How to Apply Fondant to a Square Cake
In this tutorial, I will show you how to cover a square cake with fondant.
Not only will you learn the basics of smoothing fondant over the corners of your cake, but you will also learn a method of smoothing that will sharpen and define your edges for a sleek look.
The cake that I am covering in this demonstration is the cake that we made in our "How to Cover a Square Cake with Ganache" Tutorial. (We have a Square Buttercream Cake Tutorial as well!)
I hope that you enjoy the video~ Don't forget to see below for Materials and additional notes!
Table of Contents
Materials
Square Cake Covered in Ganache
Vegetable Shortening- (or your glue of choice for helping fondant to adhere to cake, and preparing countertop)
Fondant Smoothers
Template Plastic or thick acetate (Two 4x6 pieces cut from a sheet that we purchased at a craft store)-Optional but we like using it.
Fondant (I used Satin Ice- Approx 2 lbs)
Crusting Buttercream or Royal Icing-- Optional, but helpful if you need to repair any imperfections.
Notes
Ganache is my preferred foundation for fondant covered cakes. Buttercream works also, but just doesn't have that firmness that ganache has, which is wonderful for preventing bulging and keeping it's shape.
Square cakes are going to be more work than round, especially if you are focusing on the corners as we did. Charge accordingly if this is a cake order!
Do not be discouraged if you don't master this on the first try! It will likely take at least a few attempts before you get the hang of it.
Finally, softer edges can be beautiful too! Don't put too much pressure on yourself to have razor sharp corners--develop the style that works best for you!
**The thick plastic used in this tutorial is not sold under any sort of "food safe" label. Personally, I have no problem with washing the plastic in warm soapy water and drying.
However, if you have concerns, you can still get beautiful definition with your fondant smoothers. The metal ones that I am using in the tutorial are PME, and the white ones are Wilton. I like them both.
As I mentioned in the video, I did not invent the idea of using flexible pieces of plastic/thick acetate for smoothing fondant--it has been around for a good while and I'm not sure who to credit as being "first" as with so many popular techniques.
However, I did find an awesome tutorial by TortaCouture on CakesDecor.com about getting a sharp edge. If you have a chance, you may like to read through her tips & beautiful cakes as well!
Hi Abbie! - Glad that you asked because I don't always remember to mention prepping the countertop beforehand. When rolling out fondant directly on the countertop, I always use just a very light coating of vegetable shortening (we use Crisco)--so, that's why you can't see it! ;0)
Ahhhh ok! :) I'm so glad to hear you say that because I kept thinking, "She's going to think I'm crazy!" That's good to know since I have a fondant covered cake coming up. My mat is dented and I'm unable to get another and using cornstarch last time resulted in major elephant skin. Really glad I asked, thank you!
A small hint. You can make your own turn table large enough to meet your needs. Have two round boards cut to fit what is needed and buy a Lazy Susan mechanism kit to make your own the turn table. Then cover it with foil or freezer paper when using it. I have also used a TV turn table when I need a really large surface, some are made as large as 16 in diameter. Just remember to use a piece of non skid padding to make sure the plastic or board that your cake is on doesn't slide off when you spin the TV turn table as the turn table has have a very slick surface.
( there are some mechanism that can hold up 200 lbs)
Awesome, thanks Maria!
Hi!
On the last cake I made the smoother was sticking to the fondant so I put a little powdered sugar on top, but that made it streaky. I rubbed a thin layer of Crisco over it and that worked, but I was wondering if you had another trick?
Hi Valerie--I do the same...I add a light dusting of powdered sugar when the smoother wants to stick. I so often work with light colors (or white) fondant that I don't often have streaking from the powdered sugar...but I also use Crisco as a good "eraser" to get rid of residue.
With gum paste or fondant pieces that have remnants of powdered sugar or cornstarch, I've also rubbed with a vodka-dampened paper towel. This works great in removing the powdery residue and also leaves a very subtle but lasting shine.
What recipe do you use for your ganache? I tried this before and the way I fixed it, it was hard to use, it dried too fast....help?
Maggie
Hi Maggie, we use the Simple Spreadable Ganache recipe, here is a link,https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes-tutorials/simple-spreadable-ganache/The other time you made ganache, did you let it come to room temperature? It becomes peanut butter consistency and is ready for spreading. It must first come to room temperature and then you can refrigerate for later use....just microwave very briefly to get it back to spreading consistency.
hi Melissa and BeBe
I am not getting access to view the videos full screen. before I was able to do so. how can I get to view this video full screen
Hi MyKangarooCakeGirl~ Do you see the arrows in the bottom right of the video window (Right next to HD)? If you click there, it will switch to full screen. Let me know if for some reason you don't see the option!
Hi, Melissa,
About 10 or so seconds into this video, it goes black. I tried fast forwarding to a later spot in the video, but I still got a black screen. Is it my device?
Hi Mary, I'm sorry that you are having this issue. I'm able to view (and skip forward, etc.) as usual. I've just added an "Alternate Video Format" to the bottom of this post in case that works better for you. You could also experiment with changing the resolution which appears in the bottom right of the video window for the first video- (360p, 540p, 720p,) to see if that helps. I'm not sure if it's your device, version of browser or operating system, etc. but if you continue to have this issue, you can e-mail us at info@mycakeschool.com and we'll see if we can help to troubleshoot it with you.