So, I have a cake due on friday and was asked to make a checkered board for one of the tiers. When can I start cutting the shapes? I have lots of small squares to make so I would like to make them in advance if is possible.
Is it okay to start cutting them tomorrow?
Wouldn't them be too hard?

Thanks alot.

Yoann

If you cut your squares ahead of time you would need to make sure they are 100% "square" or they will not fit together nicely later when they are dry. Do you have "the mat"? If so, perhaps you could cut the squares and place them under that so that they would not dry out. Just an idea.

Are you making a square or round tier?

I would think that if you are doing a square cake you could make the square cut-outs a few days in advance. But, if you are doing a round cake you would need to wait until you decorate the cake because the cut-outs wouldn't bend around the cake without cracking -- but I guess it would also depend on how small the cut-outs are.

Will the squares be eaten? If yes, I'm not sure I would cut them out more than 3 or 4 days in advance. I usually decorate within a few days, so I'm not real sure how the fondant will tastes if it's left out in the air for 6 days. Hopefully someone else will chime in and help you out.

Hope this helps,
Tammy

Fondant will still be soft enough to trim if necessary when made even weeks ahead, especially if you cover them with a silicone mat. Plastic wrap may leave marks on the fondant that will difficult to smooth if it dries too stiff.

Fondant has an amazingly long shelf life.

Thanks everyone for the advices!