I am for the very first time wanting to use ganache on a cake. I have been searching for a lil over an hour but still have not found my answer or maybe Im not looking correctly.

My question is If I plan on filling my cake with ganache can I right away stack the other layer or do I have to wait for it to get firm?

Also must I dam my cake just as a regular filling? Should I have to make a crub coat? I saw a video on Utube (dont know if I can write it? )and they crub coated the cake, I want to know if I have to or if I can omit that step.

And lastly the cake I will be making is a jack o lantern, I saw a video from Ace of Cakes; duff he scored the lines on the pumkin after he put the fondant with ganache should I do that or should I make the indententions on the cake itself then add the ganache?

Thank you very much for reading my post. I apologize for it being so long

If you are using the ganache as filling, I would make the ganache and let it set up and thicken (several hours at room temp, or an hour or two in the fridge) to let it get to a peanut butter consistency, then you can fill it easily as you would any other filling, assembling it right away. I do not dam the filling unless I am going to be using an altogether different frosting to cover the cake. Normally I use ganache to cover or some sort of chocolate buttercream, so I don't normally dam. In general I do not crumb coat unless the cake I am working with is especially delicate and crumbly. I think whether you carve or score the fondant for the cake is a matter of preference. Carving the cake will give you deeper ridges, scoring the fondant will be more subtle, so I think it is based on what you are looking to achieve.

I can answer a couple for you. I let my ganache cool slightly then fill my cake (I do use a dam) then I place the second layer on right away. About the crumb coat are you planning on covering the cake in ganache?

I want to thank you for helping me out with my questions. I am in fact going to be covering the cake in ganache then covering with fondant. Unless you ladies think that is not possible.

I really appreciate that you guys are taking the time to help me out.

Thank you and have a good evening.

I like to whip my ganache, then I use it to fill and crumb coat, then after it settles I put on my fondant.

I was actually looking to find out how to do this a couple months ago and found the Planet Cake book extremely helpful.
They fill and cover their cakes with ganache. It seems they sandwich their layers right away. Then you cover the side and top with ganache, trying to make it as smooth as possible (you can heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds to make it easier to spread). You want to let it set (preferably overnight) then you "hot knife" which is when you put your palette in boiling water to warm up and then you run it right around your whole cake to smooth out any imperfections. You can also cut off any excess ganache you have at the top of your cake (i've never had this... probably not doing it right!). Put it back in the fridge for a bit and then it's ready for fondant. To attach your fondant, you want to brush the cake all over with a bit of syrup (they recommend the apricot and water recipe) and that's what makes it stick.
i've found this a really great technique and it tastes fantastic! hope this helps!

Again thank you very much and I guess I will head to the library for PLANET CAKE BOOK .

thank you again. good night my fellow cake bakers/decorators