I seem to be having a problem with bulging cakes lately...I have discovered the wonderful world of mousse and truffle fillings and haven't been using a BC damn as I do with puree or jam or any thinner filling. My cakes are smooth and not bulging when I put them in the fridge after filling and crumb coating....but after I have applied the fondant.........yup....bulges....I know the best thing to do is to just add the BC damn, but I just wanted to see if anyone else has the same problem...Thanks in advance for your input....

Hmm..

I've made it a habit of dam, filling, then stacking, regardless of what I'm putting in the cake. Then, I do the tile on top of the cake method to help it settle for a couple of hours (sometimes overnight, depending on the time you have available) Once the cake has settled I scrape off the excess BC that's bulged out of the torted layers, crumb coat then throw it in the fridge to firm up. Final coat, smooth, cool in the fridge, then lay on the fondant! I don't think omitting the dam is the actual culprit, but the fact that the cakes aren't allowed time to settle is what's causing the bulge problem.

Perhaps you should try letting the cakes settle before putting the fondant on?
HTH and good luck

I dam every filling, even if it's the same buttercream I'm icing the cake with. Like marcx said, it's a habit.

I noticed you said you're putting your cakes in the fridge after filling. The cakes won't "settle" in the fridge. This may be part of your bulging issue - they could be settling as you put the fondant on, thereby causing bulges. If your filling recipes are stable at room temp, you might like to try allowing them to rest out of the fridge for several hours before you apply fondant.

Yes! Settle out of the fridge, because once the BC cools and firms up, it holds up the layers, therefore not allowing the cake to truly settle.

This battle of the bulge is easily won if you invest the proper amount of time in each step!

Thanks ccer's. appreciate the help! Will be damming from now on....