I always see these in the galleries here, but I've tried, and my fondant covered cake drums look terrible! I can never get the sides smooth and even. I need some help! Thanks!

What I usually do is roll out fondant in the color of your choice, large enough to fit on your cake drum and then with an offset spatula I will ice the cake drum very thin using royal icing. Just very thin though..just enough for the fondant to stick to the board. Instead of lifting the fondant and placing it on top of the cake drum, I then just flip the drum upside down and place it right onto the fondant and then flip. I roll my fondant out on a silpat that way, you can lift the silpat and flip. I hope that makes sense. Once it is covered, just trim away with a knife or scissors around the edge. I also hot glue a ribbon around the edge of the drum for an extra special touch.

I always put a thin layer of crisco on the drum before I cover it and then use my hands along with a fondant smoother to get mine to look smooth. Also make sure the fondant is not to thin because it will pick up every little bump on the drum.

HTH.

What I do is cut a strip of fondant the width I need, dust w/ powdered sugar, roll up and then roll out on the drum. - attach with a little water. Go around the edge with a fondant smoother to clean it up. The sides of the drum aren't supposed to be covered - this is so you can move it and it won't crack off. You can hot glue a coordinating ribbon to the side of the drum to dress it up.

BTW - is that St Therese? She's my favorite!

You might also try rolling it out right on the drum. That way you don't mess with air bubbles and you have to do less over all smoothing.

1. Have your fondant kneaded and ready to roll
2. Wipe a damp paper towel over the drum (just damp, this will be the "glue"
3. Place your fondant on the middle of the drum and proceed to roll out, turning the drum only, not the fondant.
4. Roll evenly, just past the edges of the drum. Do not roll over the edge with your pin (this will make your edges too thin and they will get distressed).
5. Trim of the excess with a sharp knife. Be careful to use a straight downward cut.
6. Smooth with the ball of you hand to avoid finger marks, then use a smoother. (If the fondant is a bit "tacky" when you use the smoother, stop and wait a few minutes, then smooth.)

Thanks for your replies, I see some good advice!