This is my first wedding cake covered in fondant. it is 4 tiers. the edge of only one of the layers is cracking on the top edge, several places, hairline fractures. probably cause I saw bulges wehre the filling is and tried to smooth it.

Do i try and rub some crisco in and mend them or just leave well enough alone. again, only one layer, small cracks but it miffs me they are there.

can't attach pictures... stupid adobe reader in fits. so am i.

You can rub a little crisco in. But be aware that at this late in the game, those spots will be a little shiny until the crisco has a chance to fully absorb. another option is to just pipe or place a decoration over the cracks. The will help to hold the cracks together and help prevent them from getting worse.

there is no decoration... just fondant, ribbon around the bases and a hydrangea on top. very clean and simple. I am sweating bullets, don't think there is enough time for the crisco to absorb?

You can fill the cracks with a bit of royal icing and then rub away the excess with the palm of your hand. If there is any shine, rub the spot with a bit of PS on your finger tip.
If the crisco works, (try it on the back) You can also use the Ps on your finger to get rid of the shine.

here are pics... sorry they are dark, had to do it that way for you to see cracks

dsilvest... can i just fill cracks with PS? not sure royal is a good idea... very humid and storming here

Try it in one spot. Sometimes it is a quick fix.

Hi,
Im no pro, but it looks to me like the layers on top are crushing it.....What supports are you using?

it is filled with bubble straws.. not crushing... it's cause i monkey'd with it trying to smooth the bulges on the sides. My husband always tells me to leave well enough alone but i am a perfectionist.

POWDERED SUGAR WORKED!

I sprinkled the smallest amounts over cracks and rubbed it in with my fingers... TA DA!

Thanks you guys!

Take some PS with you when you deliver and set up in case the cracks open a bit during the trip.

THANK YOU DIANE! It's already on my list.

for future reference... why can i see the layers thru my fondant? i just ordered straight sided pans, is it because i used the stupid wilton pans that aren't completely straight???

ps...they weren't this way yesterday... settled over night

posting 2pics, yesterday and this morning. the one with all 4 layers was yesterday. ggrrrrrhhh.

It does look like your cake settled so next time give them more time to do so before covering them with the fondant...not much you can do this time and believe me, you are harder on yourself than anyone at the wedding will be..they won't even notice! So it looks like the filling is buldging out...and yes, the wilton pans could play a part in that as well. This whole process is live and learn I'm afraid. I'm sure the cake, once but all together and decorated with the ribbon/flowers will be lovely..bet they love it!

Cat

ps. SO glad the PS worked...I'm going to add that to my tool box!

Another idea you might want to try is putting ganache under the fondant. It dries much more firmly than does the buttercream, so it offers more support against the bulging.

Alrighty then.

The gravel road to the country church kicked the fondant's as*. Thank goodness I brought a baggy of powdered sugar! In the end it all worked out. I filled cracks and the bride was happy.

Cake looks great. Glad it all worked out.

that cake is simply beautiful!

it does sound like you were too hard on yourself. What I do for a fondant cake is kind of like stages. After making a thick dam of frosting for the filling, or even the frosting being thicker in the middle, then I let them sit over night before even covering them with fondant. This lets the the cake and the frosting settle together and become a little more stable...this is what one of the posters said. You'll be a pro in no time!

that was going to be my next post! what the order of it all was!

The cake turned out very pretty. I hope those are silk flowers. Hydrangeas are poisonous...

Sugarshack's fondant DVD was very helpful for me when I made my first stacked fondant covered cake. The icing dam she uses is very thick, and she recommends trimming each tier before icing. I'm a trim-the-cake-sides convert, it really helps!

Your cake is very pretty, BTW.

trim?

KakesbyKitty. Yes I say "trim" as well. I have Linda McLures DVD From Start to Finish. She shows how to trim and makes it look so easy. I'm afraid I dont have much luck. With my pans I seem to get sides that come in at the top after cooled so they have to be trimmed. I have a terrible job to trim down the sides. How do you all do it. I am no good freehand and have tried to use matching boards on the top and bottom a bit smaller than the cake and place a skewer throught the middle and end up with the leaning Tower of Pisa. Anyone know why the cakes shrink in, taken out of tin too early or not early enough. Happens on Chocolate and flavour cakes. Fruit fine. My pans are sturdy and 4" in depth and usually don't do layers only if cake is large. Cake looked good by the way

Ganache under the fondant? What is a good recipe for this?

If they shrink a lot, you might be overbaking the cake a smidge.

I put the nices layer on top of my cake, always the bottom side up, so it's nice and flat. After filling and crumbcoating only at the area where the layers meet, let the cake settle. I use a very sharp fillet knife, pointing straight down, to trim the bulge off the cake. The cake is on a turntable, so I trim as I slowly spin the table.

would you believe that when i do my cakes i actually use a level to be sure they are level across the top? but it doesn't help when they settle over night. from now on I am letting them sit a night before doing fondant.