Hi, I was hoping someone may be able to give me a little insight!
I have now tried to fondant 4 different cakes, I have used the wilton levelor at 2" and used various thickness' of buttercream and also varied the crusting time before applying the fondant. Each time I have the same issue, there is a buldge where the filling is between the 2 layers. I've used mouse, buttercream and pudding. Does anybody know what I am doing wrong, obviously something, because I can't seem to get the nice finish many of you get in your photos!

Thanks,
Vanessa

After watching Sugarshack's DVD, I saw that she used a thick icing to dam the cake and then added the filling to the top so it was level. Then she crumb coated and let the cake sit (I believe at room temperature) for several hours so it could settle.

Then it went into the fridge (maybe she let it settle in the fridge) anyway, after it settled, she took a sharp knife and gently sliced off the sides where there was a bulge.

Then she frosted it normally and since it had already settled, there were no bulges.

A couple of things come to mind. First of all when you fill your cake with filling make sure you have piped a dam around the edge of the cake (about 1/8-1/4" from the edge will be fine). Use a coupler without a tip to do this. The icing for the dam should be really thick (almost thick enough to roll a ball with it). Once you have piped the dam then fill it with whatever filling you are going to use.
Once you have finished filling your cake and putting the layers together (and crumbcoating if you want to) let the cake settle for at least a few hours if not over night. This will give the cake enough time to settle and if there is a buldge you can fix it before you ice and cover with fondant.

HTH!

Thanks so much for the advise. It makes total sense, I wasn't letting my cake settle long enough when iced.
I'll give it a try.
Vanessa

No fridging for me cuz i don't use perishable fillings but the rest is right!

1) firm cake
2) super stiff dam
3) settle
4) trim sides
5) crumbcoat
6) flash freeze
7) cover

HTH!

PM me if u need more help.

Ps. settling is important but a SUPER stiff dam in more important, IMO

Sharon, I just watched your DVD on BC and I can say that I "was" doing everything WRONG and no wonder my BC was hideous (air bubbles, not letting cakes settle, etc). Thank you so much for making this DVD, you have made me 100% more confident already. Now I can't wait to pop in the fondant DVD!!!

When you place the cakes in the bags to settle, are they refrigerated? You mentioned condensation, which made me want to ask...

Please correct me if I'm wrong Sharon but from what I recall, she settles on the counter and only flash freezes it before covering with fondant.