Why, oh why, is there no hurling emoticon?

I found one on this site, actually, that's pretty much just crisco and powdered sugar.

Do people really eat that?

That has to be the lovely W----- recipe, used for practice in many classes. Many of the students get that confused with real icing and actually feed that to people.

If you decide to refrigerate your cakes I would not do any hand painting on them before refrigeration (if that is included in your design). The risk of getting condensation on your cakes once you take them out from the fridge (for an hour or so, depending on size) until the cake is back at room temp, and the condensation would probably ruin your paintings.

Wow - i bet you are well and truely confused now after reading the last three pages

IF you have covered your cake correctly - then no - please don't put it in a fridge.

I know - i know - a lot on here are saying - you must - but you will noctice that after they say that there is a *but*
Which only adds to the confusion.

There is a wonderful thing called *ganache* and you make that using only boiled cream and coverture chocolate.
Under fondant it is the perfect accessory -
And never do you place a ganached/fondant cake in a fridge.

Always remember - there is a very miniscuel line betwen your cake and the actual fondant - and its that very fine area UNDER YOUR FONDANT that also gets effected by the added moisture from the fridge.

You want your covered cake to stay firm to the touch - and *sharp* and this won't happen if you put it in the fridge.


Bluehue.

Re read many of the posts - and you will see many a *but*

You have no idea what you are speaking about -
A ganached cake does not go in the fridge - and if you have been making and using ganache for years - then you would understand and know why.

I doubt you have ever made a coverture chocolate and full cream ganache - if so - again, you would undestand the reasoning behind it.
Its the same old airy fairey story about what ganache do i use.
Ganache is just that.............. ganache
Coverture chocolate and full cream - nothing else.

I guess you are one of those people who tell others that there is *whipped ganache - runny ganache - hard ganache*

And considering ganache has only caught on in the States in the last 12 monthds or so - i find it hard to believe that so many of you have been apparently using it for yearssssssssssssssssss.

Why complicate things - why make something so simple so difficult for newbies to this craft.

Its not rocket science - its just ganache.



Bluehue

I don't think the OP thought the cakes (fondant or otherwise) HAVE to go in the fridge but rather wanted to know if they CAN, and if not, how many days will they survive on the countertop; because of the time involved to decorate all three tiers, she wanted to know if she can let each cake sit out for several days before the entire cake is ready to assemble and deliver.

I suppose it would be a good time to refocus and address that issue (which, admittedly, is a popular question here on CC): "how long can a cake sit out and remain fresh?" We can say that they don't NEED to go in the fridge but are we talking about three days=no refrigeration needed to retain freshness? Seven days?

The point several of us made was just that, if you want to put them in the fridge to extend freshness, because you are concerned about them sitting on the counter for too many days in a row, then yes, for many of us, they actually "can" be refrigerated even with fondant. In my case, I often use freshly made custard or fruit fillings so for me it is indeed a must. I even commit the ultimate sacrilege of refrigerating my ganache-covered cakes (even without fondant) if the filling inside is highly perishable. The ganache will survive refrigeration; the custard won't survive 3 days on the countertop. Why do I use custard instead of a nonperishable filling? Who cares?

Several others made the important and relevant point that if there is nothing perishable in/on the cake, then the risks of refrigerating may outweigh the benefits, and besides: "why bother??". The point that decorators like Leah_S and IndyDebi make is, there are so many nonperishable fillings that can go into a cake, they don't find the need to hassle with refrigeration.

We can talk in circles about it all day but it still comes down to one answer re: "can you refrigerate a fondant cake" and that answer is..."Maybe." LOL

Wow, that was rude.

A lot of people in the U.S use ganache, and we do know what we're doing. You don't seem to have an understanding of how some cakes have fillings inside them that may require refrigeration, though, since you asked a similar question on another thread. Are Australian cakes generally only one solid layer? In addition, the health department here requires that you refrigerate cakes, and you can refrigerate fondanted cakes. Absorbing the smell of cardboard? What about absorbing the smell of whatever your'e cooking for dinner if the cake is sitting out?

Originally Posted by costumeczar

I always refrigerate all of my cakes regardless of whether they have fondant or not, the health department likes it that way. I also find that they're easier to transport if they're cold. And as far as non-perishable fillings go, no, you wouldn't HAVE to refrigerate something that was a non-perishable filling, but the fillings that are perishable tend to taste better to me, so I use those the most. And I kind of consider myself an expert, if I do say so myself.

I too am in virginia and am under the same health department. I make all my cakes and fillings from scratch and use smbc. I ALWAYS refrigerate my cakes fondant or not. I have never had an issue even when it was black handpainting on white fondant ( I say that since some of the fear seems to be sweating that would make colors run).

I too prefer the taste fillings and buttercreams that happen to be perishable so I would never think of leaving them out, even though some feel smbc can be left out for days without refrigeration, but thats another thread.

I use royal icing to pipe quite often and always refrigerate with no issues.


Adevag wrote: If you decide to refrigerate your cakes I would not do any hand painting on them before refrigeration (if that is included in your design). The risk of getting condensation on your cakes once you take them out from the fridge (for an hour or so, depending on size) until the cake is back at room temp, and the condensation would probably ruin your paintings.

I was scared the first time I refrigerated a handpainted cake but had no choice (perishable filling) but it was no problem at all. Just make sure that the food coloring you use to paint has dried completely before you put it in the fridge. at that point its just like you tinted to fondant, its in there and doesnt bleed or run HTH

Yeah...you did presume...because you said 'you' don't know what 'you're' talking about and 'you' have likely never made ganache.

If you would actually read what people are saying you would know that they put cakes in the fridge because they use perishable fillings. Everyone has said that over and over and over. If I use fresh fruit or curds or cream cheese fillings I'm NOT leaving that out on my counter for days whether it's nicely packaged in ganache or not. In the States and Canada people want the option to have more than just ganache filling and mud cake. They want SMBC and cream cheese icing and fresh fruits and lots of other perishable fillings. We have to follow certain health guidelines and those guidelines say we must refrigerate those types of foods if we're selling them to the general public. If a health inspector came in and saw a cake on the counter and you told him that cake had been sitting out for 3 days and was filled with fruit and cream cheese he would toss it in the garbage. THAT is why we're saying that if you use perishable fillings you need to refrigerate.

why is that so hard to understand?

If you're worried about a cake absorbing cardboard smells why aren't you worried about it collecting airborne dust while it sits on your counter? No matter how clean your kitchen is there's going to be dust and hair and lots of other particles floating in the air. I don't want that on my cakes, thanks.

well said