I just finished making an awesome cake, but I can't photograph it because my camera's batteries are dead. And the batteries in the charger are dead. Sigh. I'll wait to photograph before cutting it, though. Well, this cake is three layers - 8" petal pan, 4" and 3" round pans. It's a dark chocolate fudge cake with peanut butter icing as filling and top/sides icing on the top and middle tiers. The bottom tier has peanut butter icing filling and vanilla buttercream icing on top. They are all covered with light pink marshmallow fondant.

This was my first time using fondant. It's like making a building material, but it tastes good, too! It's kind of neat, but was very hard to mix up. For anyone that doesn't know, basically MMF is just melted marshmallows kneaded with confectioner's sugar - way more than should be possible to add in, too.

I realize that I am going to need to use fondant on my wedding cake (which is in < 3 weeks!! :O) because it will protect a cake much better if it's outside near sand. I can't decorate with buttercream, either. The decorations on top have to be from royal icing, molded chocolate, fondant, or gumpaste. Hrm. well, I'm going to get some seashell molds to make molded chocolate shells and also want to try making orchids from fondant, or else will go back and do a few in gumpaste again. At least I can make those ahead of time. I will probably make some more royal icing roses, too, in case I want to add those on. Need a little practice with the fondant, but the hardest parts are mixing it up and then trying to cut it right to fit on the edges. I made cords of it (like rolling playdough snakes) to twist and wrap around the bottom part to cover the gaps and uneven cutting.

I have a stupid question. Can you roll that (or well, polymer clay or playdough) into long snakes on a flat surface - or only in the air? I couldn't roll on the surface that had Crisco on it because it kept slipping, but couldn't remember if rolling on the flat surface would work anyhow, so I did it in the air - but it kept breaking and I ended up with several segments I wasn't sure how to attach. Still trying to figure out other ways to cover up the edges using only fondant. What do you think? What would you recommend? Making balls that attach in a row is one way, but those weren't coming out well either. I think I know why ribbons are commonly used around the base of wedding cakes now. It would cover up that problem very well! I used to think a client bridezilla created that, but after this experience I think it might have been a decorate inspired choice originally. I could do that, but would rather make everything on my cake edible if I can. Oh, but if you do use ribbon, how do you stick the ribbon to the cake and to itself?

And a few more questions -
How do you attach royal icing flowers to fondant covering? And how do you attach fondant decorations to the fondant covered cake? I used a little buttercream tonight to stick it together, but wasn't sure at all. The Course III Wilton book I have (haven't had the class though) says to attach the pieces with clear vanilla. I think that is fondant to fondant. Does that work to stick them? Vanilla did not seem to work to attach the royal icing flowers.

Thanks for any help you can offer!!
~AngelWendy

rolling the fondant or mmf is easier to do on a flat surface...I use confectioners sugar lightly on my mat...just as you would spread flour out for a pie crust. I keep a bowl of it nearby whenever I work with fondant. Even if its figures I am working on. Just put a little on your mat and spread it around with your fingers.

Wait, do you mean I need to make more royal to use as the glue for royal flowers to be attached to fondant? Argh. Don't have any. Used it up in the flowers weeks ago. Good to know, if that's the case, though.

How do you use vanilla to attach fondant to fondant? Do you brush it on? I'm a little confused here.

Thanks!

Does anybody know why the vodka works to stick things to fondant? I understand that the alcohol evaporates, I just don't get how the residue makes things stick??? Janice

Janice, not sure why the alcohol works, it just does. If you are using white fondant, I use lemon extract to attach instead of vanilla. Unless you have clear vanilla it will leave a little brown residue. The lemon is clear and smells great too!

You can use plain water to stick fondant to fondant. It's the "wet" that makes the fondant tacky so it will stick.

Debbie

Okay, thanks. I got some vodka to liquify my luster dust, because I have decided to paint the LD on my sequins, but I'll just use the clear vanilla to attach them to my BC. I'm not using fondant on this cake, but the BC will be crusted by the time I attach the sequins, so I'll need some type of "stick-em". Thanks again, Janice