Hello! ok, i made a square cake for my nephew's birthday. I haven't had any problems with covering cakes with fondant but covering square cakes is really hard!!!! it was horrible i was hoping my sister would drop the cake on the way to the table so no one would see it!!!! and it wasn't so square... maybe my cake isn't right for this stuff. please help!

thanks!
-Hilda

Do the corners first then work in toward the centers of each side. This fondant newbie was told that by a CC fondant pro and it works great.

I like square cakes, and like indydebi says...corners first.If I have a corner giving me problems, I have pinche together and cut w/scissors like wrapping paper and smoothe not ideal but, it works...hard to explain. The other thing I found out is I usually ganashe my square cakes, not BC. The chocolate keeps the edges nice and sharp. Very square! There is a whole thread on this subject. I'm sure your cake was fine and made with love... I know i'm my own worst critic. Please post a pic if poss.

I love square cakes too... Here are my tricks:

First: For sqaure cakes, I never roll the fondant out with conf. sugar or cornstarch. The fondant dries quickly and them comes the tears and elephant skin. So you need to use a mat with some shortening. You have to have the side of the fondant that touches your mat, be the side of the fondant that shows on your cake. Why?? The fondant that is on the mat is still moist and has not made contact with the air, therefore, less possibilities of it being dry.

Second: Take time, and lots of it, crumb ccoating your cake. You have to achieve the sharp corners with your buttercream before you get them with the fondant. After the crumb coat, refridgerate the cake for 10 minutes.

Third: Immediately when you drape the fondant over your cake, you are not going to smooth the top, you are going directly to the corners smooth them in so they won't dry and begin to tear. After all of your corners are secure, go and smooth the sides. Let the top be the least of your worries until the corners and sides are perrfectly in place.


Hope that helps!

Awesome info, thanks!!!

Anytime!



I forgot to mention that I prefer to smooth the corners and edges with my fingers and when I start getting down in the corner, with my palms.

Sorry if this is a silly question, but if the corners are smoothed down first, how do you smooth any lumps from the top?

It's easy... Once you have the sides and corners smoothed, you go with your smoothers and smooth the top. You can put some cornstarch on top (with a puff) and smooth so it can be easier. If you do have air bubbles, what I like to do is smooth them to the middle, where another cake will cover it (only if it is a stacked cake), and release the air with a needle or an exacto.

If it is not a stacked cake, what you can do is look for the side that looks best and make that the front, and then move the air bubbles on top with your smoothers to and area where it will not be seen or covered by a decoration.

ah, now that is clever. Thanks