I have just made the two ugliest cakes - ever - in preparation for my final Course III class tonight.

I rolled out the fondant (Wilton brand), like we learned in class, so that it was thin, but not too thin (you could just see the lines on the dividing mat, but you couldn't read any words).

As I put the fondant on the cake, it began to tear. It tore in little spots and in big ones. It just ripped all over the place! Then, my filling started coming through the tears.

I don't know what I did wrong - I only covered one other cake in fondant, and that was in class two weeks ago. That was a square cake, and it wasn't nearly as disasterous as this (I just had a few problems on the bottom, near the corners).

I'm so disappointed and disillusioned.

Can you fail a Wilton course??

Any thoughts on what I might have done wrong - or what I can do to avoid this - would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Lori

Put the fondant down and step away from the kitchen for a while. I was so frustrated this last weekend, it was the first cake I was making for an event (as in, it was expected that I would bring the cake) and the fondant almost had me in tears. I took about an hour break from looking at it, came back and miraculously the fondant was much easier to work with. I know this is probably NOT a good idea, but I kneaded my messy fondant back together with as much frosting scraped off as I could (won't work if you are covering with white). I noticed the problem spots and knew why the top tier of my cake was "bulging", but no one else did thank goodness! Do the best you can and think of it as a learning experience. I have no idea if you can fail a course, but my guess is no.

I know it is a Wilton class and I understand they want to promote and sell their own products. But the quality, smell and taste of their fondant is so poor I think it would discourage a student from ever wanting to work with fondant cakes again, ever. Even your post title says it "Fondant is not my friend" but it really can be. Buy a smallish amount (2 lbs) of Satin Ice, or even Pettinice, my favorite is Fondx but I don't think it comes in small quantities. try it and see what a difference it makes it kneading, rolling and enrobing the cake.

Thank you all for your encouragement.

I never thought to peel this disasterous fondant off the cake and start again. Duh!

Is Satin Ice "moister" (I don't know how else to put it) than the Wilton? I just opened that bag of Wilton Fondant, and it felt dry (not crumbly) and difficult to stretch. I intend to start using that, from now on. I've heard really good things about it (and I even got a small taste of it - not bad).

I really want to be able to work with fondant - I see so many beautiful cakes on CC that are done in fondant and I would love to be able to do that some day, too.

I never roll my fondant thin enough to see the lines of my mat below it. I always go about 1/4 ince thick, which might seem thick, but after the stretching that happens while putting it on the cake, it works out nicely.

I agree with ShirleyW in using Pettinice or Satin Ice. I can't stand Wilton fondant. It is awful. If you must use it, try kneading in some glycerin to get to be more pliable. You can even knead in some flavoring to help with the taste of it. Warm it VERY slightly in the microwave before kneading. This will save you some time and effort.

Good luck. I hated fondant at first too. I now make my own and I love using it. I even taught my son how to use fondant when he was 5. Don't tell anyone, he's almost 14 now and would die if he thought anyone else knew.

Michele

Sugarflowers: How long do you put it in the microwave?

you can absolutely not fail a wilton course. my course I had someone whos cake concaved in instead of out (like it completely collapsed int he middle) and then her frosting wasnt even edible looking. The instictor told her she may want to take the course again but she still got a certificate of completion.

I'm a Wilton instructor and NO you cannot fail the course! For covering a cake, you should not be able to see the lines on your mat. That is better for decorations, but you definately want it thicker to put on your cake. I tell my students between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick, but it's easier to start towards the 1/4 inch end because you'll have a little more give.

I recently had a student that used Satin Ice and the taste was to die for. It was in my opinion harder to work with. Wilton fondant is a good starting point for learning how to work with fondant, but definately try the mmf. Once you know what it should feel like, mmf is great to work with and I think a little more forgiving.

Thanks to everyone for their support and advice about fondant.

After reading your posts, I did get out of the kitchen and took a breath. I went back, took off the disasterous fondant, and started again. This time I nuked the fondant (thanks for that tip, Michele). I rolled it thicker, too - 1/4". It went on so much better.

When I got to cake class tonight, my instructor said (without prompting), "Great fondant work." I laughed! I told her my story about the first try, and all the support and feedback I got from CC.

I did get my certificate for completing course III! I'm starting the Wilton Fondant and Gumpaste course next week. Hopefully, I'll get better with more practice.

Thank you, again, for your support and knowledge. CC is really a great resource!


Lori

I think FondX is the nicest to work with (easiest to knead) and it tastes rather like homemade MMF in my opinion.... I prefer it to Pettinice.

And I agree...I have learned to roll the fondant out a little thicker to cover the cake...that way it is not tearing while you smooth it down, and it has a little bit more "give" to it. I used to roll mine out too thin, too, and it would always rip in places.

If you read like the books by Debbie Brown and look how thick her fondant is...wow! She rolls hers really thick but it gets a nice smooth finish.