I had a square birthday cake that was Mary Poppins inspired (very loosely inspired) that was delivered today at 11am.

It is a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.

Friday I baked the layers, froze them.

Saturday I filled and frosted the layers. Left in fridge to cool for 1 hour. Then covered with fondant.
After a few hours I started applying red circles to the cake, then started on my bow and kites.
At night I noticed I had a huge bubble on one side and the corners were cracking. I put some shortening on the corners, cut out the bubble and then added a large red circle to it.

Sunday I woke up and saw that the rest of the fondant on all sides had settled and bubbled. I ripped off the bottom and created a large red border, my kite and ribbon broke and I wanted to cry. There were some small cracks in other places on the fondant as well.

As I was unable to deliver on my promise of adding kites and bows (I ended up with more circles all over the whole thing, I took $25 off the price.

She seemed to like it, but I saw in her face that she was disappointed with the lack of extra decorations (kites, etc).

She still wants to order another cake from me for next week.

But I was very upset with the cake itself.

Why did it bubble and settle so much after one night? How come the corners were cracking? What would you do? I almost called her to cancel but felt horrible even thinking that.


Birthday Cake by Fab Brunette, on Flickr

If I'm reading this correctly, you frosted and covered these while still frozen. I don't read where you let them come to room temperature before you frosted them. Now I am not the expert on this, cause I have never frozen a cake before (tried, epic fail), but I'm think as it warmed, the condensation of it coming to room temp. did you in.

Wow! what a save, the cake looks really clean! When you settled the cakes you said you put it in the fridge, I always settled mine at room temp because it will be served at room temp. When you refrigerate it the dam frosting will harden so if air or filling that may leak will not do so, but it will at room temp.
When I get a bubble I use a needle syringe to poke a small hole and suck the air out. I get my needles free cause my sister is a pharmacist but I was told at cake camp that you can purchase them. Last week I read someone used a small straw and sucked the air out. Whatever works Your cakes must taste great if she is ordering another cake! hth

Based upon the time schedule that you shared in your post, I think that the problem was that your cake did not have an opportunity to settle before you placed the fondant on top of it. So, the problems that you encountered (like the air bubbles) were the result of the cake settling. For a Sunday delivery, I would crumb coat and stack the cake on Friday evening and let it settle overnight. Then, I would cover the cake with fondant on Saturday and decorate it. HTH!

I have read quite a few posts here on CC that cream cheese frosting and fondant don't get along well. The sagging and cracking issues sound very much like the symptoms others have described with that combo.

As others have mentioned, the air bubble probably has to do with the thawing and temperature of the cake.

Thanks ladies! I have thought about these things too.

DSmo - I have read that it's fine to put cream cheese frosting under fondant, but this was my first try.

Husband also thought that a) my crumb coat wasn't smooth enough; b) my cakes didn't settle/defrost well enough to allow fondant on top.

Thanks ladies! I have thought about these things too.

DSmo - I have read that it's fine to put cream cheese frosting under fondant, but this was my first try.

Husband also thought that a) my crumb coat wasn't smooth enough; b) my cakes didn't settle/defrost well enough to allow fondant on top.

I fill and frost frozen cakes, but I don't cover them with fondant. A cake coming to room temp with buttercream on it doesn't have the issues a fondant covered cake would. The weight of the fondant and the condensation would cause big time problems I would think!