Hello!

I recently made a fabulous (lol) Zebra print fondant cake.
I iced it with regular canned frosting.. Not a fan of buttercream.
But when I peeled the fondant off - there was very little icing left on the cake? Should I have put a ton more icing on the cake?

And another question... how long in advance should I put the fondant on the cake, if its for this Saturday? Can I put a fondant cake in the fridge??
Ahh! lol

Danielle

Just a quick question...why do you peel the fondant off? Michelle Foster's fondant is very popular on here-people rave about the taste. I just didn't know if you were peeling it off because you don't like the taste of it...

There should only be a light layer of buttercream under your fondant. I would say that you definitely don't use as much as you would if it were just a buttercream cake.

I can't help you on how far in advance to cover in fondant, but I will say that many people refrigerate with success, while others avoid it like the plague. I think it depends on the area in which you live, humidity can be a pain when it comes to fondant. I know Macsmom lives in CA and she says she refrigerates all her cakes covered in fondant.

Thanks for your reply!
I have never heard of that fondant - maybe its just in the U.S?
I have been using the Wilton one - and It just doesn't taste that great!
A bit like play-doh mixed with cornstarch LOL

I am in Canada - It supposed to feel like 43 degrees tomorrow.. and very hot the rest of the week - so i'll have to chance it and put it in the fridge! :S

I guess Buttercream is the way to go.. the consistency is much better then canned icing?

I use the same amount of butter cream under my fondant as I would for icing a cake. My friends and family don't like fondant so I make sure that they have frosting underneath when they pull off the frosting. I have used numerous recipes and they still don't like it. I use a crusting butter cream under fondant. Of course if your fondant doesn't crust it will stick to the frosting. I frost my cake let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes and then smooth with a paper towel. Then I apply my fondant and smooth. I do refrigerate my cakes and I have never had any problems. I use a whipped cream mousse so I don't leave my cakes out overnight.

That makes sense, to have the icing stiff... the icing I use now is very sticky.... and melts quickly - but sticks nicely to the fondant and tastes amazing! lol I find the buttercream I make has a bit of a bitter taste to it.
Any suggestions to a better butter cream?
The recipe I use calles for crisco - water and icing sugar.

Canned icing *is* buttercream. Just a very chemically-tasting (IMO ), shelf-stable version of it.

If you like the taste of canned icing you can certainly use it. Or you can use any kind of soft frosting, or even a ganache, or thinned jam, under the fondant. Yes, a thicker layer of frosting will allow for more of it to stay on the cake if the fondant is peeled off, but it will make it harder to get your fondant smooth in the first place.

As for the fondant, Wilton is supposedly much better tasting these days, but if you still don't want to eat it there are plenty of alternatives. I'm a fan of homemade marshmallow fondant myself; it's super cheap and tastes good. Others have particular brand preferences or like Michele Foster's (that's not a brand name you can buy, it's a recipe for homemade, which you can find in the recipes section here).

You do NOT need to refrigerate a fondant-covered cake unless you've used a perishable filling that has to be refrigerated. The fondant keeps the cake underneath moist for quite a long time, and the whole thing stays stable much better at room temp with air circulation. If you put it in the fridge you can have problems with condensation. Which, if you do, the main thing is to make sure you take it out of the fridge/freezer well in advance and don't touch anything until it has dried out.

Your zebra cake *is* fabulous.

The age old Wilton recipe for frosting just doesn't cut it anymore Look on CC for a Crusting Buttercream recipe or event Indydebbie's recipe and you are sure to like that frosting.

The canned frosting for a fondant cake is definitely not firm enough to hold up under fondant...sorry. There are better fondants out there than Wilton as well and the Marshmallow Fondant is very easy, yummy, and affordable to make! you should try this one if you are a beginner.

For fondant...traditionally fondant and marzipan is used in the UK and they are very use to using it on their cakes. It is newer in the US and in MHO people are not use to it yet here either. You have to find the right one to use for you though...there are one's out there to purchase that are way better than Wilton like Satin Ice. But, you do not take the fondant off of the cake when serving. You simply ice your cake as you would regular and let that firm up before putting on the fondant. If your guests/friends don't like it then they can put it aside while eating...but don't make more work and mess for yourself.

Good luck!

Hahaha.. my buttercream recipe is very very old!! I am going to have to check out a new one!

I did hear the marshmallow fondant tastes very good... and some use "Fluffy" to make it?

Off to the drawing board! (tomorrow)

Michelle Fosters fondant is a recipe here on CC. It is a popular favorite.

I use 2 pounds of powdered sugar, 1 1/2 cups hi ratio shortening, 1/2 cup salted butter, 2 tablespoons clear vanilla and 1/3 cup water. You can use milk but I usually just use water. Frosting will crust in about ten to fifteen minutes. The salted butter helps cut down the sweetness just a little.

May I also suggest learning to make MMF? If you try the basic recipe and add a tsp or two of flavoring your fondant may become everyone's fav. I combined it this week with indydebi's buttercream recipe and everyone raved!

I use all butter BC which tastes much better IMO than shortening-based BC, but according to more experienced decorators than I, shortening makes the frosting more stable in heat/humidity and easier to work with for piping.

My recipe (going on memory here) is 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter to 2 lbs powdered sugar, plus flavoring and liquid in variable types and amounts. I think it's 2 tsp vanilla and about 1/4 c milk for a simple vanilla BC, but I often use juice instead. I add more PS if the frosting is too soft and more milk or juice if it's too stiff; it's one of those things that just comes with experience. (Do Canadians use American cup measures or English ones? I can never remember. Anyway, 1 American cup of butter is 1/2 pound, in case the clarification is necessary.)

For MMF, yes, you can use Marshmallow Fluff, aka marshmallow creme, to make it instead of marshmallows. I'm not sure I see any big advantage to using the fluff though. It's not as if melting marshmallows is difficult. I'm going to have to try some flavored MMF...one of the things that's next on my list. Cat, do you use extracts or candy oils or what?

I use clear vanilla/lemon/almond extracts to flavor my MMF. I've tried the other brands (at times when I've needed brilliant colors) and no one has really said they like them but they rave over the MMF every time. And, no, marshmallow fluff is expensive and it would take at least two jars to make enough melted marshmallow for the recipe (that's an estimate) so I'd much rather melt the marshmallows myself.

Cat

You might try ganache under your fondant, I've had great success with it. Look on here for recipes and remember that white or milk chocolate is 3:1 chocolate to cream and dark is 2:1. Smooth it on like frosting, pop it in the fridge for a few minutes(like 15) then it's perfect for fondant and give it a great taste.