AI have always used just buttercream under my fondant and it works fine, but I am always seeing flawless cakes and I am wondering if its the ganache that's makes the difference. Has anyone switched and seen a difference in the finished product or please let me know why you switched because it is costly compared to buttercream. Thanks. Any info. on the subject will help :-)

I am very much a beginner/amateur, but I think when I make ganache it firms up/crusts better than buttercream (maybe I'm just not putting my buttercream cakes in the fridge for long enough), though it may be a case of tweeking your buttercream recipe to get one that crusts better? I have to make a cake this week covered in white fondant and I'm nervous about using ganache underneath it in case the dark colour shows though. 

Niniel1: use white chocolate ganache under your fondant and there'll be no darkness to show through

So should I just leave buttercream cakes on the side to crust? I just assumed they'd need to go into the fridge. Thanks. 

AThat's what I do....

I'm such a newbie, concepts like "crusting" are only stuff I have come across since joining this forum. I've been proceeding in a mostly "no idea what I am doing" manner, but with a bit of trial and error I'm getting there. 

I switched to ganache a few months ago..love it! :) It gets very hot and humid here, the ganache under fondant holds up very well. I use semi sweet chocolate in my ganache and have never had an issue of the chocolate showing through white fondant. White chocolate has cocoa butter in it, so if you use it for ganache, use a 3:1 ratio of chocolate to cream instead of the 2:1 for dark/semi sweet chocolate.

Here's a link the my favorite ganache tutorial by Insipred By Michalle. It's a 3 part series on how to make ganache, crumb coat with it and get crisp corners with your fondant over it.

HTH

AThank you!

I switched to ganache under my fondant as well and it has made a HUGE difference in my end result.   I get nicer edges on top as opposed to it being rounded off.  Also, my cakes used to "pillow" on the sides.  THe cake would settle more and the fondant would come out on the sides.  It doesn't do that with the ganache and it does hold better in the warmer weather. 

AThanks, that is what I was hoping to hear! So I will hive it a try. How much more is it in cost would you say?

TKCakes, I find it depends what chocolate you are using.  I actually will use ganache (or chocolate frosting in general) to cut the sweetness of the fondant/cake/buttercream combination.  I use ghiradelli's bittersweet chocolate and it is a great combo!  I have found that white chocolate ganache is sweeter though, and in general my customers prefer buttercream under fondant vs white chocolate ganache.

Ganache definitely affects the final product.  You can get sharp edges that stay sharp since the ganache hardens.  Those that use buttercream styles that can be chilled can do that, have hard clean edges and then put fondant on.  I do chill my ABC to put the fondant on, but I've found in the winter all goes smoothly (my house is crazy dry in the winter), but in warmer months I have to put the fondant on and smooth very fast before the fondant starts to get sticky.  Not an issue with ganache that does not have to be chilled to stay hard.  

I use both, but I like better ganache, it just gets smoother and simpler!

Also, when I got orders for fruity cakes (vanilla, strawberry, lemon..) nobody wants chocolate! maybe white chocolate can work better, but the proportion with the cream is 3:1 so it's a lil bit expensive..

AI use white chocolate ganache for icing on my fondant covered cakes. I like white chocolate ganache because if the fondant tears or I acidently scuff it up and have to tear it off the fondant does not have any dark chocolate on it that would affect the coloring when I reroll it.