Hi - Are there any tricks to attaching fondant shapes to the sides of a buttercream frosted cake? Should I wait until the buttercream crusts or should I apply them right away when the icing is still wet? Should I use piping gel or vanilla extract as glue?

And most importantly, will the shapes slide down the side of the cake or will they stay put?

I have only attached fondant shapes to the sides of fondant cakes before - never to a buttercream frosted cake - I am praying it will work, but I need some pointers & tricks!

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Karin

I attach fondant to BC all the time and never have sliding issues. I let my BC rest and then attach fondant using clear piping gel....I use Wilton brand because I can buy it at Walmart and its $3 for a container that will last a while.

Edited to add: only use SMALL amounts of gel, I use a paint brush (sold by wilton food safe). Add just a little, it goes a long way. If you add too much the fondant will slide.

what kind of fondant shapes are you adding? How you add or attach it depends on the size and Thickness of your fondant attachments. If the piece your attaching is flat and thin, a simple clear vanilla, or (clear vodka) small amount brushed on back of the piece and attached will work fine. I do let my frosting set up a bit which helps alot.

If you fondant pieces are 3 d or thick and heavy you may need to use a tooth pick inserted into the piece before it is dry and insert the other end of toothpick into cake.

Sometimes if I just have a thicker flat piece of fondant I will use the vodka to attach. but will inset a toothpick wiped down with the same color of the object to blend in. I insert the toothpick just under the decoration sticking out just flushed with the item your adding. *this gives it a kind of shelf to set on. *and if the object has any corners points that stick out more then others the toothpick can be well hidden. *******MAKE SURE WHEN YOU DELIVER THE CAKE TO INFORM THEM OF THE HIDDEN TOOTH PICKS *****if you use this have fun

Use Royal Icing to attach thin (rolled very thin) shapes. It never fails.

If our bc is still soft, we just attach it right to the cake. (again, as stated before - flat pieces) If it has crusted, we may pipe or put a dab of fresh buttercream on the back of the piece we're attaching and put it on. One time we had the pieces slip because they were too large and heavy, and we tried attaching directly to crusted bc. Fortunately for us, it made the design work.

Melted candy or chocolate. Dries quick too.

Thanks for all of the tips - I am new to making fancy cakes and I love it! I am basically just attaching flat circles but in a Mickey Mouse shape. They will be pretty thin, but they will have a tiny bow attached.

So far, your suggestions are to use either piping gel, clear vanilla extract, clear vodka, royal icing, or another dab of buttercream.

I am thinking of going with either piping gel, or royal icing because they seem stickier than the others.

Has anyone ever tried both of these methods and have an opinion on which works better?

By the way, how far in advance can I make these fondant cutouts without having them crack and dry out? Thanks again for all of your helpful responses!

If you want the shapes to "mold" to the shape of the cake, then make them as you go. However, if you want them setup and hardened, you can make them well in advance and just let them harden. Remember, if you use fondant, heat and humidity will keep them soft, or soften them even after they've dried. Plus it can soften from the moisture in the bc. Gumpaste will stay hard for you.

I have used RI and gel and still love the gel. I guess for me it's easier and ready without me having to make one more thing. I do not love making RI so that probably has something to do with it too LOL. If I am using RI for something else on my cakes then of course I will just use it but the gel is super cheap and seriously a tiny dab works great which means I'm getting a lot for the money....HTH

Can you stick it to the side of the cake if it's swiss meringue buttercream or does it have to be a crusted buttercream?