Help Help Help! Fondant Turned Wet And Sticky.
Decorating By tguegirl Updated 4 Jun 2014 , 4:53pm by Dawnhancock
I left my cakes in a room overnight. I come back this morning and the fondant is completely wet and sticky! When I touch it, it leaves a fingerprint. What happened? What do I do? I used mmf. The cakes were in a room with a window open. Humidity is 84% today. I turned on the air conditioner to low to keep them cool. Do I turn on the air conditioner? Turn it off? I already closed the window.
I forgot to add that it is quite cool in there now with the AC running all night. I read that both refrigeration and humidity can turn fondant stick and wet. Was it cool enough to resemble a fridge and therefore I should turn off the AC? Or was it too humid and I should keep it on? Anyone? I'm panicking here.
Maybe try putting a fan on it? I don't know...sorry! I know that sometimes I use a fan to help my fondant pieces dry faster, so maybe that would help? I'm thinking the A/C will add humidity, so I would turn that off.
is it all wet...or is it like dew drops? if they are just covered in fondant and there are no decoration in them.... u might want to use your PS dusting pouch to "buff" them..... I am just guessing/thinking here.... u can try the fan first...it might just be ok with that....
was it MMF? I used MMF in Puerto Rico and because of the heat and the humidity... it was a nightmare.... all sticky and there was nothing I could do to fix it.... I did the dusting with the pouch and it would get dry... but 5 minutes later... it was all wet again....
I used Indydebi's buttercream underneath. It's all wet. I cut some black windows and they have little drops of condensation on it. Scrap pieces of fondant lying around that were completely hard yesterday are now soft, sticky and melty. And yes, it was MMF!
It was quite cool--cooler than 65 in there. I just turned the AC to 65 so that it would stop running.
Anyone? I'm freaking out--this cake is going to be seen by 1500 at a graduation reception.
I DO NOT use marshmallow fondant. Never had good results with it. Do you have time to cover the cake with another type of fondant? If not, I don't know how to help fix this. I didn't have good results any of the times that I've made mmf. It being wet and sticky was one of the problems that I did have with it.
No time to recover. There are a lot of intricate decorations on it, as well as a brick pattern everywhere (it's a huge replica of the law school), so I am wary of dusting with powdered sugar in case it sticks in the crack of the bricks and I can't get it off. For now, I've moved one of the cakes into another room to see if it'll fare any better!
No time to recover. There are a lot of intricate decorations on it, as well as a brick pattern everywhere (it's a huge replica of the law school), so I am wary of dusting with powdered sugar in case it sticks in the crack of the bricks and I can't get it off. For now, I've moved one of the cakes into another room to see if it'll fare any better!
the open window/humidity is the culprit. i would crank the a/c up and hope it all dries off.... then after it is dry.... some cornstarch might get rid of the shine....
maybe a neighbor has a dehumidifier you could borrow??? GOOD luck and let us know how it goes. Im SO sorry to hear your emergency!!! Fingers are crossed for you.
It was the humidity! Humidity is getting worse and worse because it's supposed to storm at 10 pm. Also, I cranked up the AC and it only made things worse and more sticky! I finally figured out that it is because my building has a really old and strange air conditioning system. It doesn't condense air--it blows air off of cold pipes, which means it's basically blowing cold, water-laden air into the room. Between that and the open window, my fondant was destroyed.
I moved things into another room and crossed my fingers, but I just really need it to storm!
I'm also a little worried that the hot and humid conditions will make the cake more likely to mold. It's being served on Sunday--do you think it will be okay?
Thanks for your help, everyone! It turned out fine, although the cake cost me much sleep and shaved years off my life, I'm sure! Here it is. I learned a few things--I had to use a TON of powdered sugar on the fondant. Don't touch the wet, sticky fondant. Try to move it to a less humid room if possible. Knead some tylose into fondant to keep it from melting as quickly as it would otherwise. I had a few heart attacks when the humidity was bad, but the next day was clear and beautiful and the fondant dried right up! Then I finished up the details. The finished cake was a huge success, but I don't think I'll ever take on a project of this caliber by myself again--especially not with mmf!
wow thats amazing! Great job!
As for the fondant, it was definitely the humidity like many mentioned before. I live in a basement apt and it was a nightmare when I was doing the cakes for the wilton class. Horrible! Until I learned to leave the dehumidifier in front of it and then it would be as good as new.
Dalis4joe: I cant even imagine doing fondant in Puerto Rico, I cant even blow dry my hair there
WOW!!! What a great cake! Love all the details. I can see why you had mini heart attachs over this getting sticky. Glad it all worked out in the end.
try putting the cake in the oven with just the light on ( no heat at all) just having the light on will dry out the moisture on the cake....i never put cakes in a room with the window open cool night air has moisture in it and if it rains omg the trouble your gonna have..i try to store my cakes in a cupboard as the are a cool but dry enviroment....keep your room window closed to keep the room dry as fondant is a moisture magnet...glad it turned out....and yes never touch a cake that has moisture on the fondant as your finger prints will remain
awesome cake ..well done,glad it worked out .... I was feeling your fear..lol
I really like mmf coarse I'm new working with it . I'm experimenting a lot . I like making homemade gum paste too. Thanks for this forum I've got a lot of tips...Thanks
I use a fan to help my fondant pieces dry faster, so maybe that would help? I'm thinking the A/C will add humidity, so I would turn that off.
Hi!
I just wanted to say that your cake is amazing and I'm so glad that it all worked out well!! You've done a fantastic job!!
Your cake is amazing! The details are incredible. So glad everything worked out well.
I have learned a lot here today!
Has anyone tried Micheles Marvelos Fondant recipe? I have made it for a wedding cake but havent tried covering the cake yet. It seems like it will be wonderful to work with.
AYou did a beautiful job!! I am in a sort of crisis also. I put my wedding cakes in the frig bc it is red velvet with cream cheese icing. I put on the fondant decorations and now when I take it out of frig, it has condensation. What did you mean when you said use lots of powder sugar? Do I put that on the decals? Wouldn't it make the decals white? I have them in ivory with gold dust on them.
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