I'm making my first fondant covered tiered cake for this weekend. I made my Michele Foster's Fondant tonight which came out GREAT! What I need to know is after I make my cakes, fill them and crumb coat it should I let the icing get hard before applying the fondant? I can't freeze it because I don't have space.

After I apply the fondant to each tier should I then put it back in the fridge before stacking? If I don't put it in the fridge before stacking will the fondant move around or even bulk up on each tier?

I really have no idea. I'm new to all this so i'm learning but need to know the best technique possible without having to freeze anything. Also being that the baby shower is Sat should I wait to Friday to stack because I don't even really have a ton of fridge space. Just trying to figure out how I should do this. Thanks In Advance.

Also do I dowel my cakes before I cover with fondant? Once the cakes are covered do they have to go back in the fridge or can they sit out without the fondant getting to hard or the cake going stale?

Basically what is the step by step instructions on making a fondant tiered cake? My cake will only be 3 tiers. I should've just said that but last night it was so late I wasn't thinking straight.

Your best bet is to look through the articles tab and search this site for your specific questions. There is tons of helpful info on this site and your will get way more detail by reading through articles and other forum posts than you will get from a summary response. Be prepared to leave yourself WAY more time than you think it will take, your first cake will be a huge learning experience. Just remember to relax and have fun, you can read all about how to do it, after that, it takes practice, practice, practice. HTH.

Here is what I do......ice your cake with BC, put it in fridge for 20 minutes. In the meantime....tint and roll out your fondant. Remove cake from fridge and cover with fondant....return cake to fridge for 20 minutes. Stacking....insert support structure (dowels, etc.) into cake and cut off flush with top of cakes. Stack cakes and decorate.

HTH!!

Okay, let me help you out. These are all things I had to learn on my own, and I will save you some time and headaches. Use a crusting buttercream, I use the viva recipe from this site, then you don't really have to freeze them or get them cold before covering. I use just little dabs of water around the bottom 2" of the sides so that the fondant will stick. Do this after the crumb coat has crusted. Then cover the cakes in fondant. Then do the dowl rods. That way it will be even with the height of the cake with the fondant on it. Next stack, you can use buttercream between tiers or if you have piping gel, that stuff is awesome glue. Don't put in the fridge or freezer once it has fondant on it. It will ruin the cake, no need to keep it cool, just room temp. The only time I would put it in the fridge is if you had a comercial grade one, otherwise you will be dealing with sweating, sagging fondant, which I am guessing you don't have one since you said you don't have room. You can check out my pics to see example of how mine has turned out using this method. I hope that helps you, post a pic when you are done. Thanks,
Sarah

After filling and crumb coating let the tiers settle for several hours before applying the fondant to prevent blow outs.

When cutting the supports if you cut them even with the cake and the cake isn't completely level you are asking for trouble. Cut one support the length of the tallest spot on the tier then cut remaining suppports the same length. You do not need BC or "glue" between the tiers. When done stacking run a sharpened dowel down through the center of all tiers and into the bottom cake board.

See now your talking my language..lol. I would've soooo jacked that cake up because I was going to put the dowels in before putting the fondant on. So good I don't have to put the cake in the fridge after I put the fondant on it and stack it. Good because I have no room for it anyway. So it will be good to sit out overnight till the shower the next day?

putting the cake in the fridge with fondant on it does not ruin the cake. We do this at our bakery for every cake we do! It does not ruin it! You also do not need to "wet" the buttercream with anything to get the fondant to stick to your buttercream. Simply use your hand to rub the fondant on the cake and it will adhere.

The only way to find what works best for you is to try all the methods and stick with the one that works best in your environment.

If you use a crusting buttercream that feels dry to the touch, you may need to just mist lightly with water before applying the fondant, I like to keep a spray bottle handy for this purpose. Also, I know you prefer not to refridgerate this time, but if you ever need to (i.e. perishable fillings), Michelle Foster's fondant is just fine in the fridge - just make sure you don't cover it and have nothing in your fridge with strong odors.

I said that if you had a comercial grade fridge it would not ruin the cake, but if you are using your 20 year old home fridge it is probably not the best idea. It would be nice if people would not be so rude on these forums. Of course if you work at a bakery it would not ruin the cake, hence when I said "commercial grade." I guess I will just keep my help to myself. When I first joined CC people were not like this. It's too bad. And no, you do not need to put it in the fridge if it doesn't fit. On the counter is fine. Good Luck.

Sarah

champagne, when you tell someone NOT to do something that so many of us successfully manage all the time, swear by, and usually do without fail...it's gonna be met with resistance. No biggie. I have done the same....lately, when it came to wax paper linings.