pART I

HOW ON EARTH DO YOU LIFT THE FONDANT??? I'm rolling it out to 24x24 to cover the cake (which it hasn't done so far ), and I can't figure out how to get it off the vinyl without tearing it.

I've tried inverting it onto the cake, but it comes down off the vinyl so hard that I'm sure it would ruin the real cake (I'm practicing on styrofoam right now.)


PART II
I was ready to cry today . I made 5 batches of the Wilton fondant (which I've used with great success before), and managed to knead it all together and roll it out only to find that it didn't have the same consistency as the smaller pieces I've worked with. It tears more easily and gets the elephant-skin look. ANY IDEA WHY? WHAT CAN I DO TO PREVENT THIS?

I really appreciate any advice, tips, or help. Thanks!

Wish I knew how to forward the info to you. I just looked at baking911 to see what there was on this. Go to your search engine and type lifting fondant. You should see a lot of stuff for baking 911. One of them has thw word lifting. Click there. Go to the baking 911 search engine type in lifting fondant. Scoll all the way down past the size chart. In the first highlighted box that is where it tells you to use a large piece of fondant.

you could always sprinkle cornstarch of powdered sugar on the fondant to prevent it from sticking and roll it on a large rolling pin or just roll it into a large roll, carry to cake and then start on one side and then unroll it up and over the cake.

that is a BIG cake!!! If you figure this out, let me know!!! I covered a 14" round once and I literally put the cake on a stool and threw the fondant over it and it just happened to land in the right spot!!!

Get a REALLY BIG cake board (maybe even use one side of a big box), double or triple thickness if you can manage it (fondant can be heavy!) and dust it with your powder of choice (cornstarch or powdered sugar)

Preferably, get someone to help you... slide the rolled-out fondant onto the board, center it over your cake, and slide it on. Trust me, an extra person REALLY helps here.

Good luck!

Use your arms...after you roll out the fondant, slide both your arms under it and lift , then set it on top of the cake...

This might be a silly question but, I can see using powder of choice like sugar or cornstarch when rolling out white fondant to keep it from sticking -- but what if I'm rolling out a dark-colored fondant? Wouldn't the white powder show up too much? Or would the powder only be on one side which then becomes the down side of the fondant on the cake?

I haven't tried this, but I've seen it done on a few shows on Food Network. When working with a large amount of fondat, they've rolled it around the rolling pin and then unroll it onto the cake. Let us know how you made out!

The wilton brand fondant is hard to work with in general. I would try a better brand, I use fondx, I love it. Ive heard that Satin Ice is good too. These have a much better flavor than Wilton and are more pliable. I use the rolling pin way. just loosley wrap the fondant around the pin and when its all rolled up like a pig in a blanket, unroll it onto your cake. Im by no means a pro at this, this is just what helps me. Good luck.

waltz - when I roll a dark fondant (or any fondant, actually) I grease my surface lightly with shortening instead of using powder - this prevents 'dust' on the surface. However, when using the 'sliding' technique, powder MUST be used on the board, to make it easy to jimmy onto the cake. It will only be on the cake side, so no problem.

Also, I have found the rolling pin method quite effective, except when rolling large amounts. If your circle is 24 inches, it is near impossible to wrap in around the pin, move it to the cake, and unroll it without getting marks on the surface. At least for me it is, maybe others are just more skilled than I am, or have much larger rolling pins!

THanks for all the advice everyone --- I got the answer that worked for me on this site -- yeah! I bought pvc 4" x 26", and it worked like a dream! I was able to lift the fondant just like I would with a regular rolling pin. It flowed beautifully onto the cake, and the fondant didn't stretch! I love this site so much!