Please help before I go nuts (no offense squirrelly ). I keep practicing and practicing and have wasted many $$$$$$$$ on fondant. I cannot for the life of me get it right on how to smooth the fondant down without any wrinkles or dimples or something not looking like the reason why everyone wants fondant!! I am practicing on an 8" rounds, with lots of smooth b/c icing. I roll out the fondant thin enough that I can see the lines on my mat but not too thin. I can pick it up fine, I can lay it on the cake fine, I can smooth the top of the cake fine and I can smooth one section of the side of the cake and then it turns into a fight with me and the fondant and then the wrinkles are on an angle and then I pull it back up to smooth that part down and then it messes up the part I just smoothed and then it tears!!!!!! AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG.

I bought 15 more pounds of fondant and I also bought the stuff that you mix with it to make it more durable - so the lady told me. I am picking it up tomorrow and will try again. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pass some words of wisdom on to me so that I can maybe get it. I have searched all over the internet, reviewed, examined, studied some instructions with pics but they always seem to skip over the steps on how to smooth it. They go from laying it on to the cake to a perfectly covered cake!! I want to see them fight with those *&^%^% wrinkles and drapes that form.

Please help. I'm begging....... can you feel the desperation???
Thanks in advance!!
bj

Ohhh gosh...poor thing. I wish there was something that I could suggest, but I'm still just too new at it. Here's a bump...hopefully someone can help!

I was having the same problem but mostly with sq. I was told that I was using the wrong fondant(Wilton Brand) So I ordered Satin Ice. I love it.
First don,t roll it so thin, it should be at least 1/4 to 1/8 thick so that once it is draped you should be able to pull it down or (Stretch)it . As you do so the folds & drapes will work out. I Practiced on a dummy cake. This was explained to me by a baker in New york. I can't think of his name, but he hs a DVD out. Its expenisve, I emailed him to find out if he demostrated
covering a sq. cake, before purchasing the DVD. It didn't so he was very kind to explain this to me. It worked out fine.
Another thing that might help is to sat you cake on a raised stand so you can gently pull folds & drapes out. Hope this helps it worked for me.

Yes, I know the folds.. but the trick as the others say is to lift and smooth! Lift the fondant from the edge getting fingers under a little if you can and lift it up and that helps the folds to spread and then you smooth it around the cake side. You will find that they try to move to the side that you have already smoothed, but you just lift and smooth again if needed to that part and then suddenly realise that you have done all the folds! Keep trying and roll your fondant thick! The thicker it is the easier it is to work with as it is stronger and less likely to tear.

Hey - I agree with the other ladies - I think you're rolling it too thin, which will make it wrinkle way too much. That was my problem - I ended up with all these little pleats at the bottom, but then I realized that it was because my fondant was too thin. It's like when people do draping on cakes - they have to make it think to drape right but that's not the effect you want when covering a cake. So try it a little bit thicker. Also, have you tried making marshmallow fondant? I started with it a couple weeks ago. It's so easy to make and it would be perfect for you to practice with because it's so CHEAP! I'm doing my first paid wedding cake in a couple weeks and so I've been practicing like crazy with it. You can experiment with different flavors, different colors (I was in search of the perfect subtle ivory and a dark deep red and had to try several different brands till I got it), without worrying about wasting a lot of money at the same time.

To VCR - are you talking about Scott Clark Wooley? He's a NYC based decorator that has some videos. He is the coolest - I ordered something from him and he personally emails back! And he's just so nice! His work is beautiful too - I would love to get his instructional video but it's like $200.

You need to raise your cake so your fondant will fall not bunch up on you at the bottom while you are trying to smooth it down. I put my turntable up on a box which is smaller than the diameter of the cake and the fondant almost smooths itself when it falls down. And like the other ladies said your rolling it out too thin. Save yourself some money and make some fondant it really isn' t that hard.

Nicholas Lodge has a video/dvd on how to cover a cake with fondant and it's only $20!!

Thanks, ladies for all the great tips, I too was having the exact same problems and I can see that I was rolling my fondant too thin. Back to the drawing board!

Oh thank you, thank you , thank you everyone. I too was having severe problems with my fondant, (rolling too thin wrinkels and creases) and that is why my shoe and shoe box cake was done in BC.........thank you again........I will try it again!

One more thing... Try chilling your iced cake before putting your fondant on..It helps with the smoothing when the cake and icing are firm. You don't get quite as many dents.... I'll shut up now!!

Another tip is to make the circle of fondant generously sized so the the wrinkles end up off the bottom of the cake into the part you cut off. Make sure that you gently secure the top and along the top edge first and then work the wrinkles down the sides of the cake and off into a ruffle at the outside edge of the fondant that you then cut off. I hope I didn't make it less clear.

You've gotten a lot of good advice here....the ones that helped me the most are :
1. do not roll fondant too thin
2. always put your cake on a same-size board, then elevate it on a coffee can or something similar before putting the fondant on. This allows the fondant to hang straight down and helps to keep it from pleating and creasing.

You guys have all given me some really great advice that I never heard such as sticking it in a freezer - etc - thanks so much! I'm doing my first fondant wedding cake in a couple weeks and I'm obsessing over making it perfect and I hate all those little lumps you get if your buttercream isn't perfect - because I always think I have it smooth but once the fondant is on it's bumpy and I hate that! Thanks everyone - that's why I love this website so much! Everyone is so helpful!

Melissa

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all your advise! I did not want to tell y'all that I had not one but THREE fondant cakes due today (Friday). Like I said before, I normally catch really quick to everything I tackle but this was just killing me. I did some more practice cakes and then when I felt sure enough I tacked the real cakes. Well stupid me tackles the 10" first! YIKES! Didn't come out the best but I knew I had a ribbon border to hide any "flaws". I did the 6" and they came out GREAT! So for now I will only attempt 6" and 8" until I have them mastered! I have attached a pic of one of the cakes. It was for a birthday party for three girls, 18, 18, 15 and the theme was black and white. two white and one black.

Thanks again!
bj

I have to agree about letting the bc chill on the cake before applying the mmf fondant. I just made my 2nd mmf cake and had the cake chilling in the fridge and the fondant went on super smooth!!! I was so excited!!!! I did have a few problems w/the sides but I noticed that If I cut it down before I smoothed it to the side of the cake it fit better!!! Good luck!!

Those cakes look wonderful!!! Fondant looks really smooth! Great job!

Great job! You sure do learn quickly! I wish that was contagious!!
You should be very proud of yourself! That was a lot of work and you have smoothed all of your cakes wonderfully!