I am going to be mailing a cake next week form NY to IL. I was wondering what you all think. I have made MMF & RBC. I haven't worked with the RBC but have worked with the MMF. I am not sure which I am better off using as a cover for the cake. MMF or RBC?? The cake will probably be in transit for three days, so I am planning on mailing it tuesday. So If I use MMF I need to cover it monday morning. Does the RBC need any time like the RBC does in the air? TIA! Megan
RBC stays soft I wouldn't recomend using it on a cake that will be mailed. Just my opinion. I have never used the MMF so I can't say how it will hold up. Some one mailed a cake a few days ago and had no problems but I don't remember what type of fondant she used.
I'd try MMF because I've read about several people on here successfully mailing cakes covered in MMF. I don't know much about rolled buttercream, so if it were me, I'd stick with what has proven itself to work.
hi silvercat,
i have never used rolled buttercream as a faux fondant, but i have used a very very thick consistency to mold shapes for cake decoration (my turkey cake...the wings are molded bc) and it does not harden. when i mailed mine it was with mmf and it air dries very nicely. any type of true fondant ( maybe with the exception of poured fondant..?...) will dry to the touch enough to be used for this .
definately go with the fondant. but dont worry because there should be a thin layer of bc under the fondant so they will also be able to eat the icing.
dont be nervous! it will be just fine. 
here is the one i mailed ( i had to shrink the size to upload it...just got around to it) ...the decoration was very minimal. i had also planned on a butterfly shaped one for her sister but messed it up when painting & pitched the idea of mailing them both....so i hope yours works out. i was happy to see your practice one was a butterfly!
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&pos=-127633
melysa, thanks for all your help! I did the butterfly bc that is the same cake I will be shipping out next week! I wanted to see how the MMF would work and cover the cake. Thanks to you and your input I took the chance and tried both MMF and RBC! Okay you saw my butterfly cake that I tried the MMF, and I just looked at your cake what did you do push the decorations into the MMF? Thanks for all your opinions. I will be mailing this cake out 2-3 days prioity next tuesday. We are allowing an extra day just incase. The last time I sent something to IL, I sent it out on Wed and it didn't get there til Sat. Do you all think this is too much time in transit? I did get a qute from UPS not much difference in price or days in transit, so USPS it is.
I know this is off topic a bit, but now you guys have me worked up about mailing a cake!! My family lives in AZ and I'm in Michigan. I've missed so many b'days, etc,. and I'm now really into fondant so.....
I'm assuming it's really expensive to mail, and just how do you go about packing a cake???? I'm also assuming decorating must be a minimum and only use fondant decorations????
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you if anyone can respond.
I will take pics next week as I am packing it up. But for know this is what I did just to get most of my stuff ready. I have my cake box and shipping box, shipping box is not much bigger than cake box. I have bubble wrap on the bottom and on the sides, to cushion it. I will put the cake in the box wrap the cake box in saran wrap. But I was thinking about just wrapping the cake itself on the cake board in wrap and than putting peanuts on top of it inside the cake box. ANd than putting bubble wrap or peanuts on top of the cake box to fill it in! I have my box all mark with arrows and "UP" on the box, not that they would care about what the box says. But as I said when I am packing it up I will take pics and post them for you.
melysa, thanks for all your help! I did the butterfly bc that is the same cake I will be shipping out next week! I wanted to see how the MMF would work and cover the cake. Thanks to you and your input I took the chance and tried both MMF and RBC! Okay you saw my butterfly cake that I tried the MMF, and I just looked at your cake what did you do push the decorations into the MMF? Thanks for all your opinions. I will be mailing this cake out 2-3 days prioity next tuesday. We are allowing an extra day just incase. The last time I sent something to IL, I sent it out on Wed and it didn't get there til Sat. Do you all think this is too much time in transit? I did get a qute from UPS not much difference in price or days in transit, so USPS it is.
which day do you want it to arrive for the birthday? i would make it the night before and pack and mail it immediately the next morning. several hours overnight should be plently of time for the fondant to set up. personally i would prefer to eat the cake at day 3, or 4 MAX. so if the bday is saturday, make it tuesday night, pack and mail wed morning allowing for the 3 days of transit. most likely it will arrive friday...but just in case you've allowed yourself the extra day. IMO you dont really need the cake box. save it for another cake that will be hand delivered.
I have never mailed any food products but I have received them before. Make sure you write Fragile all over it in large bold letters and also find out from the post office if you need to write on the box that it is a birthday cake for the drivers to be aware they need to be extra careful with that package 
I know this is off topic a bit, but now you guys have me worked up about mailing a cake!! My family lives in AZ and I'm in Michigan. I've missed so many b'days, etc,. and I'm now really into fondant so.....
I'm assuming it's really expensive to mail, and just how do you go about packing a cake???? I'm also assuming decorating must be a minimum and only use fondant decorations????
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you if anyone can respond.
actually it doesnt have to be expensive. my first step was picking up a FLAT RATE priority box at the post office. for any weight, this will cost you $8.10 and there are a couple different sizes. this will help you determine the size of your cake (height, diameter etc). i wrapped my cake loosely in plastic wrap after the fondant set up, and then wrapped the sides gently in bubble wrap a couple of times, then around from top to bottom etc.. placed the wrapped cake in the box and continued to added bubble wrap padding where ever there was a gap in the box. (dont forget the bottom under the cake too) basically giving the cake NO ability to shift or move in the slightest so that it wouldnt become smashed even if tilted upside down. i also used arrow up and fragile/persishable stickers on the box as a precaution. i purchased a roll of bubble wrap at walmart for $4 and used only half. so you figure the mailing cost is about 10 bucks. not bad for an unexpected surprise. who would have thought you could mail a cake?
for the decorations i merely used my stamp cutters to make an impression and then i painted it with luster dust, gel color and alcohol. it was my first time shipping so i wanted the decorations to be minimal in case of breakage but next time i will try much more than that. in the future i'd use more fondant decs, dragees, royal icing, gumpaste etc as long as they are not super fragile. of course you cant break painting decorations 
have fun, be sure to post pics and update this thread as they arrive.
[quote="melysa"]
melysa, thanks for all your help! I did the butterfly bc that is the same cake I will be shipping out next week! I wanted to see how the MMF would work and cover the cake. Thanks to you and your input I took the chance and tried both MMF and RBC! Okay you saw my butterfly cake that I tried the MMF, and I just looked at your cake what did you do push the decorations into the MMF? Thanks for all your opinions. I will be mailing this cake out 2-3 days prioity next tuesday. We are allowing an extra day just incase. The last time I sent something to IL, I sent it out on Wed and it didn't get there til Sat. Do you all think this is too much time in transit? I did get a qute from UPS not much difference in price or days in transit, so USPS it is.
did you get a FLAT RATE priority box? i conversed with another person who came home from the post office disappointed and in tears because she didnt mail the cake she worked on so hard afterall. it would have cost her $80 !!! obviously it varies depending on the size and weight, but take it into consideration.
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