i thought i had the problem solved by making a more dense cake but i am still having the same problem. when i cover my cakes with fondant they end up bulging where the filling or buttercream is. PLEASE tell me what i am doing wrong...

gravity wins every time..

it's not the density of the cake...
it's the density of the filling

and as your top settles, the filling squishes out.

the thinner the filling, the less stiff the icing, the more the bulge.

so....don't put the fondant on immediately.

give gravity time to do it's dirty work and cause the top to settle and filling to bulge (takes about an hour or so.) then remove any bulge and cover.

also helps to hold the icing dam back from the edge of the cake about a 1/2 inch, so that as top settles the icing can spread to fill the gap and not bulge as much.

(my first thought -- too many calories ! just like what makes me bulge! )

You are probably over filling the layers. Make a dam around the inside edge with stiff bc then fill your layers below the level of the dam. Let the cake set for a while (at least an hour if not more) that way you can see if you are going to have any leaks, etc that you can deal with then put on your icing and fondant, etc

hth d

(edited to remove double post)

Ah Doug! GMTA!!

I whole heartedly agree with Doug and Dodibug....

VERY helpful....thank you!

It's because the icing settles and has no place to go except out. You should be putting a thicker "crumb-coat" of buttercream on the exterior of the cake to prevent that.

On my fondant cakes, the layer of buttercream underneath the fondant is only slightly thinner than on a completely buttercream-iced cake. This holds any fillings in and prevents that "saddlebag" bulging look.

Everyone knows how much I love fondant.... ....your answer sounds good Antonia...how cold is your cake when you apply the fondant?

Do you roll it to 1/4" thick to also prevent the bulge?

When I've covered a cake with the stuff..it seems so darn heavy....I'm thinking the cake should be near frozen when applying it.

I watched Collette....she said to make sure your cake is cold when applying the fondant. So the question is...doesn't that make the fondant "sweat" after applying? Will it be a gooey mess underneath from the trapped moisture??

I really am trying to understand this stuff.....it all sounds good in theory..then when I try to apply that theory it all gets screwed up. Maybe it is just me...but I don't have a problem with anything else...just that mass of nasty Fondant.

It hates me...

I coat my cakes with a smooth layer of the IMBC (non-crusting) then place them in the freezer for an hour or two. (Don't worry, they don't freeze solid for that long!)

I roll out my fondant to about 1/4" to 1/3" thickness and quickly take the cake from the freezer and apply the fondant. I smooth it quickly, then trim and raise the cake up to sit overnight. (eg. for an 8" cake, I place it on a 7" pan turned upside-down). DO NOT TOUCH THE CAKE OR ITS FONDANT AT THIS POINT. It will sweat very lightly and evaporate perfectly. If you touch it now, those marks will show!

In the morning, the fondant has elongated just a tiny little bit as the cake thaws and settles. Trim it cleanly underneath and you can even use the paddle if there are any little air pockets. Works beautifully every time!

antonia74...you are the BEST! i can't wait to try and do this the Right way!

if i use whit chocolate ganache to dam and frost the cake, will this help with the bulging?

Sharon Zambito (Sugarshack) has a great DVD that explains cake bulge and how to get rid of it (plus lots of other great stuff). It's called Perfecting the Art of Buttercream. Well worth it! You can order from www.sugaredproductions dot com.

Try this.
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-633571-trick.html