I use Indydebi's BC and have for about a year now but althought it "crusts" I find that under the weight of fondant it smooshes and loses shape. I am in desperate need of a BC that will firm up and STAY THAT WAY! I see that sooooo many people use this BC that I have to wonder why it does this for me as I assume it doesnt for others? Debi did I break your BC? ahahah

On Cake Boss, Ace of Cake, Challenge etc they all have 1/2" thick BC under their fondant and it stays put. How on earth is that possible!??!!

I just recently tried a tip here on CC. (Normal layer of icing under fondant) I used Swiss Meringue buttercream/Italian Meringue. It doesnt crust but once u apply it pop it in the fridge ( i left it overnight) . works like a charm, it gets solid and makes applying fondant a breeze. the hello kitty cake I did was SMB and it stayed in place even hours out of the fridge, the cake was cut hours later and it was soft, creamy and didn't smoosh one bit. Can't remember who started the thread but it's here somewhere..

you could also try rolling fondant out thinner. i also let my cakes chill to firm up before applying fondant.

Generally speaking, you don't put as much icing on a cake that has fondant as you do on a regular buttercream cake. The buttercream is really to just glue the fondant to the cake. The flavor is all from the filling.

I hve been putting less icing then I would a buttercream cake. I was just wondering what "real bakers" do On TV they have icing 1/2 inch THICK under fondant and the edges are so crisp. Also, Debi, looking at your BC finished cakes that does not look like the same icing I am using. And there is no way I could get a CRISP edge on a cake with BC under the fondant as I am preparing it now so I wonder what I am doing wrong.

You state NOT to put it in the fridge if I remember correctly. how long do you let it set before fondanting and how do you prep it? (mist with water?)

Not as much icing under fondant? Codswallop! You can put just as much! Roll your fondant thinner and chill your cake before you put it on.

I ice the cake. Roll the fondant. Put the fondant on. So however long it tkes me to roll the fondnat is how long the cake sits.

Yeah, so if you want a really polished "like on tv look", you can go ahead and use much more than a crumb coat (ouch-I'd be pissed if my cake only had a crumb coat under the fondant!), refrigerate your cake until very firm, THEN apply very thin fondant. Like 1/16th of an inch is perfect. Or, you can not refrigerate, but you practially need to be Sugarshack to pull it off.

I have always put a generous layer of BC no matter what kind I use, then chill till firm and cover in thin fondant. If your recipe is room temperature safe then you can leave it out if not in the fridge it stays when not being worked on. The thing to be careful with is when the cake comes to room temperature the BC will soften back up and if you push on the fondant it will distort. Touch it as lightly and as little as possible. I will only stack a cold cake. My results have been great.

It is an English thing to use marzipan and fondant over fruit cakes without any BC to speak of. As an American I feel at liberty to say that we like our various types of BC and would be royally pissed to find nothing under the covers!

Seeing as how most people won't eat fondant, I put a 1/2 thick buttercream on my cakes, under my fondant. I also use SMBC, chill it, and cover. My fondant is rolled out about an 1/8" or less thin. I don't know much about Indy's frosting, except that it's shortening based, so maybe that's a factor, cause my real butter doesn't smoosh once it's room temp.

Thanks all. I have enjoyed the no fridgeness of IDBC because I fear the condensation I read about on here but think it is time to ALSO experiment with a Buttercream that contains BUTTER! hahaha

Oh the fear of the unknown!

Are you using 2 fondant smoothers, coming together at the edges? That helps me to get the sharper corners, but not crisp, I haven't been able to do that unless I use a setting ganache under my fondant.

Ganache is a great option for underneath fondant. It's easy to get ganache smooth with really sharp edges, and once left to set for a few hours it firms up nicely creating a great surface for covering with fondant.

This sounds crazy but where I am from we use jam as the buttercream. Apply thinly and place fondant over it. Simple. Sticks like glue! No need to refrigerate it.
Has anyone ever tried this method?