Hi, just to preface, I am new to cake making/decorating and of course am in need of some help. My son wants a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, coconut, and every candy under the sun for his 4th birthday. I stopped at chocolate cake. I will be covering the cake with fondant and using fondant decorations. I will use either chocolate buttercream or dark chocolate buttercream frosting as glue. Could I use a thick layer or will the fondant fall off (I am trying to offset the bad taste of fondant)? I am baking 2 9inch layer chocolate cakes, but don't know what to fill the cake with. Would the chocolate buttercream with fresh strawberries and bananas taste great? How will it hold up if I complete the cake the day before since I won't refridgerate or am I supposed to? How about ganache? I want a great tasting filling that will impress my friends and family yet please my son. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

the cake can be filled with the chocolate buttercream.

for all the other fun stuff -- why not a chocolate fondue -- can dip strawberries, bananas, marshmallows to hearts content and then roll in shredded coconut.

too thick of a layer of buttercream under the fondant will cause problems with smoothing, with sagging, lumping, etc. (think what happens to people as gravity wins as we age! )

what fondant are you using -- please don't say Wilton (ICK!!!) try making your own.
Marshmallow fondant (MMF) http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-3183-5-Rhondas-Ultimate-MMF.html
or
Michele Foster Fondant (MFF) http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-7432-28-Michele-Fosters-Updated-Fondant.html

and there are many who swear never again for buttercream under fondant - it has to be ganache
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-633264-ganache.html

HTH

Thank you so much Doug for the advice and reference materials!

I know it's probably a cardinal sin, but I am using the Wilton's ready to roll fondant. =( I am so new to this and heard it was so much work to knead and color. Both my sons birthdays are on the same day and I promised them each a separate cake. The theme is Mickey Mouse so I am using many different colors. I am baking one cake, covering with fondant and making fondant decorations. The second cake I am purchasing but am making a large fondant covered styrofoam cake topper with smaller fondant decorations. Does the Wiltons fondant really taste that bad?

Can I chime in? I am also a newbie and recently made my first few batches of MMF. I scoured Youtube for good videos and really like this one below. I watched it about 3 times, then played the video while making mine. I love her method of kneading on the counter, it made my MMF take just the right amount of powdered sugar and become the first consistency. I made 4 batches and only one turned out crumbly and unusable. Remember MMF is good for like 2 weeks after you make it, so you could take some time weeks before the parties and make your own MMF, then use it whenever just like you would use Wiltons. I have never tried Wiltons but have read 1,000 times on here that it is nasty. Everyone at worked raved about my MMF (I didnt get to taste it on the cake, was gone when they ate it)
Anyway, no tips on what fillings to use, but I urge you to try and make your MMF, I took time and tried to make it fun instead of stressful and had a great time. Good luck on your cake!

Wilton = major ICK (but then, we all have to start somewhere -- even I started with it. Now, no more!)

tho' -- you can flavor it with extracts which you have to knead in.

trick to kneading...whether adding color or flavor (7 repetitions for flavor)

don't do it like bread. Instead:

step 1: roll out into a long (2 foot or so) log.

step 2: fold log back on itself in thirds

step 3: Twist it up really well; should look like a well braided rope

repeat steps 1 - 3 as many times as needed (for color keep going until even --- can stop after 2 or 3 times for a marbled color effect)

when at desired point -- just fold it up into a ball and roll it out.

this method is MUCH easier on the hands/wrists/arms.


============

one note on Mom2Rebecca's comment:

MMF or MFF, properly stored will keep "way long."
I kept some MMF for almost 6 months in the cabinet.
Can even freeze it. Just be sure to completely thaw before using.

Thanks for the correct info on how long MMF keeps, Doug. I had read a long range, from 2 weeks to "a long time". Good to know!

MMF is really easy to make...and it tastes WAY better than Wilton. It's marshmallowy delicious, whereas Wilton is nuclear wastey tasting.
Two tips I can give you for making MMF:
Be careful when melting the marshmallows. Don't liquefy them. Melt them gradually until the lumps are small, then stir until smooth.
And add the coloring when the marshmallows are melted--less kneading that way.

So I made both cakes for the birthday party last weekend. They were a huge hit. I did end up using the wilton ready to roll fondant, but it wasn't that bad tasting. I did find that the white fondant when colored with the icing color tasted worse than the pre-colored fondant. Perhaps next time I will try making my own. I did have some cracking and folding issues with the fondant and using shortening helped a little. I also had a few issues with the cornstarch confectioners sugar mix showing on the fondant but got rid of most of it with either shortening or a dampened papertowel. I made the mistake of covering and decorating the tiered cake on an elevated plate and when I changed the plate it was uneven and broke the bottom edges that unfortunately I could not fix. =( Live and learn! I did the bottom tier with 3 layers of chocolate, chocolate cake layered with chocolate buttercream and it tasted unbelievably delicious. I have posted a few pics. Thanks to all for the great advice and I look forward to the next cake.