I have a question about how to apply fondant. It has been a few years since I took my Wilton courses and we didn't really do much with fondant anyway. I just recently have gotten interested in working with the mmf. My question is this... How do you put the fondant on a round cake without a major seam when you are done? My instructor told us to slit the fondant and smooth it together, but when I tried that this weekend on a practice cake I got a huge seam that I couldn't smooth out. Any help would be appreciated.
im not sure why you would slit the fondant and then try to smooth it together. am i reading that right? i always roll out a circle that is just larger than i will need. (4 inchs + diameter of cake +4 inches, to account for the height of the sides) i drape it around my rolling pin and lay it over the cake all in one piece. just smooth it up and down instead of side to side, and cut off the excess. make sense? i know theres a good video, i'll try to find it...
here is the tutorial video:
http://www.atecousa.net/learn/index.shtml
click on satin ice tutorial 1, icing your cake
Audraj: That is kind of what I thought too, but just starting out how do you know? I have no idea how to do flowers. My buttercream roses are TERRIBLE because she skimmed over that part as well. Drop flowers aren't bad because they are really easy, but I don't know how to make anything else. There were several people in my class so maybe she just didn't have enough time.
I'm sorry you are not getting the kind of instruction that is helpful or useful (or right).
Unfortunately, not a lot of training is given to Wilton instructors. There are a lot of good instructors out there, but there also seem to be a bunch who have no idea what they are doing and just because they finished a Wilton class, they figure they can teach.
Make use of the knowledge of the wonderful members of this board. Buy books and videos and sometimes there are online tutorials. You'll learn more than you think you could this way.
And if you're not happy with your instructor, get a refund and take a class somewhere else.
Unfortunately I took my classes a few years ago and didn't know any better at the time. I had never decorated a cake before these classes and really never thought of doing it as more than a hobby, but now that I am really getting into it and getting better at it by the day I would like to open a business. I am on cc everyday trying to learn new things and so far it has been a huge help. I would like to take some other classes, but I live in an area where there isn't much offered. Other than the Wilton classes at the local Hobby Lobby I haven't been able to find anything.
shipley:
Just a note about what size to make your fondant to add to beccakelly's tips:
diameter of the cake + height of the cake (X2) + a tad extra (maybe an inch) tops.
Sometimes the height of the cake won't be 4". Didn't want to contradict any one but just didn't want you to think you measured a standard 4" every time for the height of the cake.
And I too have never heard of the "slit" when applying fondant. Bit strange.
shipleyc,
Why don't you try the Wilton course 1 again. Maybe the instructor is better qualified and more knowledgeable in the rose area. Or maybe the new fondant/gumpaste class. You will learn how to cover your cake with fondant in the first lesson.
I hadn't thought about taking it over again. I may do that if they have a different instructor. I don't think the fondat/gumpaste class has been offered here yet. I will have to start keeping an eye out for them. I would love to take that class. There is a shop in Dallas that I send my husband to when he is there on business that offers great classes, but alas that is in Dallas and I am in Arkansas.
Out of curiosity, what shop in Dallas is it? I live north of Dallas and would love to check it out.
Also, check into a different Wilton Instructor. I drive 20 minutes away because I love the instructor! It is so worth it. If you go back to the same store, let them know that the other instructor was not any good. They really need to know!
Best of luck!
It is the Cake Carosel. I love that store. My husband goes to Dallas a few times a month and I always send him when he goes. They are the only place that I can get the over sized 1/4 sheet boards and boxes. I would love to take some of their classes, but they are all spread out over several weeks. If they did a class that was a few days I could catch a ride on my hubby's plane and check it out.
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