Fondant/Buttercream Problems. Desperately seeking help

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Permalink Reply by Dawnuelle on September 26, 2011 at 2:13am

Greetings,

 

One of the things that I think may be making your fondant sag is that you are crumb coating and icing your cake.  When I cover a cake with fondant, I generally do a thin crumb coat and put the fondant on after that.  Also, most fondant recipes cannot be refrigerated or they will start to sweat which can really mess up a cake design.  That is one of the reasons why I buy Satin Ice fondant.  I have never had any issues with putting cakes covered with it in the refrigerator.  We had a REALLY hot summer for the last couple of years.  This year most of our summer days were in the mid to upper 90's so I really had to figure out the fondant and icing issue too.  BTW...the Wilton recipe icing is REALLY sweet but does hold up well.  They also make shortenings now that do not have trans fats in them.  I am not sure how well they work in icing recipes.  Good Luck!!!

 

~ Dawnuelle

Permalink Reply by KAMiNi GOPAL on September 26, 2011 at 5:43am

Thanks Dawnuelle for the response. The problem is that in India i do not get any readymade fondant. Matter-of-fact hardly anyone uses fondant icing here. All professional bakeries use only fresh cream or variations of chocolate ganache. Even buttercream is not so commonly used here. As for fresh cream - you only get the non-diary cream here and i don't like that much as it has the texture of shaving foam :D

Permalink Reply by Deah on September 26, 2011 at 8:58am

Kamini, your climate may prohibit you from having any fondant success.  I use the Michele Foster recipe also.  When I'm working with it my kitchen has to be less than 75deg in order for me to handle it.  Otherwise it becomes a sticky, gooey mess.  Humidity is also a major factor when working with fondant. 

 

Hopefully someone in your area will chime in here with some help.

Permalink Reply by Karen Underdahl on September 26, 2011 at 9:10am

KAMiNi;

Our summers are hot and so very humid also (100's +).  I crumb coat in a stiffer ganache, then fondant, then put the cake in the fridge, in a box. If you box the cake it helps keep the condensation off the cake, when the door is opened or when you are delivering it.  Don't know if that's an option for you, but it has worked well for me.

:-}

Permalink Reply by Lisa Seidling on September 26, 2011 at 12:18pm

I had alot of problems with that same fondant recipe this summer when it was soooo darn hot and humid too.  I ended up using alot less glycerin - 1to 2 teaspoons instead of 3 tablespoons called for.  I also found that generic powdered sugar (which I would never use for icing) gave the fondant a better stiffness.  The box in the fridge, like Karen mentioned above, works wonders.  I buy the heavy cardboard moving/office boxes from my local hardware or office supply store. 

Permalink Reply by KAMiNi GOPAL on September 26, 2011 at 12:23pm

Thanks Deah. I'm hoping someone who's a professional in India will chime in - which is why i posted on the home page too. But no responses there. Anyway -i think i'll try the tweaks suggested by Karen and Lisa and hope it works. Or, maybe, i do fondant only during those months that pass for winter here. Problem is we have 2 seasons here - all of them are too hot or too humid :D

Permalink Reply by KAMiNi GOPAL on September 26, 2011 at 12:26pm

Thanks so much Karen. That sounds like a practical solution. But does that limit you to ALWAYS having chocolate ganache only on your cakes? I wonder how i'll be able to solve the issue of being able to make bows? or flowers or butterflies that lift off the cake :( Baby steps...baby steps :D

 

Permalink Reply by KAMiNi GOPAL on September 26, 2011 at 12:30pm

Lisa - thank you. That's really helpful. Going easy on the glycerin might help. Can you (or anyone else) tell me how long the fondant would last in an airtight box in the fridge? Since my attempt ended up using twice as much sugar as the recipe dictated - i have HUGE quantities of it. And a little fondant goes a long way - i have realised. I shall have to find a good sturdy cardboard box that would fit in my fridge. Next project :D

 

Permalink Reply by Lisa Seidling on September 26, 2011 at 1:01pm

I keep my fondant in the fridge or even the freezer just in a plastic ziploc bag for up to a month with no problems. If you put it in the freezer, just make sure you let it thaw completely in the fridge or at room temperature or it will get sticky.   Just to clarify... I cover the cake I am decorating in fondant, then place the whole decorated cake inside a box in the fridge.  I usually take one of the racks in the fridge out if I need to put a whole stacked cake in a large box so it will fit.  It keeps the cake from absorbing moisture and sweating when you take it out to do the finishing touches.

Permalink Reply by KAMiNi GOPAL on September 26, 2011 at 5:34pm

Thanks Lisa. All of you are so kind - to answer my Q's. But i have more Q's :D

How could i get my fondant to dry? for eg i want to make a bow? would it dry into that shape if i kept it in the refrigerator in a box?

 

Somewhere else i read that i should keep the fondant covered cake in a box with a naked light bulb hanging inside it. The gentle warmth would keep the fondant dry and keep moisture away from the cake. But wouldn't the heat get the fondant or the ganache/buttercream to melt? 

Permalink Reply by Karen Underdahl on September 27, 2011 at 9:05am

For bows, and other decorations, I add tylose to fondant or use a 50/50 gum paste/fondant.  If it's really humid I will dry them in my oven with only the light on, no heat.  The light alone will dry the fondant.  Once it dry, I put it on the cake, put the cake in a box and put the box in the fridge.  Hope that helps! :-)

Permalink Reply by KAMiNi GOPAL on September 27, 2011 at 9:09am

Thanks Karen. The shopping list I need my brother-in-law to bring from the US when he comes next year grows and grows. :D I don't have the option in my oven of leaving only the light on - maybe the box and light trick will do that for me.

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