Fairly new to cake decorating, so if this is silly bear with me....I seem to get bulges in my fondant covered cakes where there is frosting between layers (not always, but with enough frequency I need to end it once & for all!).

My gut says, I'm either using too much frosting or too weak a frosting... I've tried using less and a sturdier icing like half crisco/butter (but it's got to taste good right?) Then I tried letting it settle, all no good. I've used all sorts of fondant too, and no real noticeable improvement (Wilton, blah! ... Satin Ice, Chocopan...)

I use the hidden pillar system, so I'm fairly confident it's not added weight from the tiers.

My next thought is maybe I should apply weight (similar to the total weight of the fondant) after I've torte-ed the cakes prior to frosting the whole thing?

Somebody help me!

If you need to see some samples of what I've talking about, my photo gallery has plenty to pick from!

www.delightfullydesigned.blogspot.com

Thanks!
Stephani

It looks like too weak a frosting to me. Have you tried SugarShack's frosting yet? If not, I would definitely try it...really good and watching her DVDs may help with this too.

HTH

I adopted SugarShack's "stiff icing dam" technique and rarely have any bulging now. Use a really stiff buttercream (almost stiff enough to roll in a ball) for your dam, even if you're only going to fill your cake with buttercream. Leave about 1/8" from the edge of your cake when piping your dam. After filling and putting the top layer on, press down firmly (I like to use a cake board for this). Wrap and let settle overnight or a least a few hours. Unwrap, run a line of icing where your two layers come together just to fill in any gaps. If there is any bulging, remove it. Ice as usual.

So quick and helpful, thank you both.

Quick question... where I can access sugar shack? Is it a book, website? I googled it and found an adult only site in WI....

Thanks!

This is her site http://www.sugaredproductions.com

Also, she's a member here on CC. If you look her up under the member list and send her a PM (private message) I'm sure she'll answer back pretty quickly as well.

Good luck!

Oops...forgot to mention; it's the Buttercream DVD that has the info you're looking for. But all of her DVDs are really good.

I to am a Sugarshack fan!!!! Do invest at least (I have all) in both the Fondant and BC video....you will find it definitely worth it.....

ABSOLUTELY Sugarshack's stiff buttercream dam method is the best I have found! What she does is take her regular bc recipe and continue to add powdered sugar to it so that it is stiff like play-dough. Then she pipes it out of a bag with a smooth coupler. She pipes it in sections and pieces them together forming a dam on the outside edge of the cake. Then she fills the cake accordingly. She also has a method of wrapping/enclosing the cake in (tightly) a plastic bag and allowing it to settle overnight (if possible) so that all bulging is eliminated. There's more to it than that so I'd invest in the video. I won one as a prize and it is AWESOME!!!

I concur! Sugarshack's idea of a really stiff icing dam works great! I use my own icing recipe and knead in powdered sugar until it is like clay, stiff but able to pipe with the smooth coupler. I just did a tiered wedding cake and it was a very, very hot day! The dam held, not bulge at all, nada! Give it a go!
P.S. It didn't effect the taste of the cake (all that extra powdered sugar) at all.

I get the best results when:

I use a firm cake
stiff icing dam
trim the cake sides
crumbcoat of BC
chill
cover with fondant a tad less than 1/4 inch thick.

I get the best results when:

I use a firm cake
stiff icing dam
trim the cake sides
crumbcoat of BC
chill
cover with fondant a tad less than 1/4 inch thick.

I'm going to try the basic technique recommended soon, and am happily adding the dvds to my birthday wish list!

I read a post on here recently where a person uses frosting mixed with cake to make her dams. I have done sugarshacks dams. I couldn't get it to go through the piping bag. The coupler came out due to pressure I put on the bag to squeeze the stuff out. So, I am going to try the cake and frosting mixed.

I read a post on here recently where a person uses frosting mixed with cake to make her dams. I have done sugarshacks dams. I couldn't get it to go through the piping bag. The coupler came out due to pressure I put on the bag to squeeze the stuff out. So, I am going to try the cake and frosting mixed. I have found sugarshacks dam material to ge great for patching missing pieces of cake. It's like putting plaster over a whole in the wall. To do this, I make the "dam" material thick enough to mold it, but not too thick. Play with it. That is how I found the right consistancy to do that.