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So I made this topsy turvy cake this weekend (the link shows the photo of it). The bottom layer was red velvet cake with cream cheese icing, middle layer was carrot cake with cream cheese icing, and the top was german chocolate cake with bittersweet chocolate ganache.
I covered the cake the night before, then the following day I proceeded to do the scrollwork/flourishes on each layer. It seemed as though the cream cheese was literally "moving" under the fondant. Every time I touched it, I could feel it soft under the fondant. Eventually it started sagging, I suppose because the cream cheese was oozing from between the cake layers, and then it started cracking in different places, so I ended up using the ribbon to keep the cake from falling apart.

Questions: Is cream cheese icing ever used with fondant? Should I have used buttercream as the outer coating (since it dries so much better)? Is carrot and red velvet cakes ever used when making a topsy turvy?

I had so much trouble stacking and decorating these, that I was about to quit. Then I decided to make it a rule only to carve with poundcake (but my customers like the fancy flavors).

Any advice that you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, so many on this site that use fondant regularly, say not to use cream cheese under the fondant. there is a decorators cream cheese recipe on this site and on designmeacake.com. that they use. Original cream cheese icing does not have the crisco in it or the hi-ratio shortening. the original taste much better, but the doctored up one is used under fondant. Most use the original recipe for their filling and then the decorators cream cheese under the fondant . Lots use ganache to cover their cakes before applying the fondant. Fondant will not stick to the original cream cheese recipe. hth

icer101 is pretty much correct. fondant is pretty heavy, and when it is at its proper thickness it will drag any soft icing down with it. Use an undericing that is stiff and will help hold the shape (buttercream or ganache), and then use the tasty cream cheese icing as the filling. This ensures that you still have no flavor compromise, but the architecture of the iced cake will be sturdy enough to hold its shape beneath the fondant AND the weight of the cakes stacked on top of it.

I use the crusting cream cheese frosting from this site and use it under fondant all the time without issue. I do however cover cakes after being well chilled and keep them in the fridge after covering in fondant.

I don't use a regular cream cheese frosting I use this crusting cream cheese butter cream and it works like a dream. My customers love it. http://cakecentral.com/recipes/2047/crusting-cream-cheese-icing/

Glad you posted this question. I too have experienced AWFUL things with cream cheese icing under fondant. I've been wondering what was going on and trying to remember if I had done cream cheese under fondant prior to this year. You would think I must have, but perhaps not. I usually make more buttercream cakes than anything. Anyway it seems like cream cheese under sucks in moisture like crazy and makes my cakes sweat. REALLY WEIRD. I always crumb coat the cakes chill them down in fridge place fondant over and then back in fridge but I have definitely learned my lesson with cream cheese under fondant. NO MORE!

Thank you so much for all your responses, and thanks for the crusting cream cheese recipe too. I'm definitely going to be using it in the near future.