Covering Cakes with Fondant- A Cake Decorating Video Tutorial

In this cake video tutorial, I'll show you the basics of covering a cake with fondant.

Fondant is an edible sugar dough that is used all over the world to create beautiful cakes with a smooth finish.

Table of Contents

What Type of Fondant is Best?

There are many different opinions on the best brands or recipes of fondant.

Satin Ice and Wilton are good options and are not too expensive.

I use Liz Marek's recipe most often which is a combination of pre-made fondant and marshmallow fondant. You can find the link HERE. (I love it because it is more elastic, tastes like marshmallows, and I never have issues with elephant skin or tearing.

In this video, I cover my settled, buttercream crumb-coated cake with fondant rolled approx. ⅛" thick. I applied my buttercream slightly thicker than a usual crumb coat. Apply your frosting just thick enough to make the cake surface nice and smooth.

Using Ganache Beneath Fondant

You do not have to use buttercream beneath the fondant. In fact, many decorators prefer to use ganache frosting which is firmer and less likely to bulge.

Hop over if you'd like to see my Spreadable Ganache recipe in the Recipes section. It creates a really nice, sturdy foundation for fondant.

Steps for Covering Cakes with Fondant

Chilling the Cake

First, I like to place the frosted cake in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes just before covering with fondant. Chill until the frosting is nice and firm. If you skip this step, the frosting with shift as you apply the fondant.

Condensation

If you leave the cake in the freezer for too long (an hour or more), you will likely have condensation after applying the fondant.

You just want the outer layer of the cake to be chilled and firm when applying the fondant. However, if this happens to you, don't touch the fondant. Place the cake in front of a fan and the moisture will evaporate over time.

Rolling out the Fondant

While the cake is chilling, you can roll out your fondant. First, lightly grease the counter with a very thin layer of vegetable shortening. (Some decorators use a dusting of cornstarch or powdered sugar instead but I prefer shortening unless my fondant is very, very soft).

Roll the fondant to about ⅛ inch thickness (or less).

Covering the Cake

Remove the cake from the freezer.

Preparing the tier for fondant: I find that fondant adheres well to the chilled buttercream or ganache. If your crusted buttercream or your ganached cake seems too dry for fondant to adhere, mist it with a tiny bit of water or rub with a very thin layer of shortening.

Roll the fondant up onto a long rolling pin. (If it sticks to itself, you can dust it with a bit of powdered sugar.)

Unroll the fondant over the cake and then smooth the top and around the top edge of the cake first. This will keep the fondant from pulling down and tearing.

Then, work you way down around the sides. When the fondant wrinkles, just fluff/gently pull the fondant slightly away from the cake and go back in again, smoothing it around the sides.

Finally, trim away the excess with a pizza cutter or xacto knife.

Enjoy the video!

We hope that you enjoy this quick video on covering cakes with fondant. You will notice that this is one of our older videos ;0)

We do plan to redo some of these oldies but until then-- the information and process has not changed over the years. I hope that you find it helpful!

73 Comments

Melissa makes it look so easy! I have not worked with fondant very much and am trying to get over the uncomfortableness I feel when using it. Practice-I know, will help. I like the idea of not using corn starch nor powdered sugar to roll fondant out on.

Thanks Iris! You will get better and better with each try of covering the cake. As for using a little bit of shortening to prepare your countertops, I usually do prefer it over corn starch or powdered sugar unless my fondant is super soft. Some also prefer rolling out the fondant on a large silicone or vinyl mat-- which doesn't require any prep at all :0) "The Mat" is one popular example.

I have stayed away from covering my cakes with fondant, mainly because of the tearing factor when covering. I am a perfectionist and your video Melissa has helped me so much. Melissa - which fondant did you use in the video? I am thinking of trying the marshmallow and was wondering how much of a difference there was to the box?

Hi Stephanie--thanks! I'm so glad that the video helps. There is definitely a learning curve at first with fondant but with each try you will get better.

In the video I am using Satin Ice pre-made fondant. I've covered cakes with marshmallow fondant and we have members that use mmf exclusively. We use pre-made mainly for convenience. Hope this helps!

I only use Marshmellow fondant because I like the taste a lot better. It has taken me quite a few times of trial & error to get it to where is doesnt rip. It's just much softer than the store bought one.

Thanks for the video very helpful . Could you please do a video on fondant using shaped character cakes when you get the chance.

Hi Melissa,
I covered my first fondant cake. I actually turned out very pretty which came as a surprise to me but the fondant does not taste very good. Any suggestions where I can purchase fondant that is more palatable?

Hi Patti, there is often discussion about which fondant taste the best. Fondarific and Fondx have both gotten good reviews on taste. I think they are both available at globalsugarart.com. We have used Fodarific and like the taste but it is softer than Satin Ice and not good for modeling as it takes a very long time to dry even with Tylose added.

Hi there I was wondering what works best under fondant, Butter cream or ganach.

Kylie, I probably would lead a little more towards ganache beneath fondant, but I use both.

Melissa:
Is your counter marble? I ask because I have a marble counter and I was told not to get any oil, etc. on it, so I'm a bit hesitant to spread crisco on it without knowing its safe to use....Thanks!