Hi im fairly new to decorating and no matter how thick, thin or inbetween i roll my fondant it seems to crack at the sides when i lift it onto the cake. This is really affecting my work and my confidence. What am i doing wrong? Please help

Sometimes it depends on which brand of fondant you're using. I've switched to the homemade marshmallow fondant (MacsMom recipe on this site) and found that it works wonderfully.

Are you kneading a little shortening into the fondant? The way to tell if you've put enough in is after you've thoroughly kneaded it and the fondant is fairly pliable; take the ball and using your two thumbs, gently stretch it apart. The appearance should be relatively smooth without cracking or holes. Once you have achieved this then you can roll it out. Try not to use too much icing sugar when you roll it out as this dries the fondant out.

I've found that using a large silpat to roll out my fondant helps; don't need to use icing sugar on it; only a little dusting on the rolling pin.

If you use MMF is possible that your fondant is too dry. Try to use less icing sugar when you knead the fondant. Also be careful when adding the colours, too much can change the consistency of your fondant. I learnt that the hard way. It is better to buy already coloured fondant. If it is too dry you can add a little bit of shortening.

Definitely check the brand you're using - I used one brand for a while and then (mainly because of cost) started making my own using Michele Foster's recipe (on this site), which always seem to come out perfectly smooth.

If you are using regular fondant, you can try kneading in a little glycerin - just a very small amount. (you can always add more, but you can't remove it!). That seems to help my fondant stay smooth...

Thank you all for your help. I have been using the satin ice fondant which tastes great but is really soft. I have a mat so i havent been using cornflour, icing sugar or shortening, but maybe i need to play around with the thickness of it, and try to lift it off the rolling pin or drop it off the mat?

I have just switched to Satin Ice cos its suppose to be so fabulous.. It colours really well and tastes great but it is very weak as far as moulding etc and always cracks!!!

I have learned with SI that if I roll it slightly thicker, it doesn't tear/rip. And - I swear by it - if you are having problems, add some glycerin, it really helps a LOT.

And I agree - I think SI tastes awesome, but after having so many problems with cracking and elephant skin, I just gave up and switched to making my own.