How Much Buttercream Under Fondant
Decorating By PoodleDoodle Updated 7 May 2011 , 9:51pm by robinmarie
How much icing do you put on the cake before applying the fondant? And, can you put fondant on a chilled cake?
Thanks so much
I know some people just put a thin coat of BC under fondant, but I put quite a bit only because most people that I know hate fondant, but love the way it looks, and they also love bc, so I want them to have something to enjoy after they peel the fondant off.
I dont think a cold cake would cover well with fondant, and you should do at least a crumb coat on cake before covering it, the b/c needs to be a liitle tacky to help the fondant adhere to cake. I know som people put a generous helping of b/c on before covering it but be careful not to over do it or your fondant could be sliding around and bulging with icing. 
Not good trust me there!
I only put fondant on cakes that have a generous layer of chilled buttercream on them. Putting fondant over chilled buttercream (15 - 60 mins in the fridge) allows you to smooth the fondant as much as you need without the buttercream squishing and squashing everywhere. 
This what you do for your fondant cake.
1. Place a thin layer of buttercream on your cake.
2. Place a real thin layer of piping gel over your buttercream coat.
3. Place fondant and enjoy.
The piping gel will give your cake the moisture it needs for your fondant.
Please enjoy.....
Personally, I put about 1/2 the amount of BC under fondant, just enough to cover the cake and make a smooth surface. I also put the fondant on immediately after smoothing the buttercream.
My experience with chilled cakes and fondant has not been good, so I don't recommend it. It may be where I'm located. There are a lot of weather issues here. Heat and humidity vary dramatically from day to day.
Getting your fondant kneaded until it's very smooth will make a big difference. To save some time and muscle, place the fondant in the microwave and heat it very slowly on a very low setting to get it started. Don't over heat it because it will either begin to crytalize or become like molthen lava in the center. Then you can knead it to the right consistency a lot quicker.
Good luck with your cakes.
Michele
This what you do for your fondant cake.
1. Place a thin layer of buttercream on your cake.
2. Place a real thin layer of over your buttercream coat.
3. Place fondant and enjoy.
The will give your cake the moisture it needs for your fondant.
Please enjoy.....
I say the whole piping gel thing is completely up to you. I find no reason for it. And if you really like BC, put as much as you want, just make stick it in the fridge for a couple of minutes so it doesn't move around underneath the fondant. I've never had a problem with my fondant sticking.
I agree with blaquescarlett. You can use piping gel by itself, or buttercream by itself, but using both seems like overkill. You're just looking for something to give a tacky surface to which the fondant will adhere.
For fondant covered cakes, I use the "spackle" method referenced in Toba Garretts materials (a thin base coat of thinned buttercream mixed with cake crumbs (I recommend not using the hard edges or the browned tops))), getting it reasonably smooth, letting it set up, then a thin coat of buttercream, smoothed. As soon as I finish putting on the buttercream, I roll out the fondant and place it on the cake.
The "spackle" ensures there are no gaps or holes or uneven surfaces. The final coat of buttercream gives a very smooth crumb free surface for the fondant. The smoother you have it underneath, the smoother your fondant will be.
I do a thin coat also. I would love to be able to put more on, but from experience it just squishes out the bottom. Or the top edge of icing will squish down from the weight of the fondant. So only a thin layer for me. I usually just wait for it to crust and smooth it out best I can with the viva.
I made my first marshmallow fondant cake today. Ha! Ha! I first put it on an unchilled cake with a generous amount of buttercream. my fondant bulged and slid and tore apart as I was smoothing it...worse yet, the smoothing process caused the buttercream to squish out the bottom of the cake...it was a total mess! I peeled it all off, scraped the buttercream off the cake and applied just a crumbcoat. This time I chilled the cake in the freezer for 20 minutes, then reapplied the fondant. It was SO MUCH EASIER! The chilled cake did not affect how my fondant smoothed out at all and as the buttercream warmed back to room temp, it made it tacky enough to bond the fondant and buttercream together.
I will def be using the marshmallow fondant again! I will even attempt a more generous amount of buttercream underneath as long as it is sufficiently chilled.
Hope my experience is helpful 
)
Personal opinion, but no matter how good your fondant is, people really don't eat it. They want buttercream so I gove the customer what they want. I do about 1/4 inch on the sides, and 1/4 inch between each layer (my cakes tend to be on the tall side because of all the buttercream). I use SMBC so I always chill, that's how I get super smooth fondant and nice sharp corners. I've never used crusting buttercream, but I can't imagine trying to cover one that was not chilled. If you watch any of the pros on any of the TV shows they always chill to cover.
Jen
I also tried putting the cake in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes. First time my fondont looked great with a good amount of buttercream underneath. Fondont smoothed perfectly.
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