Round Off Or Angle Top Layer/edge Before Applying Fondant??
Decorating By LisaMaeCakes Updated 10 Aug 2006 , 12:58pm by playingwithsugar
Every picture of cakes with fondant seem to have the top layer slightly rounded off. It looks like maybe it is trimmed with a knife before the crumb coat. Am I seeing this right? Is this so the fondant lays smooth and to prevent it from cracking? Any tips/help appreciated. Thanks! Lisa
Hi, Lisa,
In the past, pastry chefs would use a knife to round off or bevel the edge of a cake before applying the rolled fondant icing.
Now there are pans that offer this effect. The rounded edges are called contour pans, and the beveled edge cakes are called beveled pans. The beveled pans are becoming quite popular, but to my knowledge, are discontinued.
Contour pans are still available by some manufacturers.
Theresa 
Is it just for looks or does it make the fondant lay nicer?
Some of both.
Although the look of the rounded or beveled edge is quite lovely, the design feature also allows you to apply the rolled fondant without the edge cracking.
Let me explain further:
Rolled fondant can be, at times, finicky to work with. Any little fold or bend can cause a crease or crack in the finish. Master cake decorators will tell you that this is not acceptible, and in judged cake shows, can cause points off your score.
When applying rolled fondant to a cake that has a squared (90 degree) angle to the edge, it can crack sometimes at that edge when you go to smooth it on. Today's ready-to-use, and scratch recipe, rolled fondants are more flexible and forgiving than those of the past, but to someone who is new to the technique, these things can still happen.
Theresa
I would say it quite impossible to get a straight edge on a cake if you put fondant on in one piece, to get your perfect 90 you would need to put the side on 1st then the top. When applying the fondant in one piece the edge will round its up to the person smoothing to determine the curve or bevel by hand or fondant smoother/polisher 
Thanks so much everyone. I"ve only tried rolled fondant once. I got the Wilton brand. I had a square cake. (probably not the best shape to learn with) I want to try the MMF. Is it more pliable? Easier to work with? Easier to smooth?, etc. etc.
Thx
Lisa
My opinion is that Wilton fondant is more of a teaching medium than something that should be served to guests/clients. Some may disagree, but that is their opinion, and they are welcome to it.
I switched to SatinIce last year, and have never looked back.
Many members of the forum make home-made marshmallow fondant, and swear by it. There are a cooked mmf recipe and an easy mmf recipe posted in the recipes section of this forum. You will probably have better luck with them.
Theresa
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