I'm tired of my sloppy fondant edges. I want crisp sharp edges on my cakes like Pink Cake Box and Sharon Zambito. I have Sharon's buttercream video and now want to order one of her fondant video's. I can only afford but one at this time. Should I get the fondant one or would I get valuable information on the same fondant techniques from her Boxes and Bows? I really want the boxes and bows but until I can get my fondant as good as hers I don't really see that I'd be making a lot of boxes. Any one who has them both I would love a recommendation. Thanks!

I purchased her fondant DVD and love it. She has a lot of great cake construction tips that have helped me on both BC and fondant. I also use her BC methods, but I learned them here

HTH

Me too! My fondant edges are always a little rounded unless I use fondant panels instead of covering the whole cake with one piece of fondant. How much buttercream do you put beneath your fondant? I am bad about using too much. I think sharon just uses a super thin crumb coat which allows the sharp edges of the cake to show through. I just ordered her stacking and topsy turvy dvds today. I can't wait to get them! I've been real happy with the buttercream dvd that I have. I almost bought the fondant one too but, other than sharp edges, I feel like I am pretty good at putting fondant on a cake. I've never tried just a crumb coat of buttercream though (I like my icing!). If you buy it let me know how you like it.

In my part of the Midwest, I could never get away with just a crumb coat of buttercream under my fondant. I'd never have a request for another fondant covered cake.

Even when I explain that there will be plenty of buttercream under the fondant, I still get sighs and the inevitable, "But can't you do it in ALL buttercream????" and the answer is, "Well, no, not if you want the shopping bag to look REAL....."

I've used ganache on several cakes and gotten feedback saying, "Where was that delicious buttercream that we love???"

I content myself with having very crisp edges on competition cakes, knowing that "eating" cakes will ultimately be judged by taste--and that if it doesn't taste "right", they're NOT coming back, no matter how good it looked.

JMHO
Rae

For topsy turvy Sharon uses chocolate ganache, and it makes a huge difference. Handles beautifully without melting and gives you those desirable sharp corners

I hear you!

Along with cutting instructions, I tell people to advise their guests to eat the cake from the bottom to the top, scaping the buttercream from under the fondant and to eat the fondant as a second dessert--consider it a form of taffy.

If my chosen medium didn't depend on people actually eating it, then I'd feel as though I could tell people to take it or leave it--I'm gonna' do it the way I like it or the way I know it "should" be done.

I don't have the luxury of hoping that style will be so important that tastes & textures can be sacrificed--like some high profile bakeries where someone will buy a cake from them JUST to say that they bought the cake from XXXX. I take great pride in receiving consistent feedback of, "Not only did it look great, but it tasted great, too!" I don't EVER want to read or hear, "It was beautiful, BUT................"

My personal sense is that if the fondant is smooth and crease free AND the recipient loves the buttercream underneath, then I've done my job--WELL--and that I won't beat myself up trying to achieve a standard that won't work for the people who eat my cakes.

Outside of a cake competition, I know that I'll NEVER hear, "Oh, it tasted great, but the top edge of that fondant just wasn't crisp enough for me, so I'd never get one of her cakes again."

Rae

You guys are hysterical! I can spend hours reading comments. I'm a 4 month addicted newbie that will be making a lifelong quest of the Perfect Cake. When I did my Course 3 fondant package cake and finale cake, my family and friends said they were too pretty to cut. However--even kids won't touch Wilton's fondant: "Yucky!"

Thanks everyone for the info. I don't put more than a crumb coat to the outside of my fondant covered cakes. I've been wanting to try ganche but haven't had the time. I agree that the cake must taste as good as it looks - even more so. I also love hearing all the time how "my husband never eats the frosting but he loved yours!" However, to expand my own learning and techniques I want to learn the process of those crisp edges. Most of my cakes are buttercream with fondant decorations which works out extremely well and I don't do carved cakes. I think I will go ahead and get the fondant DVD even though I want them all!!!!

Just so you know Dana, in the fondant DVD I do not show you how to get Plant Cake- type super sharp- cut yourself- edges. My fondant edges still look like a fondant cake, but I do show you how to get them sharpER and not have that huge roll over rounded look. Look in my photos at my cakes to see if that is the fondant look you want before you order. I would not want you to be dissappointed in the DVD .



I use a crumbcoat of icing to get that look. If the customer wants their BC, then we use it as the filling. If you think about it, unless they get the end of a BC sliced cake, they are not egtting any more BC than that per slice anyway.

But as always, I say everyone finds the way that works for them and their customers!

DanaG21 --- All of Sharon's DVDs are well worth the investment. I have most of them, although I don't have the Sheet cake one yet, but I just got some Birthday money and guess what I'm going to buy!!!

Thanks for posting this--I'm always looking for information for fondant on my cakes!

I have Sharon's Fondant DVD and have learned so much from it...I have a huge fondant wedding cake coming up in Dec and I am going to do a lot of practice between now and then...and watch that video...again and again...LOL Thanks Sharon...ur work is awsome and I appreciate the work u put into ur video's!!!

Boy sharon, your edges look pretty sharp to me! When my birthday rolls around next month I'll have to buy the fondant dvd. The stacking was a more pressing issue so I bought that first!