Any Tips For Covering in Fondant?

[cakeycakey]

I've been working with fondant for awhile now to make decorations such as flowers and lace, but I've been having a lot of difficulty effectively covering a cake without it coming out all lumpy and uneven.
I have a particularly hard time getting the seams to blend and look clean, and smoothing out any folds. It's pretty much a disaster.
Do you have an tips for smoothly covering a round cake in fondant? Or is it simply a matter of practice makes perfect?
Buying and making fondant can get kind of expensive, so I'd rather not waste it by approaching the technique all wrong.

 

[ThatNewMommy]

The first thing I found I needed to get right was the base coat. That base coat HAS to be smooth. If not, then you won't get smooth fondant. As for the round cake, yeah they're a pain (at least in my case lol). I don't use seams though. I just roll out a nice big circle and drape that over the cake. Then I smooth and cut the left over around the base as I'm going. It took me a while but I found that going slowly and with powdered hands help me glide my hands over the cake without ripping or getting any folds. It took me a couple of tries, but I started out with small round cakes to experiment and get that technique I use.

 

[cakeycakey]

The first thing I found I needed to get right was the base coat. That base coat HAS to be smooth. If not, then you won't get smooth fondant. As for the round cake, yeah they're a pain (at least in my case lol). I don't use seams though. I just roll out a nice big circle and drape that over the cake. Then I smooth and cut the left over around the base as I'm going. It took me a while but I found that going slowly and with powdered hands help me glide my hands over the cake without ripping or getting any folds. It took me a couple of tries, but I started out with small round cakes to experiment and get that technique I use.

Hmm, I think I'm definitely going to have to practice a bit more to get a smoother base. That's an awesome tip to powder your hands too, I'm going to try that for sure! I think I need to work on rolling the fondant out thinner because whenever I try to drape it over a round cake it gets really thick, noticeable folds.

Practice makes perfect I guess

 

[Diane Lane]

I've never used fondant, so I'm glad I'm reading these threads before I attempt to tackle that giant. It sounds like a specialty unto itself. From what I've read, I don't think it would be worth it for me to try right now, since there's not much space to roll anything out here in this house/kitchen. I'm glad I know now that it's best to keep the fondant thin, and it does sound helpful using powdered hands. Are you powdering them with flour, or some other type of product?

 

[ThatNewMommy]

Hmm, I think I'm definitely going to have to practice a bit more to get a smoother base. That's an awesome tip to powder your hands too, I'm going to try that for sure! I think I need to work on rolling the fondant out thinner because whenever I try to drape it over a round cake it gets really thick, noticeable folds.

Practice makes perfect I guess

Remember, though. Not TOO thin because then it will rip. I know it can be kind of " wait..what?" but trust me. Too thin, it will rip. Too thick and it's a mess. LOL

I've never used fondant, so I'm glad I'm reading these threads before I attempt to tackle that giant. It sounds like a specialty unto itself. From what I've read, I don't think it would be worth it for me to try right now, since there's not much space to roll anything out here in this house/kitchen. I'm glad I know now that it's best to keep the fondant thin, and it does sound helpful using powdered hands. Are you powdering them with flour, or some other type of product?

Nope. Just regular cornstarch. I make a "poof" using a (new) Handi Wipe and pounce it on my "worktable" (a plastic wrapped folding table) and on my hands. It's a great way to not use too much.