Hello,

I am making a shoebox cake and was going to freeze the cut out fondant panels for the sides. Question is, how long to freeze and should they be covered in the freezer? I have used this method before and it seemed that my fondant panels buckled and got a bit goopy as they were thawing out. (Maybe I should have put the cake in a cake box while it was thawing to absorb moisture??)

So, I am wondering if I am to freeze them how is the best way to do it? Also, why wouldnt I just leave them out to dry out and get hard instead of freezing them? Is there a downside to drying the panels instead of freezing?

Thanks CCers!!!

There's really no point to freezing them, because once you take them out of the freezer, they start to accumulate moisture, which will cause the fondant to melt, or at least get all goopy, as you said. The only way to avoid this when you freeze them is to wrap them airtight, but you have to leave them totally wrapped until they thaw, so why bother? I would just air dry them for a few days and apply them to the sides of the cake. Better yet, why don't you do this with gumpaste instead of fondant? That will dry a lot faster and better and won't lose its stiffness when you apply it to the cake, so you'll get a more box-like effect.

Thanks Marianna. Only reason I was doing it with fondant is because I want the shoebox to be black. I have black fondant and would add a healthy dose of tylose powder.

Dont have any powdered coloring and getting gumpaste pure black will result in gooey mess with the gel colors... I dont have an airbrush system but could stop off at Michaels and get some of the Wilton spray color. Think that would work?

Exactly what Marianna said. Let them air dry for a couple days, at least 3 (if all fondant) and less is gumpaste/tylose combo with fondant. I just used this method for a wood crate and found this tutorial : http://sugarsweetcakesandtreats.blogspot.com/2010/04/wine-bottle-in-crate-cake.html

good luck

Exactly what Marianna said. Let them air dry for a couple days, at least 3 (if all fondant) and less if gumpaste/tylose combo with fondant. I just used this method for a wood crate and found this tutorial : http://sugarsweetcakesandtreats.blogspot.com/2010/04/wine-bottle-in-crate-cake.html

good luck

he precolored fondants are so saturated with color, you can also add a little gumpaste to your black fondant without it affecting the color. Not sure what brand you're using, but while I love Fondarific, I'd used Satin Ice for this purpose as it will dry firm. I did for the panals on my shoebox cake and my Alamo cake - both times they were ready to use within 24 hours (flipping a few times during drying time). My husband also used the same technique for his bbq grill cake and added gumpaste to the black fondant. It wasn't a 50/50 mix, but still was enough to get it quite firm within 24 hours and not lighten the color.

Thanks for the link. You think the fondant with the tylose should be fine?

Also, I intend to do a quilted patter on the panels, I was glad this link gave the tip to let the fondant dry for 5 minutes before the scoring/marking it.

I have both Satin Ice and Fondx at home in black. I was going to use the Satin Ice because I know it dries hard.

So, you suggest adding in a little gumpaste and tylose to the black Satin Ice?

Thanks. Going to do them tonight as they will only have 48 hours to (or a little less) to dry.

One more question, when measuring them, I assume I should add a little bit (quarter inch??) to either the the sides or front/back panels so that they fit nicely? Imagine the measurements have to be super precise and also accommodate for the final coat of buttercream to which they will adhere?

I will crumbcoat the cake and then take my measurements, but will apply a final coat of BC before sticking the panels on.

We measured after doing the crumb coat. I made them to size (so I thought) for my shoebox and the Alamo, but found they didn't line up perfectly. Hubby took note of that and for his grill, he actually made them just a tad bigger than needed, then once the cake was covered in fondant and ready for the panels, he lined them up (not securing them to cake), made notches, used a metal ruler as a straight edge, and cut them to the exact size needed for each side. He made an extra "just in case" panel and ended up using it after the method he used for his first cut cracked the panel. He then used that panel to figure out the best way to make the cut without causing damage.

Gosh, cs_confections, a husband who does cakes, too! What more could one ask for? I agree with everybody who suggested adding gumpaste and tylose to your black fondant - that should do the trick very nicely. I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out for you. Please post us some pics when you're done, okay?

Hello, just wanted to say thanks again for the good advice. I made the cake and it was a success. I mixed in a tiny bit of gumpaste and a hearty dose of tylose with my black SI fondant. I then measured the crumb coated cake and cut out the fondant panels with those measurements adding about 1/3" on both the front and back panels (cut the two sides exactly as measured).

The panels dried for 48 hours (they were still a little flexible, but stiff enough to work with). What I did that was really helpful was a cut out four strips of black fondant and put them on the four corners of the cake (wrapped around the edge). This really helped because any small gaps between the sides of the panels were largely disguised by the black underneath instead of white BC showing through.

I didnt have to re-cut/re-size the panels once appllied to the cake. I found that with the black fondant underneath and by simply applying or scraping off BC where needed to make it fit, it all worked out. Oh ya, I applied gumpaste/tylose glue to the fondant corners so that the panels fit nice and tighltly.

Here is the pic. Thanks again for all your help! You gals (and guys) are the best.

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2081329

That was a really cool, sophisticated cake, Crissielyn! Good idea about wrapping the corners with black fondant first, too - I'm sure that made your life much easier! I'll definitely try that the next time I make a box cake.

Thanks Marianna. I appreciate it.