Steaming Fondant Covered Cake
Decorating By blademanswife Updated 28 May 2014 , 7:00am by Smckinney07
AI am new to fondant and don't like the dryness of the product on the cakes. I would like to try to steam the cake. Does anyone know how long the steam takes to dry, how long the shiny effect lasts, and will it make my colors bleed?
What are hoping to achieve by steaming the fondant? Honestly, I think a steamed fondant cake looks ridiculous unless the cake is a purse, or something that would be shiny in real life. Otherwise, it just looks damp and melty. Sorry if that ruffles any feathers, but it's just true, more people will probably silently agree with this than will say it out loud, but I don't mind, if it helps someone stop making their cakes look melty....I'm all for it.
If you need to get corn starch marks off, brush it with a brush, or spray it with a light mist of vodka. But an overall shiny look unless it's patent leather you're going for, or anything else shiny in real life....just say no steam! 
ADrying time really depends on how humid your work area is and how long you hold the steam on it. When I steam i go over it quickyl and it looks shiny right away, but dries within minutes and does not look shiny or melty. If it does look melty, you are most likely holding the steam on it for too long. I will say that if you have imperfections under your fondant that steaming may highlight them more as it does soften the fondant a bit. It does help set your colors, and it does help get rid of cornstarch/powdered sugar, but I do recommend brushing as much off as possible before steaming so you don't need to steam in one area for as long.
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What are hoping to achieve by steaming the fondant? Honestly, I think a steamed fondant cake looks ridiculous unless the cake is a purse, or something that would be shiny in real life. Otherwise, it just looks damp and melty. Sorry if that ruffles any feathers, but it's just true, more people will probably silently agree with this than will say it out loud, but I don't mind, if it helps someone stop making their cakes look melty....I'm all for it.
If you need to get corn starch marks off, brush it with a brush, or spray it with a light mist of vodka. But an overall shiny look unless it's patent leather you're going for, or anything else shiny in real life....just say no steam!
I agree with this, Buddy on his cake show does a lot of steaming and it always looks to me like the cakes are really wet almost to the dripping point.
I've steamed handbag cakes but not always, I prefer the more 'worn' look.
What are hoping to achieve by steaming the fondant? Honestly, I think a steamed fondant cake looks ridiculous unless the cake is a purse, or something that would be shiny in real life. Otherwise, it just looks damp and melty. Sorry if that ruffles any feathers, but it's just true, more people will probably silently agree with this than will say it out loud, but I don't mind, if it helps someone stop making their cakes look melty....I'm all for it.
If you need to get corn starch marks off, brush it with a brush, or spray it with a light mist of vodka. But an overall shiny look unless it's patent leather you're going for, or anything else shiny in real life....just say no steam!
Not a steamer here, either. First of all, why on earth add heat to the cake??? That's just asking for trouble. I do spray mine with plain water or vodka if they still need it after brushing off the cornstarch, but I use as little as possible. What's nice about doing it that way is you can control it and not even necessarily get a shine.
Some people put them in the swamp cooler to achieve a shine. That's even worse than steaming in my opinion - they just look so melty.
AThank you for all the replies. Since I'm new to fondant I will skip steaming the cake but steam a couple of figures to get used to it.
try using satin ice fondant, it's a little bit more expensive but it's definitely worth it. If you don't want to steam the fondant, you can use spray Pam and paint it on with a paint brush conservatively. This will give you're cake a nice shiny coat.
ABladeMansWife, I wonder what you mean by 'dry' fondant, is it cracking/tearing/elephant skin, etc.? I'm only asking because you mentioned being new to fondant, I tried every type of fondant I could get my hands on (even hybrids and making my own) before I found a fondant brand I'm happy with. They all act different and some might give you better results but I think that's a personal preference (probably your location & humidity will also be a factor).
Anyway, I agree with what the other posters have suggested. I only use a steamer with flower, to set my petal dust-I don't even own an actual steamer, just a pan of boiling water. As others stated above, something like patent leather I'd just paint with a combo of corn syrup & vodka and some projects I'd use a confectioners glaze.
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