I have been baking my whole life but I've never used fondant. Any tips for working with it and getting it on smoothly? I am going to try making a simple cake with it today. Many Thanks!

I bought one of those clear vinyl shower curtains and cut it to about 3'x3' (36"x36") and roll my fondant out on that. Then you can take the whole thing, vinyl and all and flip it onto your cake, peel off the vinyl and you don't have to worry about trying to get that stuff all roll up on a rolling pin and unrolling it. Also if you find that your fondant is getting a little dry, try rubbing some shortening on it and kneading it til it's the right consistency (kinda like pizza dough, not pie crust dough). If it's too sticky just dust it with a little corn starch or some powdered sugar.

Fondant can be very intimidating at first, but once you get used to it, you'll grow to love it!

First, make sure you have a generous amount of fondant to work with. Take into account the sides and top of your cake when estimating the size you'll need to roll out. Give yourself lots of room and be sure to have cornstarch or powdered sugar on hand for dusting (to keep it from sticking to your work surface). Knead your fondant well until it is very pliable. If you notice it's cracking while your kneading it, knead in some crisco, or if it seems very wet and sticky, knead in powdered sugar a little at a time.

Also, you'll need to add sugar if you are coloring it with gel colors.

Roll it out with a rolling pin (dusted with 10x or cornstarch) to about 1/4 inch thickness. At first you'll want to flip it over during the rolling process to prevent sticking. When you're ready to place in on your cake, roll it up onto the rolling pin, then just roll it out over your cake and smooth, working top to bottom. Try not to smooth the fondant onto itself as that will give you a pretty big wrinkle to work out. Just gently pull the ondant away from the cake and smooth again.

Also, make sure you have a good crumb coat of buttercream on the cake before starting. If you have too much buttercream, you'll get a bumpy effect. Too little and you'll see every flaw.

Be patient and remember you can always start over.

Hope that helps.

OK, I have done exactly two cakes with the stuff. So my advice comes from the mistakes I have made not the techique I have perfected. Don't let your buttercream layer crust before you put on the fondant layer. The fondant has to stick to something. Don't roll your fondant as thin as possible. It stretches more easily when it is thin, and when it stretches you get puckers along the side. Also be generous with Crisco. This video is excellent. http://atecousa.net//learn/

The best advice I can give for starting out with Fondant, is rub some Crisco into your hands. This keeps the fondant from sticking too much . Also, if you see your fondant starting to crack, and little pieces falling off, add a little crisco to the fondant itself. If the fondant starts sticking to your hands, the rolling pin, the plastic surface, it's time to add some cornstarch...a little at a time. It's a lot of balance between the crisco and cornstarch, but you will start to get the hang of it quickly! Don't get frustrated...you will begin to get the hang of what it should feel and look like soon! Have FUN! To me, it just brings back fun memories of playing with Play-Doh as a kid!