Straight Sides With Mmf

Decorating By Misdawn Updated 3 Aug 2005 , 7:06pm by ntertayneme

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Misdawn Posted 25 Jul 2005 , 2:11pm
post #1 of 13

Ok yesterday I made my first stacked cake. Butter Pecan cake with caramel cream cheese filling. Two tier. (Thought I should start out small for the first time.) Then I covered it in MMF. Ok, my question is...how do you keep the sides straight? What I mean is that I started out with perfectly shaped cakes and they ended up looking like I used a dome shaped cake pan. There were no crisp clean edges. Everything was rounded off. I tried to shape the fondant into striaghter lines, but the more I tried, the worse it got. Is there something I'm not catching onto here? Please help! TIA!
Misdawn

12 replies
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NEWTODECORATING Posted 25 Jul 2005 , 2:22pm
post #2 of 13

I will be watching this post closely, I have the same problem. I have done one MMF covered cake in class, and I did a rolled buttercream yesterday for my parents anniversary and I had the same problem with both.
My instructor (who isn't that informative) simply said "That is just the way it is with fondant"

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Beebug123 Posted 25 Jul 2005 , 3:24pm
post #3 of 13

I thought that's how fondant cakes are supposed to be. Maybe I'm wrong though. I just thought that was part of their appeal and elegance...

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peacockplace Posted 25 Jul 2005 , 3:40pm
post #4 of 13

If you let your icing crust it will hold it'sshape better. You have to wet the BC a little with your hands so the fondant will stick. Also if it's thinner, it won't be so heavy and pull the sides down. There really isn't a way that I know of to get super sharp edges on a fondant cake, unless you're using a dummy. ( Which is what a lot of cakes in magazines are made of. Not really fair is it?)

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Misdawn Posted 25 Jul 2005 , 3:43pm
post #5 of 13

I read in another thread that you don't want the buttercream to crust before you put the fondant on it. Now I'm confused.

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peacockplace Posted 25 Jul 2005 , 3:46pm
post #6 of 13

Well, if it crusts and you don't dampen it a little , then it won't stick to your cake. I let mine set until it's pretty firm then I dampen my hands and run them along the cake, some people mist with a spray bottle, and I 've read some put their cakes in the fridge to firm up icing.

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Rexy Posted 25 Jul 2005 , 3:51pm
post #7 of 13

if you're bc crusts then you need to mist the sides with water, I had a Wilton instructor tell me that you need only a very thin layer of bc on the sides, otherwise it could look like "grandma's stockings!"

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cakemommy Posted 25 Jul 2005 , 4:05pm
post #8 of 13

Okay, this is interesting. I made a mini tiered cake with MMF last weekend and I let my icing crust and I had zero problems with it. My edges had rounded which I expected to happen but fondant is heavier and the cake isn't a rock hard cake so there was nothing for it to do but "round" the edges. Is misting your cake before fondant supposed to keep the edges crisp or keep it from sliding down and weighing too heavy on the cake?


Amy

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 25 Jul 2005 , 4:32pm
post #9 of 13

Misting or having your buttercream still moist is supposed to adhere the fondant to the buttercream. The buttercream is really the glue to hold the fondant in place on the cake. If the "glue" is dry, it doesn't adhere the fondant to the cake.
Hugs Squirrelly

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CakeItGood Posted 3 Aug 2005 , 6:43pm
post #10 of 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rexy

you need only a very thin layer of bc on the sides, otherwise it could look like "grandma's stockings!"




I am using the Wilton icing tip to put the buttercream icing onto the sides before MMF'ing .... the thickness is probably about 1/4", is that too thick? Thanks!

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Sugar Posted 3 Aug 2005 , 6:46pm
post #11 of 13

I have always iced just as usual. I use the tip as well on the tops and sides, and then covered it with fondant and never had any trouble.

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cakemommy Posted 3 Aug 2005 , 7:00pm
post #12 of 13

I use the icer tip to apply my icing but then I smooth it with my large angled spatula and take off the excess icing and let it crust slightly before I put mine on. I guess the time it takes for you to roll out the fondant and apply the fondant on the cake will be long enough.


Amy

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ntertayneme Posted 3 Aug 2005 , 7:06pm
post #13 of 13

I've done one with a crumb coat as the only icing under a cake and one w/2 coats of buttercream icing under it .. they edges will round... they won't stay really sharp like you can get with buttercream... to me, that's just how fondant does unless someone knows a different way to do it ?? not sure but I think that's the way it's suppose to be.

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