So my SIL wants a certain frog prince cake for a bridal shower she is hosting for her friend. This one:

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1499518

No problem! I'll just need $20 bucks to go get that mat! OK, got my twenty, got my mat. First time I try it out, it doesn't leave an impression. It cuts straight through the fondant! Yay.

Second time, I roll my fondant a little thicker. I roll the mat over it and it leaves a double impression because it shifted. Yay.

Third time, I roll the fondant again, this time I place the fondant ON TOP of the mat. Roll it out, more double impressions. But not as bad. Whatever. It's gonna have a book sitting on top of it anyways. I smooth it over the cake and the design almost fades away so I can get the fondant smooth. Yay.



Anyone want to buy a used impression mat from me? I think I'm gonna be a buttercream only gal. Maybe buttercream with fondant decals.

I have no idea how you would smooth impressed fondant over a round cake without losing and distorting is sooo much. For a square though, you can lay it, pleat it at the corners so you're doing no distortion at all, then cut the corners with scissors and buff out.

Which impression mat are you using?

I have several mats.. I use them with a crusting buttercream. Usually with fondant they work but you can see the impression much better with buttercream. With or without the impression it will still be a super cute cake!

I think it was the graceful vines one. I know, I always saw those and thought "how the heck to you keep the impression if you have to smooth it over the cake?"

I thought about just doing a buttercream because for some reason I thought these things were like a rolling pin that you rolled over the fondant/cake to make the impression. Then I learn it's a mat that you place the fondant on. And the mat is pretty dang heavy. Too heavy to use on buttercream. oh well. live and learn.

I've learned I'm a buttercream gal.

Oh, and I just went downstairs to check on a cake that I have in the oven and guess what? Huge air bubble on the impressioned sheet cake!

Yeah. Buttercream. IMBC. All the way from now on.



(Sure, I say that now and guess what, next week I'll be playing with fondant again!)

Is it a silicon mat?

Try rolling your fondant out on a flat surface, then flipping that over onto the mat. Instead of using a rolling pin to roll back over it, use a fondant smoother. The rolling pin causes it to slide around as you roll, the fondant smoother is just going to press down on it.

Ahhh. Thanks texassugar. I knew you would know what to do!

Sadly, it's already done and my dear sil is getting this cake for close to free. She'll get what I have to give her.

I've seen these Wilton impression mats, and despite TexasSugar's explanation of how to emboss the fondant, I still don't get how you would smooth the embossed fondant onto the cake, without squishing out the embossing?

Ah, I see. I didn't think about using a sponge. Thankyou!

I LOVE MATS,ANY MAT WORKS FOR ME.A TIP ROLL OUT THE FONDANT PUT THE MAT IN TOP OF THE FONDANT AND USE YOUR FONDANT SMOTHER AND CORNSTRARCH TO IMPRINT THE FONDANT.NEVER USE A ROLLING PIN,IT MAKES DOUBLE IMPRETIONS, FLOWERS ON TOP OF FLOWERS.

here is a clip from a woman i know: