Hi everyone,

I have been doing cakes now for 4 years and LOVE it! I have been using Wilton fondant (I know "gasp" - the horror!!! LOL!!!) But honestly I loved working with it! It was always a little harder in texture to work with but I found that to be helpful - I had very few issues with cracking or cakes being to soft... honestly I thought working with fondant was so easy!

NOW wilton has changed their fondant - great I suppose for some people. Now it tastes a lot better and is much softer (which is handy when you have to work a large amount of fondant).

My problem is that now the fondant is sticky to work with (I have always used shortening before and it worked great) now I have a combination of shortening and cornstarch that I work with.... kind of trial and error right now. I just finished a 3D minion cake (the little guy doing the hula) and I put him in the fridge last night - now he is sweating when I take him out of the fridge. I know that fondant cakes are not supposed to go in the fridge - but I was always able to do this before..... grrrrrrrrr wilton!!!!!!!

My question is to all of you fondant experts out there - if you cover your cake in fondant and leave it out - how do you get your cakes to not go all soft on you?  If I had not put this guy in the fridge - his arms would have pulled down the side of the cake, the grass skirt would have ripped and his coconut bra would have pulled down :( He is a raised cake - the dress is actually hanging - it is attached about an 1" up the body.

Is there any fondant that can be refrigerated? Are there any ticks that I can use with my future cakes? Generally I work with buttercream, but sometimes you NEED to use fondant! I am REALLY hating the wilton fondant right now and need some help with how to work around these issues in the humidity or a better fondant to work with.

I have a wedding cake next week that needs to be covered in fondant and I am now worried about using the darn wilton fondant!!!

Any ideas/tips/etc would GREATLY appreciated!!!! Thank you in advance!!!!

Such a cute cake!!! I put my fondant cakes in the fridge too and they do sweat but eventually goes away (dries). Not sure if you can get them to not sweat a little bit. sorry I am not much help.

i just have one little idea for the idea pot-- for example sometimes just letting sticky fondant sit at room temp for a while just so the air can dry it out some-- i mean don't go out shopping in the meantime but sometimes it just needs to cure a bit --a timed bit -- especially if you're ready to balance it out with the other things you mentioned, shortening & cs if necessary

not to mention i'm out of the loop for most of the current cast of character cakes & stuff--i'm shocked shocked i tell you that a 'he' is wearing a coconut bra 

do you have a box you can place/seal him in to slow down the temperature change when you unfridge him?

!st thing you always want to remember is that "fondant NEVER gets refrigerated"! Sure water is used to get the fondant to stick together. But the cool circulating air in the fridge cause's to much moisture and the fondant will fall. And when removed from the fridge the sweating again has completely ruined the structure or caused the color to run. If you use tooth picks, thin dowl rods or braceing methods your scupture  should remain intact. Leaving a fondant cake out on a counter over night or for a few hours should be fine. I have never had a fondant cake get soft or mushie. Have you tried useing modeling chocolate? Easy to make and use. If sculping with it, you can leave your piece out to dry and it will be fine. I don't use wilton fondant. All though the bakery I use to work at did. I use Satin Ice rolled fondant. I buy it from a craft store I shop at. Wonderful to work with. Just useing  a lightly dusted table of powdered sugar and it rolls out beautifully. When doing sculpting, useing a little shortning on my hands works great. Go to satinice.com. Hope this helps.

i should have completed my idea for you-- i let it air dry some then knead it and see how sticky it is and repeat as long as necessary till it firms up enough-- i set a timer so i don't forget and this does wonders to de-stick fondant--and of course i don't let it fully crust--just dry off some--works

I keep all my cakes in the fridge - fondant and buttercream.  And they will sweat when I take them out.  Just don't touch the cake and it should dry out in about an hour (maybe less).  I haven't tried the new Wilton fondant and I didn't realize the old Wilton fondant didn't sweat.

AWhen you take it out point a fan in the direction of the cake to help dry off the condensation. It also works to run a dehumidifier in the area.

and cakemomma1979, i neglected to say--that is one very fine cake--well done -- you're fixin to make somebody's day!