Every time I try covering a cake with fondant I end up with tons of wrinkles around the bottom of the cake and I have to hide the mistakes with large borders. I've tried everything...from cutting the cake board to the exact size of the cake and elevating the cake on a can...to using flat surface...and rolling the fondant much much larger than the cake....other people make it look so easy, like you can just drape the fondant over the cake and it will just fall into place. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. Can anyone help me, please? Tips anyone?

What kind of fondant are you using? And are you using cornstarch or crisco to roll it out?

I elevate my cakes and let the fondant hang past, it works perfectly for me...but once or twice I've had a sticky batch of fondant that was determined to wrinkle no matter what I did to it. That's why I'm wondering if maybe there's something about the consistency of your fondant that's causing you problems.

Start smoothing around the top edge, then work your way down an inch and smooth all the way around and then another inch. Lift the fondant out away from the cake in the areas where it is starting to gather as you smooth that area.

Well I've tried Wilton fondant and I've tried modeling chocolate. And I've been using corn starch to roll it..which leaves white powder all over that I have to wipe off...which is another problem I've had

your fondant should be pliable enough to gently pull the edge of the fondant away from the cake while smoothing it to the cake with you hand. I roll out more than I need but then trim it before I smooth it to the cake so that there is not too much excess. I hope this makes sense. The P/S or cornstarch residue....I wipe down with a paper towel then use a small piece of kneaded fondant and gently rub over the cake and that generally takes it off.

Sharon Zambito has a good fondant dvd.

http://www.sugaredproductions.com/_product_85116/Flawless_Fondant_DVD

She's on this board too.

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-forum-userprofile-137.html

Modeling chocolate can be hard to use to cover the cake with. Try the satin ice website. There are several tutorials there and just practice, practice, practice.

As for the cornstarch - I use a large paint brush with a blush brush type head and dust the whole cake off. I then airbrush the cake with vodka, sometimes vodka and pearl, just depends on the cake.

The Wilton fondant is supposed to be pretty easy to work with. I don't think I could cover a cake with modeling chocolate.

This is what I do, in case it helps you at all:

Put cake on board cut to fit exactly, crumb coat with buttercream, refrigerate until firm

Set cake on something smaller than the board. Roll fondant to about the diameter of the cake plus eight inches. Rub hands over fondant to take off excess PS.

Drop fondant over cake, open out any folds that form around the bottom. Cut off excess fondant with kitchen shears, then start smoothing from the top down. Once it's as smooth as it's going to get, trim fondant just below board, all the way around.

I've seen this guy (I don't remember his name right now) on the challenges at Food Network. The few videos of him that I've seen talk about "not using cornstarch to roll out fondant, but powdered sugar." He is always talking about a chemical reaction...

Can you people with experience shed some light on the subject?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2qX5vDDomE&NR=1

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for the great tips. I just covered my first successful fondant covered cake!! Yay!! Ya'll are awesome! Thanks so much!

Thank you, Texas_Rose for the explanation about cornstarch and marzipan.

mrsboyte, YAY!! Congratulations!