I made my very first fondant cake on Thursday in my Wilton class. After some discussion about fondant on this site, I mounted a fondant rebellion and used Petinice (sp?) instead of Wilton's fondant. The cake I made was the square one with the bows from course 3. (I would post pics, but I am a Mac user and the uplaod thingie is not Mac-friendly.) The question is this: the fondant never really dried. It is almost soggy tonight. The bow never even was able to stand up on it's own. (I hid paper towel in it for the poofs when I took the pic.) 
Is that the way it is supposed to be? What could I have done to prevent it? It is no big deal this time because this one was just for the family, but the next time might not be.
Congrats on your first fondant cake! 
I'm not familiar w/ the Course 3 cake, but IMO fondant takes a long time to dry. And humidity can play a big part in it. If you add some tylose powder to the fondant, it helps with drying time.
I love using and working Pettinice. I have never had a problem with it going soggy.... may be it could be the weather. Did you mix anything into it? Or put your cake in the fridge?
With the bow, next time add some tylose into it and make it first so it has time to firm up and hold its shape.
The weather was gorgeous here this weekend; highs were in the mid to upper 70s with not a cloud in the beautiful blue sky - no humidity or rain this weekend.
No, the cake was not in the fridge - should it have been?
No, I didn't mix anything in. I thought about mixing a flavoring in, but didn't know if that would mess it up. Would it have?
mm mm..... now I'm confused......
I never put Pettinice in the fridge as it tends to go mushy and slimy.
I have flavoured it once before ore without a problem..... most people like the flavour as it is.
I have heard a lot of ppl use it here as it holds up to the humidity and heat quite well.
what did you use when you were kneading it???
I have never used Pettinice, but I do use MMF and that seems to hold up well, whether I put it in refrigerator or keep on counter at room temp.
Hope that helps a little....
what did you use when you were kneading it???
I'm really sorry, but I don't know what you mean. 
I used cornstarch to keep it from sticking to the table. Would that have caused the problem? Other than that, I didn't add anything to it. Should I have? (Geez, I feel like such a dork. 
)
Don't feel like a dork. I use Pettinice all the time on cookies and cakes. The taste is phenemonal and it is so nice to work with. I'm guessing the issue was the fondant was too thick as to why it had not dried yet. You do not need to refrigerate Pettinice. I use cornstarch w/ mine, so that has nothing to do with it. You eliminated the humidity issue. What about Crisco? Did you use this and if so, how much?
What about Crisco? Did you use this and if so, how much?
Nope, no Crisco. I thought that I rolled it about 1/8" thick. My Wilton instructor was standing right over my shoulder watching me. What is the optimal thickness?
No, I didn't mix anything in. I thought about mixing a flavoring in, but didn't know if that would mess it up.
Your instructor should have had you knead in either the Gumtex powder that came in the C3 kit - or some of the Ready-to-Use Gumpaste. Adding the Gumtex or Gumpaste helps it to dry more quickly. Also, how thin did you roll your fondant out before cutting the strips? It should have been rolled to 1/16".
Yes the thinner the better, for drying. Also your mix should be half fondant and half gumpaste, as everyone has said. I had a similar problem with it getting gummie after a day.
Welcome to fondant!! LOL
[quote="peajay66"
Your instructor should have had you knead in either the powder that came in the C3 kit - or some of the Ready-to-Use Gumpaste. Adding the or Gumpaste helps it to dry more quickly. Also, how thin did you roll your fondant out before cutting the strips? It should have been rolled to 1/16".[/quote]
Well, crap! At least it wasn't totally my fault. So, there are no directions on the gumpaste, so can someone explain how to do it? Argh.
Just mix your gum paste and then divide it and mix it half and half. That's is the easiest. No worries, it's all fun in fondant and buttercream!! LOL
Lisa
Just a follow up: I talked to my WI tongiht about the fondant gumminess issue, and when I mentioned the Gumtex she acted like I was on crack. 
She thought that I probably got a bad batch of Petinice. (sp?) BEfore I go throwing the rest of it out I am going to give the Gumtex a shot. Thanks for the help!!
Well hon, if I were you I'd listen to what the veteran cakers here are telling you. I know I use their knowledge like a bible and I have always had good luck with their suggestions.
Try everything, see what works and what doesn't. What you like and what you don't. Keep what you do, and "toss out" what you don't. You'll find your 'groove' eventually and then look out world!!
Keep it up!!
I didn't know we were talking about covering a whole cake. I thought she was just making flowers and other decorations and having troubles with them.
I wouldn't add gumtex to cover an entire cake either. That would be too costly and would not make sense anyway.
Plain fondant for covering the cake, and then a half and half mix for the decorations.....bows, flowers, etc.
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