Help I Dont Know What Is Going On :(
Decorating By mochahontus Updated 30 Jun 2014 , 9:27pm by AZCouture
A[IMG ALT=""]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3255094/width/350/height/700[/IMG] [IMG ALT=""]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3255095/width/350/height/700[/IMG] [IMG ALT=""]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3255096/width/350/height/700[/IMG]
Ever since I started decorating in the summer I've run into all kinda of new problems !? What is going on :(
Are you using buttercream under the fondant? It looks like the buttercream is melting underneath and also melting the fondant. I use ganache under my fondant because it is more stable. I also make sure that the area I work in is cool and I also have a dehumidifier to take out the humidity in the air. I live in Florida so very humid here.
AMight be:
Your BC is too soft I use SMBC, flash freeze and cover cake with fondant Or you didn't knead your fondant enough Or rolled it too thick/too thin
Hopefully you can troubleshoot your problem. I know how frustrating fondant issues can be :( good luck!
Hi Mochohontus - I hope my advice here may be of some help to you:
I agree with the other answers, that it looks like your buttercream is too soft for whatever reason. It could be:
- that the cake did not stand for long enough to cool down before covering it
- that the layer of buttercream under the white fondant is too thick. My tip is to put a very thin layer of buttercream on your cake ( this is the crumb coating ). Then put it in the fridge for 10 - 15 minutes. Then remove and pat down all surfaces with a crumpled up piece of paper towel. Then put another thin layer of buttercream on top, but only enough to provide a sticky surface for the fondant to hold onto. This way you can guarantee that your cake will be sufficiently cool to cover with fondant.
- Not enough buttercream will result in air bubbles under the fondant
- Too much buttercream will probably look like your picture in warm weather (not sure). A good tip as mentioned already is to use a fan to keep cake temperature cool.
- If you make your own fondant - have you got the right consistency of gelatine (or agar in vegetarian recipes), water, fructose, powdered sugar and food-grade glycerine.
See : http://honestcooking.com/making-your-own-fondant/
- Personally I buy my fondant already made from the suppliers and add a tiny amount of Sugarflair Paste (colouring) to adapt its colour to what I need.
- It could simply be that it's just too hot in Los Angeles (23 degrees and 66 percent humidity) -
Solution: come and live in Plymouth UK (17 degrees and 85 % humidity and raining )
- One more tip: It's a good idea to cover up imperfections with flowers as you have done already. A nice range of slightly larger flowers which are very effective on a cake is from the "Blossom Sugar Art" range for example their Hydrangeas, Petunia and Blossom etc.
Good luck ! PS. The finished cake looks good.
See pic below for the Blossom Sugar Art flowers to cover up imperfections. (use flower paste - not fondant)
It could be as simple as letting the cake settle before covering with fondant. Those bulges around the cake are a tell tale sign of no settling.
Either let your cake rest after you fill it, or give it a good press to force the layers together and hasten any settling. Trim any bulges then. It should help with a cleaner appearance.
AI quit using buttercream under fondant because it just doesn't seam to hold up to the weight of fondant. I always use white chocolate ganache. Also, roll your fondant very thin (I like mine to me 1/16" thick).
And, let your cakes settle once filled overnight. That will help the roll at the bottom the tier issue.
AI'm thinking the fondant is super thick. I think that's the case in a lot of the problems we see here almost daily. What gives me that impression is the severely rounded top edge on baptism cake, and partly intuition. Like [@]cai0311[/@], I too roll mine about 1/16th of an inch, and flash freeze my smbc covered cakes before covering. Thick fondant is really heavy, I think a lot of people don't realize that.
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