I finish all kinds of cakes with rolled fondant, but whenever I start to decorate the cakes with flowers and bows, the fondant starts to sweat. Is the only remedy for this placing it back in the fridge(and I keep it covered so it won't absorb excess moisture)? Thanks for your input.

By momoreg on Thursday, July 08, 1999 - 06:47 am: Edit

air conditioning and fans help on humid days. It's better than a fridge, because it removes moisture from the air. It may still sweat, but not nearly as much. Let the cake come to room temp before you decorate. If it sweats, your decorations won't slide off.

By dana on Thursday, July 08, 1999 - 06:22 pm: Edit

Thanks, momoreq. A fellow pastry chef advised me to not use cakes that have been filled with mousse or whipped cream since the cakes need to be cold to maintain the stability of the filling. So are most rolled fondant cakes filled with buttercream? This kind of limits one's choices(specially if you like the look of the fondant but dislike buttercream!)

By momoreg on Friday, July 09, 1999 - 11:28 pm: Edit

I wouldn't use a mousse in a wedding cake, simply because it sits out for the length of the wedding. But you're not restricted only to buttercream; you can use ganache, curd, marmalade, or anything else you can think of that's not too perishable. Anything with whipped cream is a no-no.

By jeee2 on Thursday, July 15, 1999 - 02:24 pm: Edit

I'm with Momoreg, amateurs start doing cakes with no training and get involved in cake combinations that shouldn't be done. Just because the customer has no taste doesn't mean it works.

Cheers, Gerard

By christina on Saturday, May 20, 2000 - 05:49 pm: Edit

To prevent the fondant from sweating allow the cake to come to just above room temperature before applying the crumb coat. I do not refrigerate the cake after it is covered, this causes sweating, instead keep the cake in an air conditioned room.

By Ramodeo (Ramodeo) on Saturday, May 20, 2000 - 07:32 pm: Edit

I just (finally) started using rolled fondant regularly, and the first cake I did I wasn't thinking and put it on a cold cake. Of course it started sweating - it was a bit humid that day in the kitchen. I went ahead and hoped for the best and piped on my decos. I took it home (I was delivering it to a friend) and as soon as it sat out long enough at roomtemp in my kitchen at home it dried off! Nifty! The second one I did, I put it on a room temp cake, and even tho it was incredibly humid, it didn't sweat at all. I'm starting to like this stuff!

BTW, does everyone buy prepared fondant, or do any of you make it from scratch? I made it from scratch way back in school....I wondered if there's pros and cons to either way???

By momoreg on Saturday, May 20, 2000 - 08:09 pm: Edit

Even though rolled fondant will sweat on a humid day, I always put it on the cake when the cake is cold, because the finish is perfectly smooth. If the buttercream is at all soft, then you end up with lumps and bumps. If a client insists on fondant in a humid month, I always warn them of its tendency to sweat. Air conditioning helps a lot. After the cake is covered, it's best to keep it out of the fridge from then on, and only keep it in AC. I have never made fondant. I would like to try. Does anyone have a good formula?

By Mikeh (Mikeh) on Saturday, May 20, 2000 - 11:02 pm: Edit

Here is my rolled fondant (sugarpaste) recipe. I also have a formula for the fondant that is used to glaze petit fours, but all the pros I've talked to say that they've made it once in school and never made it again.

Sugarpaste

 
1 Tbsp   gelatin 
1/4 cup  cold water 
2#       10X sugar 
2 Tbsp   shortening (sweetex) 
1/2 cup  corn syrup 
1 Tbsp   glycerine 
1 tsp    vanilla (or other candy flavoring) 
1/4 tsp  rose water

By Panini (Panini) on Sunday, May 21, 2000 - 08:20 am: Edit

85% of our cakes are mousse cakes. They all have whipped cream. We have never had a problem with sweating. We keep the cakes refrigerated until service.We do have a dry cooler. We make sure the fondant is the same temp as the cake.We put the fondant ,rolled out a little, on sheet pans dusted with corn starch and covered in the cooler until it's the same temp as the cake.
We make certain that our cakes are served in the 4 hr window. Although I do not like the flavor and servicability of fondant We are asked for it all the time. We use a Bakels product. It now comes in colors and flavors.
good luck

By momoreg on Sunday, May 21, 2000 - 08:29 am: Edit

Whether or not your cakes sweat depend on your climate. I work in coastal Connecticut, where it can be very humid in the summer. I can't imagine making fondant cakes in Seattle!!!

By momoreg on Sunday, May 21, 2000 - 08:34 am: Edit

Mikeh,
Thanks for the recipe. Everyone says it's better to just buy fondant, but it's good to make it once, then decide whether it's worth the work.

By Ramodeo (Ramodeo) on Sunday, May 21, 2000 - 07:46 pm: Edit

Panini - I'd kill for a dry cooler. Every day, our walk in gets at least one batch, often two of 50 gals or so of sauce , or stock or soup. It's never dry. But your idea of keeping the fondant the same temp as the cake is worth a try. The sweating is condensation from the air, not moisture seeping out.

By Panini (Panini) on Sunday, May 21, 2000 - 08:17 pm: Edit

Ramodeo,
When it is humid we will bag and box the cake,especially if we are not finished decorating.
You can also get dry buckets for your walk-in. I'm not sure of the brand name but I can check.They can be purchased at your home depot for damp cellars.

By momoreg on Sunday, May 21, 2000 - 09:59 pm: Edit

That's a great idea!! I have those in my basement now, but never thought to put it in the walk-in. Thanks for the tip, Panini!!