3 Reasons Why Fondant Cracks

In our last practice session, the fondant cracked as I laid it on the cake. To fix this I tried rubbing a little amount of shortening on the cracks and pinched it together gently. I didn't know if this was correct but it improved.

I tried researching about how to fix this problem in cakes. I found this site, baking 911, where there are tips and basic information about cake decorating. So as I read about it, cracks are usually caused by:
1. dry fondant
2. thickly rolled fondant
3. the fondant was not rolled properly

To fix this according to them,
- you must moisten up the fondant by adding more shortening.
- you must roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick only
- also, when kneading fondant you should knead properly and not "under knead. To know that you kneaded it enough, they said to pinch the fondant and see if no crack will appear.
- tiny cracks can also be remedied through the pressing of the smoother or through the heat of your hands. try putting shortening in your fingers as you smoothen the fondant.

http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/flickrCC/

So we're RIGHT after all! Next time I'll put into mind these tips to prevent cracks in fondant! Read this to know the full article and see other articles as well: Baking 911

Practice Session 2: Birthday Cake

I had to practice again and had to try out the new tools for decorating. I was supposed to try out designing a layer cake but didn't have the energy and time so just made a 9 inch cake.

I wasn't able to take pictures of our session because my friend and I were so engrossed in designing and finishing the cake. I only got the picture of the finished product!

1. Making the Fondant
I made rolled fondant again and tried to improve on my mistakes the first time. This time, I lessened the amount of powdered sugar that I added to the mixture (2 cups less). The consistency is better I think than the first one. But I will still improve it the next time I make one.

2. Rolling out the Fondant
Again, I had a hard time rolling out the fondant and covering the cake. This time, I had to cover a bigger cake (9 inch cake). It was harder of course as it gets bigger, level 2! The first try of rolling the fondant, it stuck on the work table again even if I placed powdered sugar under it. For the second try, I tried putting MORE powdered sugar and every time I rolled the fondant out, I turned it to make sure it was not sticking as I rolled it out bigger! SUCCESS! It didn't stick anymore!

The problem was that when I laid it on the cake, cracks appeared! I think the fondant was a bit dry. OR was it because I kept turning it around as I rolled it out? It didn't improve even after using the fondant smoother. What we tried to do is rub a little shortening and tried to gently pinch the fondant to remove the cracks. It improved a little bit.

3. Designing the Fondant Cake
For the design, we tried out our new tools! We used the alphabet cutter, the number cutters, the flower and butterfly plunger cutters. It was so fun to use. We were just like playing!

We wanted all the letters to stand up, but maybe we rolled the fondant thin so it didn't stand up. For the numbers, we tried a thicker one and it did stand up! Cool!

We tried to make a birthday cake, we even invented a name for the cake! All who saw it asked, who is Kylie? Haha we also don't know!