Hi guys, I have a cake due today at 1pm--- last night I had the worst time with my fondant bc of the temp here being so warm.  So I had to re-roll it about 20 times, and it had a ton of air pockets.  So I was using a pin/needle to pop the air pockets, and now i've cleaned my floors and looked thru the scraps of my old fondant and I dont see it!!!!!!!  Has this happened to anyone?   My fear is it's in the fondant!

What can I do?  this cake literally took me like 5 hours yesterday, not including bake time.  Do you think it will be ok if I ask the facility to peel back the fondant??  Or should I stay and try to do it myself to be sure???   I AM FREAKING OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can't imagine it's in there but where else can it be?? I didnt check under my stove and I tried to go thru the garbage but I'm sure i'd miss it... any suggestions please?!?

AGet a heavy duty magnet. Go over the fondant with it. If the pin is in there, it might be attracted to it, depending on how deep into the cake it is.

Also, use a magnet to go over your floor and work space. That is what I do after I sew, just to be sure.

Good luck!

AWow! Secret agent baker, you Rock! Brilliant!

If the magnet does not work do you know anyone with a metal detector?

Great call with the magnet.  I do know someone but she's not sure if she knows where it is.  I may have to go for it..... I'm trying the magnet now.. I'll keep you posted!

oh and thank you guys!

so far the magnet isn't doing anything.  My neigbor is looking for her metal detector but I have to leave here in about 20 minutes :/

I'd like to note that under the fondant is very sturdy chocolate ganache.  If the pin is in there, I do not think it would penetrate that and get into the cake.  I am hoping that if i pull back the fondant, and the pin is in there, it will be exposed and laying on the chocolate. 

OMG i am panicking!!!!!!

Maybe you can be there to cut the cake, and then you can carefully inspect each slice??

i may have to do that ..

AUnless you purposely stuck it on the fondant or cake, which I doubt anyone would do, I can't see how it would end up in the cake and go unnoticed. I would probably freak out too, but I'm sure it'll be fine, let us know what happened.

Are you serious?! First, if you are unsure that your fondant has a needle or pin in it, that cake should not EVER leave your house/shop with that fondant on it.

If it must for reasons like someone has a gun to your head, YOU follow that cake to its final destination, YOU stick around and peel off the fondant (not delegate it to someone else who may or may not do it or even care), YOU inspect the fondant to find the pin. YOU cut and inspect every single freaking crumb that gets served like your life depends on it, even if it means taking 10x more time to serve the cake. Take the bloody magnet with you too.

Forget possible liability issues. Someone could freaking get hurt. A little child? Y'all know how kids get with cake. Uh-uh. Or an older person with maybe dentures and poor gag reflexes or whatever else makes people swallow the darndest things. No way. Totally shaking my head at these responses that prioritise keeping the integrity of a potential safety hazard disguised as cake instead of the safest response: PEEL the darn thing off and start over!

AYou had 5 hours before delivery when you posted this. Enough time to redo the fondant. I hope it went well.

AI presented the cake as it was but took it in the kitchen and removed all of the fondant and served it ganache only .. The ganache had hardened well before I covered it so I knew a pin wouldn't sink into it. I inspected the cake thoroughly and had someone from the kitchen do it as well. I stayed during the serving if the cake and until the end of the party. So, it seemed to go ok, and a very hard lesson learned

I think it's pretty unlikely that you wouldn't find a pin embedded in your fondant while you were putting it on the cake. It bends all over, and a pin would poke through. I think you were pretty safe.

However, ganache isn't that hard that a pin couldn't penetrate it.  

I know I won't ever use a pin to get air bubbles out after hearing your experience.  I am glad it worked out.

Just for the future use a pin with a dark coloured plastic head. that way you will notice it better. where there any airpocket s  when you placed the last layer of fondant on the cake? cos if so, the pin couldn't have gone into the fondant if you used it to release the air pockets. I never ever leave the pin down. I prick it on to my apron and I am very cautious of it.. now I will be even more cautious, after reading your post. good luck

The first thing I was taught about removing air bubbles from fondant was you must use a pin with a bright coloured head, never use a plain pin, and always pin it to the front of your apron, never ever put it on the bench.  Make it a habit and you will never have to go through this again

Here's my advice for the future: Get a BIG safety pin, and bend it open so its easy to hold and use. Put a nice, long, BRIGHT piece of ribbon through the loopdy loo circle of the pin, and tie a knot in the ribbon. You can hang it in a convenient place, wear it around your neck, or pin it to your shirt while working with the air bubbles. It would be might hard to lose on the floor, and certainly hard to lose in a cake. For what it's worth...

Use a needle with a bright long thread. This is a lesson to be learnt for all of us.I hope you find the pin somewhere else other than the cake.

I use acupunture needles for air bubbles - they are fantastic!  Makes your pins look like crow-bars in comparison.

They are super fine and long and only have a small ball head.

I keep a pin cushion beside me and it always goes back in there...... or clenched between my teeth!  haha