to have some trans fat in it

bake very sturdy cake
cool
level and fill with STIFF dam
bag or cover in saran to settle overnight
trim sides straight
BC crumbcaot
flash freeze for about 7 minutes till icing is firm, cake is not frozen
wet bc with paper towel or spritzer
apply fondant

HTH

I'm not going to give you any technical advice. The other cakers on here have been doing this a LOT longer than me! So, here's my non-technical advice!

Allow yourself PLENTY of time.
Relax, put on some good music... the more you relax, the better the fondant acts (I don't know why!)
If you get frustrated (and you probably will, this is normal) stop what you are doing, and spend a couple minutes deep breathing. Seriously.
If you start again and things aren't going your way... WALK AWAY for 10 or 15 minutes (be sure your fondant is well covered though!). When you get back, I promise things will go better.

Come to think of it, fondant is kinda like dealing with a small child! HA!

It will take A LOT of practice to get to know how to work with it, how it feels, what to add when it does this or that, etc. Just don't get too frustrated...learn, learn learn!

check out "chat" type areas like this one:
http://www.pastryscoop.com/onlineChats_chat20.html
(also look at other chats on "pastryscoop" like Elisa Strauss, Colette Peters (I have all their books, etc)
this link is a chat transcript with Ron Ben Israel he uses fridge/freezers then you know you are ok. He is one of my top two fave cake decorator gods of all time. As a treat for looking at this chat....one of his buttercreams that he puts under fondant is at the bottom of the chat. I find the fridge/freezers fine due to one of my favorite buttercream is not a high ratio of PS to wet ingredients (I got a chuckle at what Ron mentioned about not stabilizing his BC with high ratios of PS or something else). I do use fresh fillings, nut pastes, etc. BUT I also use high ratio BC (crusting style) on my 3D cakes which is why I love Mike McCarey:
http://www.mikesamazingcakes.com/

Heres a couple of others that you have seen that use fridges and/or freezers:
Ace of cakes (seen on FN) and Cake Atelier (seen on Amazing Cakes on the We channel) matter of fact the CA's 1990s looking fridge is not commercial.

Are you comfortable with your cake support system to hold all your tiers? Fondant creates heavier cakes.

Buy the Cake Bible - great from scratch recipes are in there - I think its a staple for any Cakers Library.

Now if I could just find time to get my CWCakes website up and running with all my pics.

Thanks Sharon and Sarah. Sharon, I will definitely make a dam even if its just buttercream just to make sure that it wont bulge. And Sarah, thanks. I've actually been stressed out right now since I made 3 different kinds of cake batter and none came out perfect. I was so dissapointed. But hey, theres always next time right.

Have you tried Sylvia Weinstock's classic yellow cake? It's actually a very light yellow, you whip the whites separately and it comes out great and is good and sturdy. It's a butter cake though so you shouldn't refrigerate it or if you do, it needs time to come back to room temp.

As I said earlier, I never refrigerate my cakes because I don't have professional humidity controlled refrigerators like the "big guys" on T.V. When you see them using refrigerators for their cakes, those are specifically made for bakeries, they don't dry the cakes out like home fridges will. Unless you use perishable fillings/icing there is no need to refrigerate.

what happened to your cakes? What recipes did you use?