Hi all, I’ve been asked to make a two-tier cake for a baby shower. The family is very Italian, so I’d suggested a cassata cake of some kind. Since it’s a tiered, decorated cake, I’m basically doing vanilla cake with a cannoli filling (adding the chocolate and nuts to the filling so it’s more like a traditional cassata). I’d love to use a stabilized whipped cream as the icing, but I’m hesistant because the cake design will require fondant strips to be put around the bottoms of each tier. I’d feel much safer using buttercream, but worry it’ll be too much with the cannoli. Many times I’ve used a whipped cream-like icing that I’ve stabilized with mascarpone. It’s delxious and doesn’t go flat. Would this work with fondant? I don’t have a ton of experience with fondant so I’m always worried it’ll end in disaster. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance... 

I have absolutely no experience with whipped cream frosting, but if it is stablized with mascarpone, I see no reason why a fondant strip could not be applied around the base of each tier.  In fact, even if it were just a stablized whipped cream (with gelatin), I think it would still work.

Ditto everything Sandra said :)

Thanks. But does anyone have real experience in this? I feel like the wetness of the whipped cream would melt the fondant, no? And this cake would have to be refrigerated, isn’t refrigerating fondant a no no?

No, refrigerating fondant is not a no-no.  I refrigerate all of my cakes.   I do not know about fondant, although I doubt it would melt from the moisture of the whipped cream, but what I do know is modeling chocolate and it definitely would not melt, be damaged by the refrigerator and would taste 10 times better than fondant.  It would be my choice.

I've put the lace on whipped cream/marscapone icing and it did not budge but I can't remember using fondant -- you need to test it out in advance -- you don't even need to make a full recipe just enough to test --

Thanks. Modeling chocolate is a great idea, also. I’ve never used it. I’ve attached a picture of the cake that the customer requested. I need to make those leopard print strips. I’m sure I could just use ribbon but I thought it’d be more impressive to make it edible. Maybe I’m asking for a headache lol  

Sandra said:  ......No, refrigerating fondant is not a no-no.  ........

Thats right.   I was told (way back in the 'olden days' LOL) when we 1st started using fondant (at least here in the US) that one should NEVER put fondant in the frig or fzr but that has been proven to be false advice. 

I would pipe that in a leopard print  beat -- in buttercream and just pat it down with a towel -- but store bought ribbon is the best bet for non-edible -- 

whipped topping will never give you a finish like that -- that is quite a sophisticated look -- ain't happening

If I were you, I would use a store bought ribbon.  The only people you will impress more by making it from fondant or modeling chocolate is yourself and other decorators.  The customer doesn't know the difference and could not care less, as long as the cake looks beautiful and tastes good.

Thanks, SandraSmiley. I purchased the ribbon today because I realized the fondant would just be too much. You’re right, people will love the look regardless of the material, and it will be peeled off regardless. Thank you to everyone who responded , I’ll let you all know how the final product turns out! :)

Good luck, LadyBird719.  I know your cake will be beautiful.

Yes, I realized a while ago that trying to be sure everything on a cake is edible is, to some extent, pride and vanity on our part, because most of the time the customer just doesn't know or care about the difference.  They see a beautiful cake and if it tastes good too, that is all that matters.

very true, sandra, I agree