I have never covered an entire cake in fondant and was wondering something. I always remember reading that you put a light layer of BC under the fondant for it to adhere to. If you want the fondant to be for looks only can you put a thicker layer of BC like you normally would for a cake covered in BC and still cover in fondant?

I have only just crumb coated and then put on my fondant....I have never put on a think layer of BC....

I have never covered a cake in fondant. I did read in ACD a while back to ice a cake in BC like you normally would and then put a thin layer on fandant over. Like I said I've never tried this. Could you ice the cake, put it in the freezer to set up a little (like 5 min maybe) and then put the fondant on top so then the BC wouldn't smudge and you wouldn't get lumps under the fondant? I would like my fondant to be a thin layer that kind of melts into the BC a little. MMF is nice but most people don't want to chew a serving full of it! I'm going to try my first fondant covered cake this week just for practice (if I can work up the nerve). I have very little idea of what I"m doing. Hopefully you will get more expert advice!

HI everyone when you make the cake let us know I was wondering the same thing, I have a cake to do for a christmas party on the 10th and was wondering the same thing about the buttercream how thick does it go on???????

cakebybek---the BC is supposed to be thin but I've never seen anything about it being thicker, so that if people do want to peel it off they could and still have a good layer of BC under it!?
I hope someone does respond, then we will all know! I'm thinking about a bday cake for my mom, I want the look of fondant but she does not like it! Even Satin Ice. And I don't really care to make MMF.
So hopefully we will figure this out! Thanks guys!

I have been wondering the same thing. Don't really want my cakes to be mostly mmf or regular fondant. I learned in class that you should put the buttercream on thinly, but is that really necessary?

Thanks guys yes maybe someone who has done this can clear this up for us, I sure hope you can put it on thick because nobody really likes that and I would like to have buttercream so it still has frosting.

I have only covered cakes in MMF, but I always put more than a thin layer of BC on first. I put it on as if I were not putting MMF on, just make sure it is very smooth.

A thin layer of BC, just to coat the crumbs, is all that's needed. If it crusts too much, lightly cover the cake with some piping gel and the fondant will stick no problem.

BritBB I realize that a thin coat is all that is needed but I'm wondering about if it would cause problems to make it thicker. If you have someone that you know is going to pick the fondant off, why only have a thin layer of BC, it would be better to have a thicker layer.
My first thought is that the fondant may not lay as flat and smooth, unless your BC was nice and smooth. Just wondered if someone who has actually done this could shed some light for all of us

I put a generous amount on the Double Ring one in my photos, just incase some did not like the fondant. Because if they peeled it off I wanted it to have some icing.

When I did the pink and black cake I did not put very much BC under the fondant and some did not like the fondant. When they peeled the fondant off there was not much icing left so they mostly ate just cake, with filling, which all said was good anyway but with extra BC it would have been even better.

Okay, I don't like to see people pulling my cakes apart to eat them and figured (like some others here have) that it would be good to put a little bit thicker coat of bc icing under the fondant so people weren't eating cake with no icing. Well...in theory it was a great idea...mechanically, not so much. When I tried to smooth the fondant icing kept leaking out the bottom near the cake board and when I tried to add other decorations my fingers were leaving dent marks that I would again have to smooth out . In the end, the cake looked okay but it was very time consuming. I personally stick to just a small amount more icing than a crumb coat and that seems to be the perfect compromise.

just my 2 cents

Mamafrogcakes,

I always put a regular layer of buttercream under my fondant-covered cakes. If you chill your cakes before covering them with fondant, you won't run into the problems that Peachez did.

I cannot stand the taste of fondant so I would never just put a thin coat of BC on my cakes. I peel the fondant off and then eat a normal piece of cake.

Here are pics of my latest fondant-covered, thick-coated buttercream cakes if you'd like to see "proof" : Click

I put a good layer of bc under a fondant wedding cake I did for the same reason, but found it to be a lot harder to work with. I could not get that nice sharp corner look because there was too much under it. Also, it keep oozing out the bottom when I was smoothing it. Over all, I would not use a lot again. Hope this help. Keli

Chilling the icing well is key.

Cake pro - the wedding cake is beautiful! - is the border fondant too?

Oh goodness, no...it's just snow white buttercream.

Thanks,
Sherri

ps...LOVE your avatar!! That is one of my all-time favorite movies!

Wow, Cakepro---and on a heart shaped cake! I think you just convinced me!

LOL, glad to hear it. Even though I use Satin Ice fondant, I am still a buttercream-lovin' girl.

Here's how I do it...I put my iced cakes in the freezer for 20 minutes or so and get my fondant ready (portioned out, kneaded well, etc). I then bring one cake to the table, put the "glue" around the bottom of the cake (I use about a 1" wide band of piping gel, about 1" up from the bottom of the cake...thin, not thick, or it will ooze), roll out the fondant, place it, and then trim & smooth. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with how well the fondant works on hard-chilled buttercream.

Can't wait to see your pictures!

I will second CakePro's comments ...

I've put a not - incredibly - thick - but - not - really - thin - either layer of BC under my fondant after leaving it in the fridge for about 1/2 an hour and it worked beautifully ((in my profile, its the fondant cake circle with the bow and the little flowers w/ leaves as a bottom border)).

So, I figured I'd do the same set up for my finale cake for my class final -- but TOTALLY didn't think of the fact that the cake would sit out for at LEAST an hour during class before we finished it!!! I had BC oozing out everywhere!!

So yes -- a more than thin layer of BC will work under fondant as long as it is chilled Really well!!
J

When I have done fondant covered cake I put my regular thickness of icing on it. My family won't eat fondant, so if they peal it off or eat around it they still have icing on their cake.

I compromised by putting a thick layer of buttercream for the filling, then just a thin layer for the crumb coat. It seemed to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth.

I always put a "regular" layer of buttercream on the cake before I place the MMF on. I agree chilling is the secret.

When I've put more than a thin layer of buttercream under fondant, I've had the same experiences as Peachez and Keliames Since consensus seems to be that fondant should not refrigerated after being put on a cake, I'd be worreid about results like finally928 got. I can just imagine having a beautiful wedding display with fabulous white smooth fondant perfectly presented--- with chocolate icing oozing out everywhere around the cakeboards after an hour at room temperature. LOL. I'll put in another plug for Pettinice. Almost no one peels fondant off my cakes!

If your cake stayed chilled while you were working with the fondant, the buttercream wouldn't ooze out from underneath it when it came to room temp. would it? I would think that it would stay in place as long as it wasn't being worked on.

I seem to always be in the grip of Murphy's law--Anything that could go wrong, WILL go wrong..... Other people's mileage may vary.... LOL

I don't put the normal amount of buttercream on the cake before covering it with fondant, but I don't put an extremely thin layer either.. I guess you could say it's a medium layer... I fill and ice my cakes the night before I decorate.. When I put the fondant on the cake, it's nice and firm and I've never had a problem with the icing oozing out from under the fondant.

how bout this.... make the top of the cake regular icing and the sides thin that way everyone is happy and so is the decorator. just a thought.

*sigh*..my posting ID says it all....maybe I am not as clever as the rest of you are..but I make sure my BC has sat overnight...put the fondant on...and the minute I start smoothing...the "ripples" start in...

I've tried everything...I cut down on the amount of filling used..to try and reduce the "bulge" between the layers.

I guess I should just bag trying to use the fondant..I am driving myself nuts trying to get it right.