Love it or hate it, there is no doubt that a cake with a porcelain fondant finish is a thing of beauty. After you learn how to cover a cake with fondant you’ll be ready to create spectacular celebration cakes.
As I mentioned in my Rolled Fondant Recipe post, many folks hate the taste of fondant, but love the look. Once you make your own and realize that it can actually taste good, you’ll be ready to cover your first cake with fondant.
Explaining to someone how to cover a cake with fondant is like explaining to someone how to ride a bike. It’s much easier to show than to tell, and in the end it’s a matter of getting the feeling for it.
So watch the video and practice a few times and you’ll get it.
Here are a few helpful hints for covering a cake with rolled fondant:
- The fondant will not hide imperfections in the cake. Start with a perfectly straight, perfectly iced cake with sharp corners on the top edge.
- Whatever type of fondant you use, my recipe, your own recipe, or commercially made, knead the fondant until it’s smooth and supple before rolling. If the fondant is too stiff, you’ll get cracking and other imperfections.
- Work slowly and methodically to smooth the fondant from top to bottom. Don’t try to rush it or force the fondant into place.
- Sometimes a “bubble” will form on the surface of the fondant. Use a pin to poke a hole in the bubble, then gently smooth it out with your finger.
- Use powdered sugar sparingly when rolling. Too much sugar will dry the surface of the fondant, causing “elephant skin” (wrinkly patches) on the cake.
- If the fondant seems very dry, knead in just a few drops of water. If the fondant is too soft, knead in just a little powdered sugar.
- Left over fondant should be double wrapped in plastic and stored in an air-tight container. Properly stored it will keep for months.
Some helpful tools: fondant smoother,fondant rolling pin, pizza cutter, cardboard cake rounds, paring knife, powdered sugar sifter.
Watch the video to see How To Cover A Cake With Fondant.
You might also like:
How to Ice A Cake
Vanilla Cake
All About Cake Batter
Rolled Fondant Recipe
Italian Meringue Buttercream
How to build a layer cake
Kimberly
I’m doing my first catering job, and its a wedding, Im exciting, so thanks for the tips. 🙂
Eileen Gray
Great, good luck.
Lani
will you post how to make this cake flower too
I want to learn to make this cake on flowers please. : )
from Korean
Eileen Gray
Hi Lani. At this point I don’t plan to post cake decorating videos. Maybe in the future, but for now I’m focusing on the recipes.
Cora Wilson
Can you add flavoring to the fondant? And, is there one I should never use?
Eileen Gray
Hi Cora. Yes, you can lightly flavor the fondant. A little vanilla, lemon or almond extract would flavor the fondant without affecting the texture or color.
Kavya
Hi Eileen,
Which cake can we bake as the base to cover with the fondant?
Do you have a reciepe for a 6inch Vanilla pound cake and a 6inch chocolate cake?
Eileen Gray
I have a vanilla butter cake recipe and chocolate butter cake recipe. I have used both of these cake recipes under fondant and they do very well. The recipes are sized for 8″ cakes. 6″ cakes are about 60% the size of an 8″ cake. So you can divide the recipe in half for slightly shorter layers baked in the 6″ pan or do 2/3 of the recipe for slightly taller layers baked in the 6″ pan. Honestly, the easiest way is to bake in a 6″ pan and bake the left over batter as cupcakes.