My daughter's first birthday is coming up and I would like to make her a special cake. I love the look of fondant, but have never used it before. How hard is it for a beginner like me to use rolled fondant? I'd rather not use it than have it turn out completely lumpy, torn, etc. Would I need a lot of practice before it was presentable? I just don't want to spend the money to get all the stuff and then find out that it was completely out of my league to begin with. Should I go with a more traditional b-day cake or give the fondant a go? Any opinions/ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!!

HI and WELCOME TO OUR ADDICTION!
I think you should try getting some and practice on your cake pan.. You can turn your cake pan upside down and use it as a dummy cake.
The real trick to fondant is rolling it properly. If you roll it just right with the right thickness then you should not have any problem getting it onto your cake. You may surprise yourself and do a wonderful job.
But if you think that it is too difficult, then go with the traditional BC cake.. Practice makes perfect!! Good Luck and don't forget to post your cake!
Have you tried out the article for MMF (marshmallow fondant). It has the same texture as Fondant only it tastes better and you make it yourself. Check it out: http://cakecentral.com/article47-How-to-Make-and-Decorate-with-Marshmallow-Fondant-MMF.html

Heck, my first cake I did with MMF. It didn't look ENTIRELY perfect, but it was certainly decent (sorry, no pics, it got eaten). Then I got the Toba Garrett book and did the second cake with "scratch" fondant and it was even better and not one bit more complicated than MMF. It tasted much nicer and was just as easy to use. I also learned how to make the base beneath the fondant smoother so the finish was practically lump and dent free. (See the "Do You Spackle?" post).

If you're not certain, for the birthday cake use a technique you're confident with. But make a fondant practice cake that won't matter if it isn't 100% perfect later. It really isn't all that difficult.

(edited for bad speeling)

HA! My first cake was with fondant! Didn't like the taste much though, so try MMF.

The 3rd cake I've ever made was covered in MMF. Easy and tasted pretty good.

Joquita, I have worked with fondant in class twice. For me, it was definitely a challenge, but I think the added pressure of class made it more of a challenge. I think if I try it at home, at my own pace, it will work well. So, yes, I think you should try it. My advice would be to read a "How to Cover with Fondant" right before you start so it's fresh in your mind.

Also, for those who have more experience than I do, I have a question. Can you only cover with a light layer of buttercream before you cover? I know alot of people who are going to be disappointed when they take off the fondant and there's but a scant amount of buttercream waiting for them? I know MMF is supposed to taste pretty good, but does it replace buttercream taste-wise?

Thanks and Best of luck,Joquita.

Whether MMF tastes "pretty good" is up for debate () so I think you'll need to gauge who your audience is. If it's kids, they'll probably like the marshmallow flavour and high sweetness. They aren't too likely to be the ones to peel of the fondant and miss any buttercream underneath. If it's an adult and they have a small taste of the MMF, they could decide to peel it off. I suppose that also depends on if it feels appropriate to do so, if it doesn't they may eat it even though they don't particularly want to.

If the fondant is palatable, having a thick layer of BC underneath may then prove to be a little too much sugar for some.

I guess you just have to make a judgement call.

..welcome to Cakecentral!

Give Fondant a try, even if it is only on a pratice cake! It is not a scary as it looks, I think you will surprise yourself when you find out how easy it is to work with!

Good luck and don't forget to take pictures for us to see!!

wow! thanks for all the support!!! I really appreciate all the replies. I think I'll go ahead and give it a shot. If it seems too hard for this cake, I'll just switch to something I'm more comfortable with. It will be fun to experiment anyways! I would greatly appreciate any tips you can give me! I am thinking of trying the already made fondant simply b/c it will save me a step. I'm trying to squeeze in bits of time here and there while taking care of my daughter. I've read that satin ice tastes much better than wiltons, but what about ease of use? Which one is easier for a beginner to use? I'm not that concerned about what it tastes like since it is my first try. If people don't like it, I figure they will just eat the cake. I just want the greatest chance of this cake turning out so I would rather use the easiest to work with. Thanks for your help! I'm sure I'll have MANY more questions for you!

Thank you, Rainbowz. I appreciate the reply. So, I guess my question really was can you, if you want to, put a thicker layer of buttercream under the fondant? I guess the answer is "Yes." I think I just need to do like Joquita and buckle down and do it.

Thanks again!

MMF is very sweet IMO, but it is cheap to make and great to experiment with. Satin Ice has more of a refined taste and costs more but just as easy to work with...although it is thinner/softer than MMF you need to be a little more careful with it, so as not to tear it!