Hello fellow decorators! I'm still a newbie at this so I don't know if this topic has already been covered... if so, please let me know & lead me to the answer.

I've tried putting fondant accents onto a buttercream covered cake but when the buttercream warms up a bit the fondant starts to slide. If I try to refridgerate it after decorating with fondant to harden the bc up again, when I pull the cake out again & let it sit, the fondant goes all shiny & gooey. Aaarrrgghh! What am I doing wrong?

When I make cakes this is the process I follow: bake cake, cool in tin, fill cake & refridgerate, trim outer if necessary, crumb coat with bc & refridgerate, final bc coating & refridgerate (or cover in fondant no refridgeration), then decorate. Is this pretty much the way it goes, I'm mostly self taught, taken a few classes, have learnt through trial & error & by reading up on the topic.

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

is your bc maybe too soft to start with?
im not sure all the refridgeration is needed either. some people do it, but you can skip it. might be worth an experiment.
xx

what kind of bc are you using?
i use fondant decorations on bc all the time and have never had this happen. i use smbc. if you are using a crusting bc, perhaps your timing or method of attachment could be the problem (i am not very experienced with crusting so i can't help there, i am sorry).

are your decorations being rolled thin? if they are too thick, the weight of them could be working against you.

i fridge mine before i put the decorations on and after.

here are two more thoughts, not really about decorations falling off, but they might be helpful.

first, after fridging the decorated cake, it would be best to let it come to room temp in a cool room to avoid condensation. if you do get condensation, do not touch, just let it dry...but so better not to get it .

second, and most importantly, do not cover the decorated cake. your fondant decorations will turn to goo.

diane

I freeze my cakes after baking, and crumb coat frozen. Then I let them thaw while the crumb coat crusts, and then frost. I never put mine in the fridge after that.

What are you using to attach the pieces? I use gumpaste/fondant glue. Just mix a pea-sized ball of gumpaste or fondant in about 2 TBSP water, and dissolve; then paint it on the back of your piece. I have also used extracts, but didn't really want the flavor. Also, some people use piping gel. I like the glue, because I always have the ingredients on hand.

Good luck with it!

Once my cakes are out of the freezer, thawed and iced, they don't go back into the freezer. I'm thinking maybe some condensation from the refrigerated buttercream messed with the fondant accents.

I vote with the BC being soft to start with. Putting it in the frig to "let it get hard" then having it go soft when it's moved back into room temp confirms it for me.

YOu can put butter in the 'frig to "let it get hard" but move butter back to room temp and it's going to go soft again. "Letting it get hard" in the 'frig is a temporary situation that makes bakers think it's a problem fixer. It usually just delays the inevitable.

Are you using a good crusting BC? If so, you should allow the icing to crust at room temp, not in the 'frig. Allowing it to crust at room temp removes some of the moisture.

Once it's crusted, I have good success by just putting some water on the backside of the fondant accent and placing on the BC'd cake.