Black Mmf Fonadant Cracking????

Decorating By lastingmoments Updated 25 Nov 2005 , 1:16pm by MrsMissey

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lastingmoments Posted 19 Sep 2005 , 6:01am
post #1 of 18

Ok I have heard stories of mmf cracking I have never had this problem...with any fondant....

until I used BLACK......why???? Is it only with black ??? Am i crazy????
I made 40lbs of fondant this weekend and didnt have a problem with any of the colors that I did........the portion that I did black was small not even a pound...so i redid it 3 times and the same thing keeps happening...

I added Glycerine...that did not work

I added gumtex ....that did not work.....

any suggestions ???
at least is just me or am I on to something here..because I will just not EVER use black if i Have to......j/k

maybe I didnt add enough of the above.....

Help??? I cant paint because its 3d darth vader and thats two many angles to cover...

17 replies
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tripletmom Posted 19 Sep 2005 , 6:32am
post #2 of 18

When you say that you made 40 lbs of fondant, do you mean home-made? If so, wow! If it's pre-made and you are just colouring it, wow to that too!

I made some black fondant yesterday and I had the opposite happen, it went too soft on me. However, I have found that for cracking due to dryness that working a little bit of Criscoe or other shortening into it seems to help.

Maybe try it on a little tiny piece and see what happens. Good luck!

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itsacake Posted 19 Sep 2005 , 6:45am
post #3 of 18

I dont' know aobut MMF, but with gumpaste or fondant, adding a bit of piping gel often works to control cracking.

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adven68 Posted 19 Sep 2005 , 5:14pm
post #4 of 18

really?.....piping gel? How much would you add per pound? ...I was hoping to find a way to make the fondant last a few minutes longer before drying out...

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itsacake Posted 20 Sep 2005 , 12:13am
post #5 of 18

I never thought of it as how much to add per pound. I've just kept it out and added "dibs and dabs". Earlene suggested that piping gel is good for making just about anything more pliable....

Anyway, I'd probably add about 1/2 a teaspoon to a pound, and if that wasn't enough to make it feel right, I'd add another 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon and so on. Better to do it in little increments. It might get sort of sticky if it is on the surface, so you might want to have a little shortening on your hands as you knead. Best to avoid adding more powdered sugar, as that can contribute to the cracking.

As I mentioned before, I've never tried MMF, but this has worked for fondant and gumpaste. Let us know what happens if you try this.

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christinasconfections Posted 20 Sep 2005 , 12:30am
post #6 of 18

Hey lasting moments! I had the same problem (but with regular fondant) and adding a little crisco worked very well for me. I had a lot longer to work with it and it was also easier to mold smooth. Good luck...and props to you for doing 40 lbs!

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lastingmoments Posted 20 Sep 2005 , 4:41am
post #7 of 18

triplet mom yeah ...I home made and all differnt colors on top of that....I have 3 cakes due this week and wanted to make sure that all my hard jobs were done......

to everyone else i will try both the piping gel and the crisco.......


Im hoping I get this quick because Im trying to make a 3D darth vader and since there is alot of detail ....I wouldnt want it to break.......

Im using the Mr potatoe head as a mold for the helmet and face mask The 1st two broke and this is my third try....even more now than ever am I determined to get this......

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lastingmoments Posted 20 Sep 2005 , 4:42am
post #8 of 18

heres what i have so far hope this works
LL

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tripletmom Posted 20 Sep 2005 , 9:00am
post #9 of 18

Holy cow!!! I can't wait to see the end result! That looks amazing! your detailing is wonderful!

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bikegal Posted 20 Sep 2005 , 11:57am
post #10 of 18

That looks great! We love our Darth Tater. icon_smile.gif

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lastingmoments Posted 20 Sep 2005 , 9:48pm
post #11 of 18

Thanks hopefully It wont crack!! I was really excited the 1st time i finished too! but then it broke so I dont want to get to excited until I finish.

bikegal me too.......my husband is a starwars nut... so we bought it for him as a gag gift...but then we went to disney world and saw a the collectible potatoe head parts and went nuts... they have a box for 18.00 dollars and you can put what ever fits in it... So now I think we are gonna collect them....
My niece loves toy story and after this im thinking that Im gonna do a potatoe head cake..with real changeable fondant parts for her.

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bulldog Posted 20 Sep 2005 , 9:56pm
post #12 of 18

Your "Dark Bader" as he is called in our house is incredible. I would, also, love to see the finished cake. Be sure to post. Good luck with the black fondant.

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Daniela Posted 20 Sep 2005 , 10:25pm
post #13 of 18

I'm really impressed lastingmoments!! Please posts pics as soon as you're done icon_biggrin.gif

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lastingmoments Posted 22 Sep 2005 , 6:56am
post #14 of 18

darn it happened again right when I thought I was on to something! My helmet cracked again.....
Im so sad......if it doesnt work I may have to scrap my idea and i dont want to Im so sad!!!!

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thecakemaker Posted 22 Sep 2005 , 4:54pm
post #15 of 18

Can't wait to see the final product! Your "parts" look great!

Debbie

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lastingmoments Posted 25 Sep 2005 , 8:16am
post #16 of 18

ok ........this cake is driving me crazy.....

Darth vader kicked my but......still had cracking issues all night but finally finished and posted a picture!! that was friday at 4am.... I wake up at noon go to drop off my pooh cake and tables that i had reserve for todays party!!! come back to change and really start my day!! I was invited to the party so i go and have fun everyone loved the cake and When I get home my 10 inch plate that my cake was sitting on craked in half ....so darth was sitting on a big earthquake looking crack on my cake....It literally snapped the plate in half....

I cant belive it broke ...the cake was a single layer 10 square with a wondermold for the body and the head was a strofoam ball covere in MMF. Should it hold wedding cakes and several pounds of cake!

ok so to make a long story short...im up late fixing my cake I trasfered the cake to a cake board, and try to push back together...I layed another piece of fondant over and redid my light sabers because they broke during the transfer to the board. I tried to get Darth back up in good standing postion..... but Im scared to sleep now..... I think either someone wants him really bad... or hes just not meant to be....
But darn it after all this drama ...Hes GOING TO THE PARTY TOMARROW!!!

PS the picture is in my photos....for some reason wouldnt let me post here
LL

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babypat Posted 25 Nov 2005 , 9:58am
post #17 of 18

thumbs_up.gif i would also love to see the final result. My 3 yr old son is a die hard fan of Star Wars, i'm planning to do his cake on his 4th bday with this theme. Hope i could get ideas from your cake!

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MrsMissey Posted 25 Nov 2005 , 1:16pm
post #18 of 18

..your pic should be there now!! That looks amazing...sorry it gave you so many problems but it looks as though you won in the end! Congrats!

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