I'm desperate.... I have this small wedding cake I'm working on for this weekend. I'm using Satin Ice fondant for the first time, and so far I'm nothing but frustrated. I've used IndyDebi's buttercream underneath, but you can clearly see my layers. The fondant is also very soft. I'm putting photos below of what they look like. I'm at a loss as to what to do to make this look better. I cannot let this bride down and I don't have the time to start over. HELP!!!

Are you decorating this tier? If you don't have time to start over you need to cover up the flaws. It looks like your layers are bulging. Did you pipe a dam before you filled the layers? Did you cover all the cakes yet?

You should have practiced with the fondant before hand if your not familiar with it. Satin Ice is the best fondant in my opinion but you def need to practice with it.

It's obvious he buttercream underneath was buldging. Probably because you either pressed down on the cake or the fondant is too heavy and is pressing down.

To tell you the truth though, it isn't completely a disaster. It looks bad but it isn't so bad that you can't put it out in display.

My advice is if you can't fix it, just give a discount.

I did pipe a dam for each layer, but when crumb coating, I tried to make sure everything was even and smooth. Is it going to ruin this cake if I take the fondant off and give it a go again? I definitely don't have the time for re-baking the layers. Also, should the fondant be thicker? It was rolled to the recommended thickness, but it just seems so flimsy?

You should def take it off and re-ice the cake. Firm it up in the fridge really well before you lay the fondant. Roll the fondant as thin as possible the thinner the better.

Check this out in the forum by member: leah_s called "the buldge" she gives the best advice on this problem;

After you take the fondant off, besure to use spatula and take off some of the icing. Then, place something heavy, like a piece of ceramic tile(leah_s) suggestion. Let it set for a while , then smooth b/c again.Trim off any cake if you have to also. Just relax, take your time, This will work out. Let it be really cool in your work area also. That really helps me. Then reroll your fondant, using a little shortening on your hands and on the rolling mat also.This will help your fondant not to dry so quickly. Satin Ice really dried quick on me before and looked like elephant skin. I think you will be good to go. hth

crumbcake is referring to: My newest "trick", by leah_s, were she talks about the dreaded bulge, and what she does to speed up the settling process...
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=633571&highlight=trick

Here is another useful tip on "battling the bulge"

http://ericaobrien.com/blog/?s=spackle luv this blog, so many great tips and her cakes are gorgeous.
HTH

Use royal icing. Do a royal icing dam.and crumb coat with royal icing instead of buttercream. Make sure the icing sets before you put on the fondant.

Don't want to offend you arlenej but you should not under any circumstances use royal icing to crumb coat or use as any filling in a cake.

Thanks everyone for the help! I was able to recover and conceal the blemishes with my scroll work and roses. I love the link for the cake trick and the cake Spackle! Definitely will be trying these tricks for my next cakes!

Hey Ashleyssweetdesigns. I'm not offended, just really curious....WHY exactly is it that I 'should not under any circumstances use royal icing to crumb coat or use as any filling in a cake'? Bearing in mind that I've done it a couple dozen times before....

If it works for you go for it. However with that being said ri dries rock hard and is not very tasty. Where did u learn to do that?

Yeah, I would not use royal icing on a cake for any reason Not the American recipe anyway. Cake spackle works well as a crumb coat as does a firm bc. And the settling trick definitely works.