I just recently started working with fondant (recently meaning I've done 2 practice cakes and the top and the top part of the sides come out nice and smooth but the bottom gets bunched up because of all the excess fondant creating creases. Any advice on fondant techniques? Thanks!!

I'd like help with this too, the couple of fondant cakes I've made have had the same problem...

Its hard to explain, but you have to gently tug and pull to work out the excess.

What shape cake? Square, round? TexasSugar is right, you have to work with it. Don't pull to much or you'll over stretch it. You need to just work with it carefully cupping with your hand. When are you cutting off the access? Where are you cutting it off at?

Rose

I have yet to do a square cake with fondant but I've done circles and I don't trim the excess off until I've smoothed the top and the top part of the sides. I've tried stretching the fondant so that it won't bunch but end up tearing it. Any advice is great...thanks!

If there is a lot of excess, trim some of it off before you start smoothing it. That will help you a great deal.

Make sure that the fondant piece you start with is at least 2 inches larger around than the cake you're decorating. For example, if it's a 10 in. round cake that is 4 inches high, you need to start with a piece of circular fondant that is 20-22 inches across--4"+4" (sides) +10" (top) + 2-4 (extra).

Drape the fondant over the cake as centered as possible leaving the sides away from the cake. Smooth only the top of the cake and then, with the fondant hanging away from the sides of the cake like a full skirt, begin to gently smooth the sides down from the top edge to the bottom edge. Use only one hand to smooth and do a "one hand" wide section at a time. You may have to fuss with the last section a bit with gentle coaxing, but in general, it will all fit very well doing it this way. DON'T PULL ON THE FONDANT--IT WILL TEAR! If you have a fondant smoother--and I consider it invaluable--smooth the entire cake from top to sides. Take a nice sharp pizza cutter, angle it away from the cake itself, place it up against the edge of the board the cake is on, and cut the excess away.

Hope this is helpful.
Happy baking.
Rae
BlakesCakes

I used to have the same problem, but ntertayneme taught me how to fix it. There are two important rules: 1...Make sure that whatever you set the cake on allows the fondant to hang down past the bottom of the cake. 2...Constantly trim any excess fondant that hangs down. Don't ever let the excess build up.

When I covered my last cake, I probably cut the excess off about 10 times while I was smoothing.