ALong story short. The baker never got my order, and won't be in to discuss details until tomorrow , the day of her birthday party. I haven't baked for years. I have researched all night online and I still have lots of questions.Vi want to make a fondant cake.
Should I wait until tomorrow to bake and assemble everything?
How long does it take for the cake to cool?
Should I crumb coat it and then stick it in the freezer for twenty minutes before placing fondant on it?
Can I immediately put fondant decorations on top of the covered fondant cake?
This is my first time using fondant on a cake. I want it to turn out really nice bc it is my daughters first birthday.
No I'd say don't wait. Start baking as soon as possible and work to completion. It's not at all like you might have seen on tv. For example the 30 minute Ace of Cakes show was distilled from about 120 hours of footage every week.
What kind of decor are you doing on it? Do you have all your shopping completed? What kind of fondant are you using? Store bought or are you making that too?
Bake today, as early as possible. After removing my cakes from their pans, I always wrap them in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and freeze them, at least overnight, because I find it helps them retain moisture, but you can decide for yourself if you want to do this. If you do freeze it, take it out early so it will have time to thaw. Don't unwrap it until the condensation has evaporated from the plastic wrap. Even if you don't want to freeze it, bake today. Cakes need time to stabilize before being decorated, especially with something heavy like fondant. You can refrigerate or freeze your crumbcoat for a twenty or so minutes like you said. Just make sure the fondant has something a liitle bit moist to stick to when you put it on the cake (the condensation that forms on the crumbcoat after 20 min. in the freezer should be about right). You can put decorations on the fondant right away. Best of luck with this and, of course, take lots of pictures of the finished product. If it's for a first birthday, you're going to want to remember it! PM me if you need any more information.
There are lots of youtube videos on how to apply fondant to a cake. They may be helpful. Also, if you wish to practice with the fondant, cover an upside down cake pan with foil or saran and you can practice covering with fondant. (you can reuse the fondant). Good luck! I am sure your daughter will love it and be so proud!
No I don't I need to get it by this afternoon I was going to get the store bought fondant, satin ice. Thankfully since her birthday is a winter wonderland theme i have already located premade fondant decorations
Oh good! Premade decoration is great. I use Satin Ice all the time. Be sure you knead it really really well before rolling it out and applying it--count 50 times or go 4 or 5 minutes or somwthing to that effect.
While you're out shopping, if you can find a smooth plastic tablecloth grab it up--you can use it to roll your fondant out on and then it's much easier to flip it over the cake if it's on something like that--you can even re-position it a bit if needed--then you can just peel off the tablecloth and begin the smoothing. We can talk about smoothing later.
The tablecloth should be one that will not stretch--if you could even swing by the fabric store they have thick clear vinyl you can get that would be perfect. I would not recommend it for all round use due to it not being exactly approved for food but at this late hour you may need this for sanity's sake.
You doing a round or square cake?
You're gonna wanna roll it out to about 1/4 of an inch thick and apply it to an iced cake, not just crumb coated. I recommend this because it buys you some forgiveness. I think you have a better chance to have a smoothy smooth final surface since we are at zero hour here. Not a real thick layer but just a nice layer of buttercream.
You'll do fine!!!!!
thanks for all the help! I just finished baking. I will let it cool down and then wrap it! Should I cut the top off before wrapping it ?
Yes in fact if you have your fillings ready I'd recommend to go ahead and fill it and slap on a crumb coat so you can chill then ice and fondant. In fact, if your crumb coat goes on smoothly just ice the thing and get that all behind you. I think you should do everything you can now because you have a doable but nontheless new learning curve to get through and you wanna have as much time as possible so you can be as zen as possible for your first foray into fondant
In fact
you could apply the fondant today too.
If it works-- great.
If you hit a few bumps you get to sleep on it and
I know you'll do brilliantly tomorrow.
Go for it!!!
What fillings are you using?
What kind of buttercream?
80? Really?
Where are you located just curious.
I was going to make it with butter, whipping cream and vanilla.
I live in Tx. It recently snowed. We are such whimps when it comes to cold weather. 80 is for my daughter, she gets sick easily.
Do I just rewrap and fridge it after fondant or rewrap and leave it in room temp?
An American buttercream? Confectioner's sugar, whipping cream, butter, etc. That's cool. You need to clear out a spot in the frige for this to sit after you ice it. Then when you take it out to fondant it it will sweat a bit as was mentioned upthread and that will be perfect for the fondant to adhere to it. Then get it all smoothed down and trimmed and slap it back in the frige.
The only issue I can think of is perhaps a bit of further sweating when you take the fondanted cake from the frige to 80 degrees. Just let it dry and resist the urge to swab it down, don't touch it and you'll be fine.
Do you by any chance have a secure enclosed porch? That would work too. If coyotes, mountain lions and/or bears park on your porch to get a slice then forget I said this. :)
Oh and after fondanting--no wrapping necessary. Unless you are delivering it elsewhere then I'd put it in a box.
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