Hi,
I'm going to be putting together a 3-d pumpkin cake tonight, filling it with a pumpkin cream cheese filling, and topping it with fondant. The last few times I covered my cakes with fondant, I couldn't get it smooth at the bottom. The top and 1/2 way down the cake were fine ... the bottom next to the cake board looked like a wrinkled mess. How do I avoid that?? I don't want to have to "cover up" my mistakes on this one, because I want it to look like a free standing pumpkin! I will be doing a thin crumb coat, and then refrigerating it while I'm rolling the fondant.
Anyone that has any suggestions or pointers on how to do this cake, your comments would be appreciated!!

TIA,
-L

Do this the same as a pillow cake, lay it out, drape it over and pull out at the bottom to smooth, then tuck under. You'll have to make several passes but eventually the cake will be smooth at the bottom. Also, thicken up your crumb coat a bit, that will also help.

I thought this site was helpful in teaching me how to smooth out the bottoms using fondant-I'm making a pumpkin cake too ..

http://www.atecousa.net/learn/satin_ice_1.shtml

Thank you for that link, it was very helpful. I'd been doing it wrong!

You're very welcome! I was doing wrong b4 I saw that too

Great link! When I did my pumpkin cake, I had creases in 2 spots, and I could not get rid of them - hence the vines around the bottom of the cake.

Thank you Olana for that link! Now I see what I was doing wrong ... exactly what he said a lot of people do!
I'm excited to make this pumpkin cake ... what have people used for the stem? Not sure if I should mold it out of fondant ... or use an ice cream cone?? My bundt cakes have quite a wide hole in what will be the top, so I'm not sure how all that will work.
-L

make a wad of tootsie rolls.

That was exceptionally helpful....THANKS I feel better having that, as I will be doing several covered cakes for christmas! This has got to be the best forum and site ever!!!!! , at least the best people!

That IS a good idea-giant cake ball! I was going to say shove some cupcakes in there.... I like the way a fondant stem looks-just my opinion

I made a fondant stem for my halloween pumpkin and in the midst of making 3 more for Thanksgiving. Look in my gallery...I just ,olded it, scored the sides and poked holes in the top for a realistic effect, then air brushed with brown and a ligh light mist of black. You could just as easy do this with pre-colored fondant too.
Good luck!

schmoop, I LOVE your pumpkin cake! Did you use a bunht pan or what? It looks so realistic!

Says in the cake details that it was a bundt.

oops I missed that!

Yeah, I did use a bundt pan, but made my own creases so it looked more realistic. Thanks!

Yay, I finished it before midnight!
It's posted in the Thanksgiving section if ya'll want to check it out, give me pointers!
-L

You did such a good job! Bravo!!!