I am making a tiered cake for mo grandmothers 90th bday. The bottom tier is a 14" round and I am covering it in fondant (making a quilt) I wasn't sure how much buttercream do I use to under the fondant? Do I just crumb coat then place the fondant? I too a cake class and that was what they said but I just want to be sure. I also want it to taste good and I know some fondants just don't taste great.

Also, I wanted to make designs on the next tier and wanted to know what was the best thing to use. If I put the cake in the fridge will the designs "melt" away if the fondant has condensation? If I decorate the cake on Friday, can it sit out till Sat?

Sorry, I am very new to fondant but I am so eager to learn what I can. Thanks.

The buttercream under fondant should be heavier than a crumb-coat but not as heavy as you would do when frosting a cake to be served w/BC frosting. You want it to be as smooth as possible since any flaws will show in the fondant.

You can pipe w/BC or royal icing onto fondant. Neither will melt in the fridge. If you are decorating the cake on Friday to serve on Sat it can go in the fridge or it can sit out. If you have a perishable filling, like fresh fruit it will need to go in the fridge.

If you fridge it, bring it out a while before serving and let it come back to room temp. Don't touch the fondant if there is condensation or it will leave marks.

HTH
Kristy

I always use a regular coat of buttercream under my fondant as if it were strictly a buttercream iced cake. That way if someone doesn't like fondant, they can peel it off and get the same taste. Everyone does it differently.

Thanks for the help. Heres a silly question though, shouldn't buttercream be refridgerated after being put on the cake?

I don't refrigerate cakes unless the filling is perishable.

Nope, buttercream doesn't need to be refrigerated! Even if it's all-butter buttercream with milk in it. The high sugar-to-fat ratio keeps it from spoiling. I don't really understand the chemistry involved, but experience tells me it's absolutely true. The only time you need to put the cake in the fridge is if you're using whipped cream or some kind of mousse filling that doesn't have the same high sugar content, or fresh fruit as Kristy said.

The fondant will "melt" if you put it in an airtight container. So if you want something to protect the cake from dust or getting bumped or whatever, use a cardboard bakery box or something similar -- NOT a Tupperware or Rubbermaid type cake carrier. But yes, the decorated cake can sit out at room temp for a day or two before being served and it will be fine. (Or if you are dealing with 100+ degree type weather, the BC can melt, so then you'd want to use the fridge. But it's not needed at typical room temps.)