My Fondant Cake Puffed Up After Refrigeration!?!?
Decorating By rhesp1212 Updated 6 May 2007 , 5:02am by sugarshack
Ok, I don't know what happened here! I made a beautiful 2 tiered blue fondant with white roses cake. Stuck it in the refrigerator for a couple days. When I took it out, as it warmed up to room temp, the top layer puffed up with like a huge air bubble and was bulging off the cake!! I had to pop it with a toothpick because it was stretching and starting to crack. Of course, then it was stretched out and lumpy instead of being nice and smooth like it was initially. Before I put it in the fridge, it was dry and everything was smoothed out completely (no air bubbles).
Anyone else ever have this happen to them?? How can I prevent that from happening again??
This was just a practice cake, but I would like to know how to prevent that from happening again for a paying customer!!
Thanks!
Valerie
Hi Valerie,
I know as a rule of thumb you are not supposed to put fondant covered cakes in the fridge. After pulling them out and brininging them to room temp condensation will form on the surface of the cake and can warp the fondant in a variety of ways. HTH good luck with your future creations! 
This happens to me too even with buttercream iced cakes and without refrigerating them. I freeze all my cakes before I ice them and sometimes this happens and I don't have an answer. Someone said that the fondant was not adhered properly with wet buttercream icing and it got air bubbles, makes sense but how about the buttercream cakes. Not sure......
I refridgerate fonadnt all the time. Every cake I do is refridgerated. You most likely had a air pocket that was there when applied.I just try to lift and smooth as I go to prevent this. I will get them on the top sometimes and you just need to poke it with a pin. Smooth out the hole with your finger.
Fondant cakes do not go into the refrigerator for exactly the reason of what happened to you. Because fondant is firm it "protects" the cake underneath for quite some time.
The airbubble you speak of is unflatteringly but rightly named a flat tire.
Next time after you apply BC to your cake let the cake come to room temp as well as the fondant and then apply. Keep the cake out of the fridge and all should be okay. 
I chill the cake before applying fondant, but I never put the fondant covered cake back in the fridge. Otherwise, condensation forms on the surface when I take it out. For that reason, I only use fillings and icings that are stable at room temp.
The reason for the air bubble may have been caused by covering a freshly made cake. I always crumb coat then let it sit overnight to settle. I found that covering a freshly made (or too soft) cake traps air, and as the cake settles, the air has to go somewhere. It gets trapped between the cake and the fondant, and creates a huge bubble.
HTH!
I chill the cake before applying fondant, but I never put the fondant covered cake back in the fridge. Otherwise, condensation forms on the surface when I take it out. For that reason, I only use fillings and icings that are stable at room temp.
The reason for the air bubble may have been caused by covering a freshly made cake. I always crumb coat then let it sit overnight to settle. I found that covering a freshly made (or too soft) cake traps air, and as the cake settles, the air has to go somewhere. It gets trapped between the cake and the fondant, and creates a huge bubble.
HTH!
Well said!
I've heard that if you roll the fondant out using cornfour as your dusting medium then this reacts with the fondant and causes gas to be created - did you use cornflour?
WOW....thanks for all the responses!!! I rolled the fondant out using a light layer of crisco and dusted a few spots with powder sugar (not cornstarch). The cake was baked and crumb coated on tuesday night and fondant was placed on wednesday night. So, there was plenty of time for the cake to settle. The cake was not chillled at all until everything was completely finished, including the fondant.
When I applied the fondant, I used a fondant smoother and my hands...started at the top and worked my way down, etc. to make sure there were no air bubbles (or atleast visible ones) present.
I was prepared for condensation to occur, since I live in Houston, TX but I didn't see a drop of condensation on it!! 
Maybe there was condensation between the buttercream and the fondant??? Could the cake have contracted and expanded with the temp change causing an air pocket??
so, if you're not supposed to really refrigerate fondant, what do you do if you have a whipped cream filling or some other parishable filling that needs to be kept refrigerated.
I'm new to fondant so I'm just trying to trouble shoot. I would really hate to have that happen to a paying customer's cake!!
Thanks!
Valerie
Valerie
I understand you're concern. I had the same one since I work strictly with scratch made buttercream (egg whites, sugar, butter, flavor and a dream- lol). But after making several fondant cakes with the scratch buttercream underneath I can tell you the cake was fine and didn't spoil.
I live in NJ which is known for it's humidity. My cakes have been all right and I've done so many tests on them and talked with my BIL who's a chef in Atlantic City and he confirmed that the fondant is okay being out in the open as long as the bottom isn't exposed.
I also use a perishable icing in my cakes (IMBC) so all my fondant covered cakes must be refrigerated. To date, I have never, ever had a problem - during any season of the year.
Geraldine Randolsome (of Creative Cutters) always talks about how at her bakery all their cakes are baked, covered in fondant and then frozen ahead of their delivery date. She uses her own brand of fondant, which can be purcahsed at her booth when she does demos throughout the country or via her website.
I have used her brand, as well as Albert Uster's, but I mainly use Satin Ice because of the flavor. I have never had a problem with any of these when it comes to refrigerating covered cakes. As a matter of fact, Satin Ice states that their product can be refrigerated right on the company's website.
Are you putting buttercream on again after you crumb coat it before you do the fondant. If you are only crumb coating and letting it sit then putting the fondant on then there is nothing really for it to adhere to. The fresh coating of buttercream helps to get all the air out in between the fondant and icing and helps with adhesion. hth
it is from condensation occuring under the fondant, causing it to bubble. i live in humid climate and do not fridge any cakes b/c of this.
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