Hi all,

Here is a cake I made recently. I was happy with everything except that my fondant cutouts became wrinkled and cracked as I was cutting them out, especially the ocean waves. I used cornstarch while rolling out the fondant, and I made the fondant myself. Is there something I am doing wrong that I can avoid this problem? Or how can I fix it afterwards. I tried smoothing it out with my fingers, water, and butter, and nothing helped. Thank you in advance!!!

You could try using shortening to knead the fondant before you work with it and not use too much cornstarch when rolling it out. Also, try to work with it quickly so it doesn't dry out before you're able to finish. Hope this helps!

I agree - the fondant probably needed a bit more shortening &/or moisture (liquid).   You should not have to work w/fondant really quick - that's one of the beauties of it.  One should have several minutes at least to cut it out and apply to cake.  And as the toehr poster said, maybe you didn't knead it long enough.

@Jocey1358 ‍ @kakeladi ‍ thank you so much! I didn't need it with shortening or butter, I only used the cornstarch because it was sticking to my mat. That sounds like it may have been the issue, I will definitely test this out this week, thank you!

Another great way to add moisture to your fondant is to add glycerine.  I start with shortening and if it doesn't do the trick, I add glycerine.  Cool way to recover even old, stiff fondant.

@SandraSmiley ‍ that's a great suggestion. I used corn syrup for the fondant, do you think replacing it with the glycerin would be better?

I honestly do not know, Celine88.  I just use shortening and glycerin to rejuvenate fondant and gum paste.  I've never tried corn syrup.

@SandraSmiley ‍ ok then I will definitely try using that as well, thank you!

I have never heard ofusing butter or corn syrup in fondant or gumpaste.  Do try what sandra suggested.

Thank you so much for your reply. I do believe that the recipe I was using for fondant is not ideal. I will be testing out the new recipe using glycerin and vegetable shortening instead, and I think it will help a lot. Thanks for the advice!!

i don't use anything on the rolling surface when i roll out fondant -- cornstarch will cause it to crack for sure 

well, i should say cornstarch can cause it to crack