Ok, you guys out there are a mass of information so i am going to swallow my pride and ask a question...

I have been making cakes for years, not many but a variety with mixed results.

The thing is... I love making the tall cakes for stacking but I have REAL trouble covering these cakes with fondant.

I have made some but it is always hit and miss as to how they turn out. I am thinking maybe I should just go back to  basic class but maybe its a simple thing I am doing wrong.

So I normally bake and level several cakes about 1.5" deep and fill and stack these then crumb coat and chill them before applying my fondant. But most times I can see the ridges caused by the layers underneath... It just gives a really messy finish.

So how do you all make these cakes? do you make deeper cakes and stack less of them? Thicker fondant? Sorry if this is a dull question I am having a real crisis of confidence.

ADo you use a icing smoother/polisher after applying the fondant? Also applying marzipan before fondant gives a better finish, don' t stress you'll work it out - practice makes perfect : )

Yes I use smoothers it seems to be that the ridges form on settling?

As for marzipan, I must admit I rarely use it on sponge cakes, should I be using it on every cake? (lightbulb moment)

ALol,I know that the marzipan is mainly used for wedding cakes, if you don't mind me asking what brand of fondant do you use?

I am in the Uk and have used lots of different types of fondant but like the renshaws. I love the colours of M&B but have found it to be really really soft and sometimes tears on anything too deep.

AIm from the UK too and I know that Renshaw has two versions,is yours the REGALICE?

sorry yes regal ice.

Anneuk: Are you using any supports for your cake? If so what kind and how many? When making really tall cakes supports are important so that the cake wont cave in on itself. The ridges in the lower layers may be from the weight of the top cakes squishing them.

AMaybe I off here but if you are seeing the ridges of your cake thru your fondant than it sounds like your crumb coat isn't thick enough. I would put a crumb coat than let that harden than put another coat on it let that set that take a viva paper towel and smooth the cake than put your fondant on.

AYes make sure your ridges aren't from your cake settling.

cakecentral.com/t/633571/my-newest-trick

My cakes are completey iced before I put on fondant.  Mainly because everyone here peels it off.   I completely ice so they have some buttercream when they pull off the fondant.   It also gives me a seamless look because I don't think a crumb coat is thick enough. 

Thanks for some good advice... is Viva like a smooth towel?? not sure what an equivalant might be here in the uk.. all of ours are like dimpled??

I do use dowels but usually to secure the cakes together so they don;t slide. Now If i am right this wont stop them squishing the cakes below so I should be boarding between the layers?  No that can't be right.. lol i am tying my brain in knots now.... if i were to buttercream and smooth it fully would I then chill over night before putting fondant on? Does this cause problems with grease or condensation anything?

LOL I have more questions than I had at the start lol

AAlso why don't you try using Satin ice fondant and see how you fare there?

I completely chill my iced cake before putting on fondant. 

I am going to Cake international in London on Saturday and am sure to pick up some goodies so am going to do something on Sunday i think and try some of these suggestions....

Can I also just ask... If I am using a dummy / polystyrene cake for some for the tiers, do I buttercream and fondant the same way of do you guys just fondant them?

x

AI've read on here where you still put buttercream on the cake dummy so that the fondant has something to stick to. I have also read where some people sand the edges just alittle bit because there so sharp that they make the fondant tear.

AYou can use royal icing,piping gel or buttercream to cover your dummy. But be careful of the sharp edges around the dummy it could cut the fondant- sanding it down slightly will help with this. Good luck and let us know how you do!!

I'll be at ExCel on Saturday!

If using a dummy tier, there's no need to buttercream.  Lots of people just wet them all over to get the sugarpaste to stick.  My personal preference is to use either piping gel or diluted liquid glucose.

If doing a really tall tier of cake, then depending on just how high it is, you'll need to put a board inbetween at either half way or two boards, each one a third of the way and then put dowels underneath, just like you would a normal tiered cake (only, in this case, the tiers are the same diameter, if you see what I mean?)

I always marzipan my cakes - even sponge cakes...  it gives a nice smooth finish.

M&B do do nice colours, but not the best to work with.  I use Regalice (or Renshaws Professional, as they've just re-branded it!!)
 

my local shop sells dummy's which have slightly cured edges so no need to sand....

so...

I am going to follow all advice on my next project come Sunday...

I am going to make a two tier cake as a practice for my sons birthday cake....

so following the link in a post above I will do the squish the cake thing after torting.....  now if I do a 6" and 9" round  cake of 3" high each tier... how many dowels will I need?

I am not going to marzipan under the fondant but I will crumb coat then butter cream a full layer before fondant and with the filling I will make sure that i place it well inside the edges of the cake so that it doesn't spill out as advised in the thread linked to in a post above :)

Hopefully I will get a beautiful finish that will restore my confidence lol OR I will practice more and end up getting it right eventually!

AIf you are covering with a full thickness of bettercream, make sure to chill it real hard before you cover with fondant, or it is just going to squish out the bottom, and be a complete mess. You may know this, it just wasn't in your post where you said what you were going to do ;-)

yes in the thread link above leah i think it is says to pop it in the freezer till really hard but not frozen?  I am hoping it wont squish when it comes back to room temp lol

AAs long as it has settled properly, it won't squish, but it is very important to use a cake board in there somewhere. If it is a 6" cake, some people put it at the 4" level and then put 2" on top of that, others do 3" and 3" with the board between.

AViva is a smooth paper towel I have read on here of people using other paper towels but they leave little marks in the buttercream. You can use either parchment paper to smooth your cake or again I've read on here where you can use a piece of computer paper to smooth your cake.

AWhen you are filling cakes, make sure you do a "dam" of very stiff buttercream around the edge of the layer and then fill with your buttercream. The dam keeps the buttercream from squishing out and bulging under the fondant.