okay, I have never covered a board in fondant, but I would like to try.

My biggest potential problem is.. How do you carry your boards and set the cakes down and NOT get fingerprints in the fondant? Once I set a cake down, I usually have to adjust the postion once or twice and I can just image the fingerprints.

I have seen some spectacular covered boards on here.. HOW do you prevent the prints??

You just have to be very very careful! when ever i cover a board, i do it a day or two before hand so its got a chance to dry out, then i run less risk of jabbing my fingers into it

I cover almost all my boards in fondant for the finished look. I use the drum boards, then use a ribbon to cover the edge of the board.

That allows me to push or move the board a bit by putting my fingers on the edge.

I never cover a thin board that the fondant would have to go over the side of the board, just for that reason.

I try to cover my board a week in advance. This way the fondant is completely dry, so it's impossible to leave any marks in it. When the fondant's dry it's also easier to center the cake on the board. Sometimes I need to move or shift the cake slightly to make sure it's in the middle. If the fondant were still soft, I couldn't shift the cake at all.

When the fondant is dry, it's solid enough that I've had people ask where I found a plate to match the cake design. Just do it a few days in advance and you'll have no problems at all

This is my secret to *no prints on covered board*

I go to my local hardware store and i buy those little clear stick on thingys that you stick on your walls to stop the doors hitting your walls.
They are about 1/4 inch x 1/4 square.....and about 1/8 inch high.

Stick them on board evenly spaced plus 2 in the centre - flip board over - cover as per normal with fonadant/medium.

Slip off set spatular under board - lift - carry to airing rack - sit it down - and allow to dry overnight.

Next morning - covered board is hard as nails - and i just slip my off set spatular under it again and take to work bench.

Sit decorated cake on board - slide off set spatular under again and lift to cake carrier to transport it.

PERFECT - and you fingers never touch the board.
as you can *just* get your fingers under it using your off set spatular.

Best thing is - at the end of the function the customer can lift said board up - and not worry about cake sliding off board or squashing their fingers -

They are clear - so nobody sees them - i have had 9 out of 10 customers thank me after every delivery for *making it wasy for them to lift* the cakes and for such an ingenious method -

If you look at my photo of *square Red with Butteflies* in my photo gallery and look at the clear perspex cake stand you can see a very similar *clear foot* on the corners of that cake stand -
Gives you a better visual of what i am talking about.
Yes, they are under that red cake board also...

Best thing is - because they are either silicon or rubber they don't slip slide or move during transportation..

I just add the 4.00 per pack onto my costing - same as every other cost of making a cake.


Bluehue

I do something similar to Bluehue's method. I cut a circle a couple inches smaller than the base board and glue that underneath. It elevates the board just enough to get your fingers under. I do this for cakes that don't have fondant covered boards. It's just easier to get a hold of the cake!

i also do as bluehue. works great

I used to use fondant, but someone suggested RI once to me. I thought what a great idea! It's totally cheap, I do it in advance, I can swirl colors together or pipe swirls or designs, I can flood areas in certain colors, the possibilities are endless. Let it dry for a week and you cant put your fingers through it, it dries hard. I ribbon the edge usually and its ready to go.

I wish I could post a picture of that hippie cake that I did awhile back when I was doing cakes. I made a tiedye board by flooding in different colors in rings and then I dragged a skewer through it to make the tiedye part. It turned out so cool!

I dont mean to discourage you from using fondant to cover your board though, you could try kneading some tylose into the fondant and that would make it dry hard overnight. I just like the RI medium for that, its so cheap and easy and I can make it in a million different colors so much easier than coloring and kneading fondant.

Thank you so much for all the great info. I am going to get some of those things for the bottom of the board and make my covered boards at least a week in advance.

And I am going to try the RI too.

Thanks again.

Tesso,
Walmart has non-skid rubber gripper pads meant for chair or table legs. I put them on the bottom of my cake boards. works like Bluehue says.

I put tylose powder in the fondant that I cover my boards with. It dries hard much faster and that way I don't have to cover the board days ahead. I usually cover cake first and with fondant left over I add tylose and cover board with, because it gets hard that quick!