Steps On Using Fondant

by Jennifer England
(Braintree, Essex, UK)

Hi,
I'm actually doing a 40th birthday cake and not a wedding cake but your advice on here is fantastic and so detailed I am hoping you can help me!

I am making a square chocolate cake with a chocolate fudge filling, butter cream crumb coating and fondant on top. Then sugar paste flowers/decorations to finish.

Today is Thursday and the cake is needed for Monday.
How far in advance do I do the cake? I am unsure on the time line for when I make the sugar paste ribbons? and when to put each part of the cake together.

Sorry long question I know but it's the most detailed cake I have been asked to make and I really don't want to mess it up!
Really hope you can help, Thanks.
Jen

Thanks Jen! You can bake your cakes now and freeze them. You can even fill them and freeze them ahead just wrap them very well.

The next step would be to crumb coat the cakes.

The fondant is next and can be put on a day or even two days ahead. I usually recommend not refrigerating a fondant cake as it gets sticky gooey and shiny. But I have recently learned that you can box the cake and wrap in plastic to keep the moisture away. Then take the box out a few hours before the event and let it sit out for a bit to come to room temperature before removing the cake from the box.

The sugar paste ribbons should be made right before you put them on the cake. Sugar paste hardens quickly once exposed to the air. Unless of course you are making something three dimensional like a bow in which case you would make that a day or two ahead so it can harden.

I hope that helps you out with your steps on using fondant.

Thanks for visiting and asking some great questions.