AI recently made a 2 tiered cake that I covered in Satin Ice fondant mixed with modeling chocolate, as I've found it helps me prevent my fondant from getting overworked. I also added some glycerin after reading it helps prevent tearing. My fondant rolled out & applied very nicely on each tier. I painted the bottom with gel colors & lemon extract for a woodgrain finish & let it dry. When I looked at it later, it had a very long, smooth crack in the middle of it. My top tier was a pillow that also covered beautifully. I needed to reposition the board underneath it, so I flipped it over onto my hand, fixed the board quickly & flipped it back. I've flipped cakes into my hand before without problems. It was fine & then a few smooth cracks appeared. By the time I dropped off the cake, they had spread. :( I was so embarrassed, but thankfully it was for a friend who was still very happy with it.

I don't understand what happened. I've never had this happen & don't want it to happen again. Any ideas on the reason for the cracking? The only thing I'd never done before was add glycerin, but I haven't found anyone else talking about a similar problem with glycerin.

Hi,

There are 3 reasons why FONDANT CRACKS.

1. Dry Fondant
2. Thickly Rolled Fondant
3. The Fondant Was Not Rolled Properly

To fix this problem according to them,
- You must moisten up the fondant by adding more shortening.
- You must roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick only
- Also, when kneading fondant you should knead properly and not under knead. To know that you kneaded it enough, they said to pinch the fondant and see if no crack will appear.
- Tiny cracks can also be remedied through the pressing of the smoother or through the heat of your hands. try putting shortening in your fingers as you smoothen the fondant.
 

Thank you for your response.  I figured out the reason for my problem eventually.  Because of the contouring on the bottom of the pillow, when I flipped it over onto my hand, it bent, thereby cracking the fondant/modeling chocolate, and the cracks spread during transport, I imagine because of the bottom contouring of the pillow. I should have titled it Fondant/modeling chocolate cracking, since it really was a mix.  The other tier was a half sheet, so I think I moved it in a way that cause it to crack, but it was painted a woodgrain pattern, so I think I'm the only one who noticed that one.

Thank you very much for your response!