I need to do a red velvet cake with a cream cheese frosting filling. However the cake will need to be covered in fondant. Since the cake is due in July the weather will be HOT here in Las Vegas. Therefore, i will be doing a crisco based BC under the fondant. In this situation how think should that layer of BC be? THANKS IN ADVANCE!

you'll get a variety of responses from a crumb coat to a normal thickness of buttercream (as if there wasn't fondant on there)

Personally I ice the cake with the same amount of buttercream I would if it wasn't covered in fondant. I don't have any problems with the fondant or the buttercream.

Just curious though, you mention you're going to use cream cheese icing, and then say you're going to use buttercream icing. It is late, but which will you be using? If using cream cheese, I suggest using the crusting cream cheese icing in the recipe section here, should hold up to the heat a little better.

I was confused about that too!!! I was told that I should put the cream cheese only as a filling because of the heat, and Then I should ice the cake with BC. I do have concerns that this will taste odd. That is why I was wondering if I could get away with only a crumb coat under the fondant.

yah too bad that cream cheese icing is a pain-in-butt because it's soooooo yummy. i've been doing just a crumb coat lately and it has been working fine.