I am attempting to cover two cakes in fondant tonight. I have one batch of fondant dyed red and the other dyed green. I just used fondant this past weekend on another cake and it was fine but now it is tearing AS I'M ROLLING IT OUT......as its still nice and thick little "stretch marks" are appearing as i'm trying to roll it!!!! I have a suspicion that the dye did something to the fondant......like dry it out......but I've kneeded so much crisco into it and that doesn't seem to be helping......Any Ideas???

I know we can't get rid of stretch marks in real life but gosh darn I should be able to get rid of them on a cake!

Are you rolling it on Crisco? Just a swipe of grease, then take a paper towel and wipe off most of that.
I'm not great w/fondant - it sounds like your recipe is off. I would try kneeding in some Crisco &/or a bit of water.

I've been using this recipe for all of my cakes and it has worked fine for me before......I roll it out on corn starch. I used to roll it out on crisco but then discovered that corn starch makes it so much more satin-y and easy to use..........Until now........I think it's the dye......but I'm not sure what to do about it......I microwaved it for about 20 sec.....it made it softer but still did the ripping.....and i added lots of extra crisco but didn't make a difference

I am having the same problem with the darker dye colors, so I will be anxious to read a solution

Sometimes it gets like that.

It's probably the red that's having the issues. I don't know how to fix it, just wanted to send some cake sympathy your way

Thanks.....at least I'm not the only one.....and yes.....I managed to get the green one to work but the red one is still being the problem child

Thanks for the sympathy.....I enjoy hearing that other people have the same issues that I do!

The cake is due tomorrow.......I'm not getting paid for it or anything....I volunteered to do it....It's for a work party so no huge pressure.....

If I end up making it work I'll let you guys know what I did!!! However I am still looking for advice!!! hehe

Thinking back, when my fondant acts up like that, sometimes I've had to roll it out on crisco instead of the cornstarch. You can also roll it out on a mat and flip it over the cake if it's too wimpy to pick up and drop over the cake.

What does your design look like? any chance you could put it on in sections and cover the seams with the design elements?

I have the same problem with red. If you are using homemade MMF, try mixing the red in when your marshmallows are melted, before the sugar. That seems to help. The BEST thing to do is to buy satin ice in the dark colors and mix 1/4 - 1/2 satin ice, 1/2- 3/4 MMF. I do this with my black, and it works great.

I know when I add too much crisco it makes my MMF crack like this, so that is why I think it is better to add the red(or other deep color) to the melted marshmallows before you knead. That way you minimize how much crisco is added to the fondant.

Sometimes adding to much color will change your fondant. Powdered colors are best for dark shades.

Jen

hmmm I didn't even know about powdered colors.....where do you get them?

It's funny you asked this because that's exactly why I'm on this particular thread is to ask that question. Mine looks like leather kind of. I'm using the same MMF recipe that I've been using. I thought it was too dry and added a little water and a little shortning. Nothing helped. I used dark colors too (Americolor Royal Blue and a darker purple but can't remember the name).

I'm curious about the powdered colors too, but it seems like they would dry the fondant out more?

Ok so I found NO SOLUTION to this problem.....I ended up biting my lip and doing the best I could with the red fondant. The cake is in my pics if anyone wants to see......It's the Stacked Red and Green Presents cake. I ended up getting the fondant on the cake and as I was smoothing it out it started ripping all over the place. I ended up covering up most of it with large green polka dots.....but you might still be able to see the bottom edge looking kinda shabby.....I'm going to have to research this a lot more. I used Americolor Leave Green and Super Red.

One person on this thread suggested adding the dye while the marshmallows are melted before adding the ps......I think I will give that a try!!! I'd still like to hear any other ideas anyone might have.....

I might end up sending a personal message to one of the "big cheeses" on this site like Indydebi or someone and ask them. I'll let everyone know what I come up with if I ever find anything out! Thanks for all ur moral support and suggestions!

I have added color to the melted marshmellows before adding powder sugar. It worked great in acheiving my color, however, I found that I had to work a lot more powered sugar into it than I usually would because it was real sticky.


Also in the case of the cracking red, maybe if you had added a little bit of glycerin to it, it might have helped restore it to a stretchy texture.


I am not an expert by anymeans, just using my experiences.....

I have found that the fondant is great to apply to cakes right after you have coloured it a darker shade. Let it sit and it is difficult to roll out and apply to a cake.

I've had that happen to me when I've added a lot of color to get a brilliant shade. I'll echo what others have to said - add the color to your gooey liquid (be it marshmallows or corn syrup/gelatin liquid if you're making MFF) and then powdered sugar. I often still have to add a bit more even after that, but it works better than adding all the color after the powdered sugar is in.

Thanks for all of the awesome suggestions.....I'll have to experiment a little bit and see what works for me!

i just saw the cake it look flawless i had a simalar problem on my CARS cake the red was just an issue that i end up working in sections, so next time i just order red fondant less headaches

The best solution I have ever found to this is to use Satin Ice red, black or purple fondants. Those colors are so finicky and after having those stressed out moments before, it is not worth it to me any longer to make them, nor to make the fondant either. My fondant is okay, but the Satin Ice is soooo nice to work with I can't go back.

I did a birthday cake this past weekend with one tier in red with white and black piping to make it look like a bandana. The fondant was a dream to work with. Also covered the cake drum with it and did the same piping on it. The cake was nice but that red fondant really rocked.

I agree with the poster who said to add extra glycerin. I've found that adding Crisco doesn't help much, but adding a little glycerin is usually an improvement.

I cant offer much help. Just wanted to say that I've been there too but with Wilton fondant. I had a 3D football helmet to make that had to be a midnight blue and by the time I added all that color to the fondant, things got ugly! It started tearing all over as soon as I rolled it out and placed it over the cake. I had to pull it off 3 times and reroll that night. I was almost in tears. Finally, the 4th time worked out the best. It did tear in the back at the bottom but I was able to cover it. I also tried crisco that night and it didnt work for me either. No one suggested I try glycerin. I'll def. have to keep that in mind the next time I have to add a dark color to fondant. I'm also inclined to believe that adding so much color, changes the fondant somehow. Whatever it was, If I never have a night like that again, it will be to soon.

I can't help with the fondant itself, but there was a thread on here recently about fondant spackle (if I remember right, you take a little bit of your fondant, mix it with tylose glue to make a paste, rub it into the cracks and smooth it out... Since you use the fondant you're working with, the color matches perfectly... Do a search for the actual thread, though, in case I'm not remembering the details quite right). Maybe that will help after the fact.

Also, I was watching a cake decorating show today, and one of the featured decorators was having a similar problem and said that one of the main things she had learned in culinary school was to decorate to cover mistakes, so your fix is probably just what many professionals do, too. ; )

haha yes......if you check out the picture of the cake in my photos(red and green presents) you will notice that the red has nice big polka dots on it under most of those dots is a large gaping hole.....teehehe!

I did check out your cake in question and it is lovely! The dots look like they were part of the original plan. Great job!

As an artist of several media, I can say that the biggest lesson one learns in any medium is how to fix problems and mistakes. I spent a lot of time learning to be a goldsmith and during the first years I had to learn how to tweak things, bend this, smooth out that, or ultimately re-melt and start over. It is the same with cakes, oil painting, sculpting, you name it.

The red and green presents cake is gorgeous, as are all of your cakes, and never let them see you sweat nor tell them what went wrong. They never need to know, just share it with us if you hafta tell someone. Let the recipients or customers think it was what you meant to do and grow in the esteem they hold for your abilities! You deserve it!

so for those of you who purchase Satin Ice......if the color you purchase is not the exact shade you want.....do you then add your own dye to the precolored satin ice??

You can change the color of the fondant by adding other colors but it is best to start with a small piece and add color in very small amounts so that you get an idea of how much it will take and whether or not the added color will achieve the goal color. You don't want to add the wrong color to a big hunk of the fondant and have to throw it away.

It is a good idea, for those who haven't already, to learn a little about color theory, which colors added together to make other secondary or third generation colors, warm versus cold hues, how to get tone changes which means making something darker but not more saturated in color, for instance, making a more navy blue which is more black than a royal blue which is more pure in color or hue. Hue = color, tone = lightness versus darkness.

Remember, experiment with small pieces!

Adding black to red is not a good idea in most cases. You will make it muddy looking, as would adding green since it is the opposite of red, or complimentary (a technical not social term). Complimentary colors when added together usually make brown, unless it is pure color which would result in black. BTW, the Satin Ice red is an awesome true red. If you want it more like a tomato, you add a wee bit yellow. More purple, add a wee bit of violet or blue, but some blues are too green (actually have green in their formulas) which would ruin the effect. Violet or purple is already more on the blue end.

It sounds confusing to someone who hasn't studied it but a little searching on the internet and you can find enough to help. Look for color wheels too. Here is a link to an interactive color wheel that will give you an idea of which color to use to go to the next level. Glide your cursor over it and it will "blend" colors for you. If you move towards the center, you will essentially be adding black therefore deepening your tone, while gliding to the edge adds more white (titanium oxide in food color). Each monitor will be different but it at least gives you an idea of how color theory works.

http://ficml.org/jemimap/style/color/wheel.html

The best way to learn color theory with fondant (or icing) is to experiment. Small amounts of material, take notes, take pictures. Sorry to get all passionate about it...I've been an artist for nearly 50 years and it has always been a passion for me.

Nel

How is the taste of of the Satin ice compared to MMF? Don't care for taste of the Wilton fondant, if I have to use it I add extract flavoring, helps a little. I like MMF flavor, but I also have had problems with cracking when using certain colors.