Hey!
Just wondering if someone could tell me how long SMBC under fondant can last? I have a friend who wants me to make them a cake but she lives 3.5hours away from me. This isn't a problem though as I have someone going up that way that can drop it off. However I need to have the cake finished Thursday night so it can be picked up Friday afternoon to take to her but she want be using it til Sunday. Will it be ok for that long? I know the actually cake will still be fine as this recipe stays soooo fresh for a week. It's just the SMBC I'm worried about. 
What part of it are you worried about? Is it warm where you are and you are afraid of it melting?
Hello! You need to be sure that it is kept refrigerated as it is perishable. It stays as hard as butter when cold, so there is no risk of it soaking into your cake or deflating, if you are concerned about those things. On the day of the wedding, they will need to have it out to come to room temp as it is tastiest served that way. I've been told not longer than 5 hours out - though I have had it out longer at a family event and it was just fine.
Good luck with this!
Hello! You need to be sure that it is kept refrigerated as it is perishable. It stays as hard as butter when cold, so there is no risk of it soaking into your cake or deflating, if you are concerned about those things. On the day of the wedding, they will need to have it out to come to room temp as it is tastiest served that way. I've been told not longer than 5 hours out - though I have had it out longer at a family event and it was just fine.
Good luck with this!
I'm going to assume this is a bacteria/getting people sick concern...
Sorry, I don't agree with refrigerating it part - SMBC is all I make, and it is as safe to leave out as American buttercream (which contains milk or cream and butter, yet nobody even thinks twice about leaving it out!). I have eaten a fondant covered SMBC cake 7 days after I made it and it was fine. Now, would I make a wedding cake 7 days in advance? No. I refrigerate a few hours before transport just so it transports easier, but not for any fear of spolage or anything.
I tell all my clients that my cakes taste best within 24 hours of them getting it from me, but that's because the cake dries out. Not a concern about the SMBC. I also tell them not to refrigerate it if it is going to be eaten in that 24 hour time period.
Now weather to refrigerate the fondant? That's another question. 
FYI: "Sugar, an organic compound in the form of carbohydrate, has been used as a natural food preservative in many of the food items. Sugar sweetens the food product and inhibits the growth of microorganisms through the phenomenon of osmosis. Foods can be stored either in sugar syrup or in crystallized form, where the food to be stored is cooked in sugar till the point of crystallization. Sugar acts by drawing out water from the bacteria and other microorganisms, which either kills the bacteria or inhibits their growth."
This is why American, Swiss, Italian, and French buttercreams, as well as Royal Icing are all perfectly safe.
Good luck! 
Yes. That is my concern. People getting sick.
I have made SMBC many times. In fact it is all I use under my fondant cakes. It's just that I normally name them the day before there due. Not 3-4 days before it's going to be eaten. It's not a wedding cake. Just a birthday cake for my friends daughter. I thought that it would be safe as I have read that SMBC can stay at room temp for up to 2 weeks and still be ok. Not sure I would be leaving it that long but that's what I read.
It is quite warm here at the moment however I have told her that it would need to be place in a cool spot & she has air conditioning anyway.
I never put my fondant cakes in the fridge. Have always left them out. I guess I was just questioning myself & wanted to make sure I was right
icer 101, that is interesting. Usually the yolks in any recipe add richness. Because I started with whole eggs, I have never used the IMBC. Plus, I am one of those who never uses my extra yolks/whites later. I have good intentions, but it never happens. Do you use eggs or the whites in the cartons... and does it make a difference? I also have never priced whites. Are they more expensive than just using eggs?
It is perishable, just not in hours, more like days. Some health depts are not going to know the answer. The dept of ag or the state level health inspector may be a better help. They could direct you to the right place. Remember, the health dept employees are not scientists, and may give an incorrect answer to such a specific question. My dad manufactured gourmet horse feed for athletic horses. He had to get scientific nutritional information from Va Tech Vet School equine nutrition experts. Their help was free. I will assume that if you really want to know the answer, you would need a university that has a nutrition dept that specializes in dairy and eggs.
I will check again with my health inspector, but I have been told that SMBC is perishable. I think there are some conflicting ideas out there; I'd like to know the science behind it to understand for sure.
Of course check with your local laws as to food handling and safety regulations and let us know what they say... but I suspect they are not going to be able to tell you specifically about SMBC. I think there is also a difference at how you store a food prior to sale and how the food can be treated after it leaves your hands. I just know from lots of experience that SMBC if left unrefreigerated does not spoil like milk or meat, which are clearly defined as perishable.
There is tons of science out there, and lots of threads here on CC discussing it. I just keep in mind the only country that regularly eats American buttercream is... America. The rest of the world isn't getting sick from eating the same buttercreams and icings they have been making since literally the 16th century!
Daily I ponder... American buttercream contains just as much butter as the European ones, and it is frequently also made with milk. I can't help but to wonder why nobody ever worries about getting sick from it in the same way people worry about SMBC? I am genuinely curious.
And way too wordy for this late at night - I'm off to bed peeps! 
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