# Rolled fondant looks weird



## lotuscakestudio (Jun 28, 2001)

In Aug. I did a 3-tierd cake covered in pale blue tinted fondant. I tinted almost 2 pounds too much (so much for following a chart on how much to use) so I wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap (twice), then put it in 2 freezer bags, and left it in my pantry. Well, tonight I wanted to use it but it looks really weird. It formed a very slight crust and looks smooth and shiny on the outside (which could be worked back into the rest of it), but beneath the surface, it looks like bread before you bake it. It's all yeasty/doughy looking. I took a small amount and kneaded it. It was almost all smooth and normal except some sugar crystals were present. How did this happen? Can I make the crystals go away somehow, or should I just throw it out? Thanks!


----------



## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

After finishing my food sanitation class my vote is "when in doubt, throw it out". , etc....There's lots of molds and germs on our hands and anything could have gotten passed onto your fondant to grow over the past months.

My lastest rant (if you don't mind, sorry) I read posts from cake decorators who are using charts for everything....YEKS! 

I just read a decorator asking about portions for a cheesecake wedding cake, another (seasoned) decorator says to her "cheesecakes are rich, so I plan a smaller sized portion with them".
HELP, am I missing something?!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Smaller then 1"x2"x by height, jeeze has anyone ever cut a cheese cake before? IT DOESN'T CUT LIKE A CAKE, HELLO???????????? I'd be thrilled if I could cut WARM (after 4 hours on a cake table) cheesecake into a decent shaped anything. The bride will be lucky if anyone can even guess what the 1"x1" x unknown height blob infront of them is.

Sorry I had to write this somewhere, I'm sure I'll get busted for this by one of our cross over posters, but it freaks me out to see common sense get thrown out the window.

I vote for everyone to throw out their charts. Lets start some bon fires Lotus? 
:bounce:


----------



## anna w. (Nov 27, 2001)

Lotus- I don't know what type of fondant recipe you used but if it has acted differently than before- throw it out! The sugar crystals were part of the dried fondant (I know you wrapped it but sometimes it does this)on the outside. You can also freeze fondant but then you have to let it completely thaw in the wrapping so that it doesn't get sticky. But if it ever makes you wonder- get rid of it. Unless I know I have something coming very soon- I just toss it. Cost of doing business.

W- you are SO busted ! I won't rat on you, though. You have to remember that there are no absolutes. I made the mistake of assuming certain things before I realized that not all things are the same everywhere. Ex: my cheesecakes are all three inches high, not two. Ex: I thought buttercream meant a combination of eggs, sugar, and butter not crisco and 10x. Ex: Quality over quanity. I am one of those people who thinks there is a "right" way for everything- which also happens to be "my" way . However, I have found not everyone agrees with me. Some people learn by experience. Let them learn. And P.S. put away the matches (LOL- you crack me up).


----------



## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

O.k. no matches...just venting, hope that's still alright? 

Yep, I'm pretty strong minded (phrased as nicely as I can). But sometimes there are absolutes, experience has shown me a few. I guess that's why I post here, I know others here know and understand what I mean. Life is different in professional kitchens, there isn't room to feel things out, you have to land things right each time. Cutting a warm cheese cake is VERY hard to do, it completely sticks to the knive regardless and wires or dental floss cuts your hands and is too slow when your slicing 200 servings with a manager yelling "faster".

Experience in professional kitchens cutting cakes is a REAL REAL eye opener for anyone who bakes. It shouldn't matter to me...but if I could show others who bake and decorate cakes what it's like to be on the recieving side of some wedding cakes they'd think differently about their baking, construction and quantities. I promise I'm not exagerating.

It's a protecting thing actually, in this regard. Being the 'pastry chef' I was always stuck on the explaining end when the chef was ranting about the dam- cake and how come those cake people don't think about cutting their work?'. "yeah they look great but for crying out loud, you can't serve them....." blah, blah 

Anna, it honestly was RARE that we'd get in a cake that we could cut nicely and get all the servings out of. Sometimes it just feels good to help and pass on good info. if you think it will help someone. It's hard to watch someone fall when you can lend a hand.


----------



## anna w. (Nov 27, 2001)

I am not disagreeing with you. I know that what you've said is true. I just hate to see you get so worked up about it. It isn't worth the mental energy. 

As a self-taught pastry chef, it took me probably longer than the guy who came out of culinary school. I still make mistakes. Those who want to learn will learn, and those that don't care will just keep doing what they're doing.

As my daughter would say: "WHATEVER!"

P.S. You still crack me up!


----------



## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

na...I'm not really worked up over it. It's just conversation...looking for someone who relates to my thoughts. At the other site, I'm like a fish out of water...I come here to find similar fish.


----------



## spoons (Nov 10, 2000)

Oops,


----------



## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

Spoons....oops what?


----------



## spoons (Nov 10, 2000)

W.
I wrote a reply. Then later on in the day went back to it to edit/add something. Then I accidently deleted it.
Then I didn't have the energy to write it again.
Just adding, I can relate to your thoughts, I'm a similar fish.
Have a great day!


----------



## spoons (Nov 10, 2000)

I did forget something.
Lotus, toss that fondant.
If it's yeasty and doughy looking, it's got something wrong w/ it.
Like the others, when in doubt, toss.


----------



## lotuscakestudio (Jun 28, 2001)

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I've been out of town for a bit, hence the late response. 

I figured something had to be wrong with that fondant if it was yeasty, but I thought to ask first b/c you never know, maybe it was something normal that I had just never seen before, and I hate to waste things.

Anna, I just used Wilton's fondant. I only do vegetarian cakes and Wilton is the only vegetarian fondant I've found that I don't have to buy huge buckets of. It hasn't behaved that way before so some evil bacteria obviously made its home in my fondant and decided to have children. I could make my own fondant, but I haven't started hunting yet for the vegetarian gelatin. But I will be getting on that soon b/c Wilton's fondant is way too gummy and has such a gross mouth feel. To me, the taste is "ok", but I've certainly had better. One thing that I think it is really good for is when using a clay gun. I've used other brands of fondant and almost disfigured my hand trying to squeeze it out. But b/c Wilton is so gummy, it takes almost no effort to get it to come out of the gun.

W. DeBord, 
Hehehe. I know what you mean about wanting to start a bonfire. Sometimes charts are useful; the chart I got in pastry school about wedding cake portions is very accurate and that's what I go by when I do tiered cakes. However other charts I've seen (not just for cake portions, but other things in general) were so wrong that I'm convinced whoever wrote the chart was on crack while writing it.

I don't doubt you when you say there are hard cakes to cut out there, but I also have a hard time believing people would even bother making a cake like that. Before I started selling cakes, I cut a bunch of them to see how they sliced, held up, etc. How could someone not do this at least 10 times before selling it? That is just weird to me. You know, I didn't even know it was such a big issue (thinking everyone made easy to slice cakes) until I had a caterer sing my glories about how easy it was to serve out my cake. At first I was confused why he would even say that. It was like saying, "Your chocolate cake tastes like chocolate." Well no duh. 

Anyhow, I am curious as to what people could make a cake out of or do differently that would make it difficult to slice. Other bakeries I have worked for and also the restaurants I did my externship at, they all made cakes that were easy to slice and serve out as well, so this idea of a hard to cut cake is a completely foreign concept to me.

Oh... Anna... I am with you on this one! I don't care what anyone says- Crisco and powdered sugar does NOT make buttercream. Not that *confectioner's icing* doesn't have its uses, but butter must be used for it to be called buttercream. Artificial clear butter "flavoring" DOES NOT count. Even when I make vegan buttercream, (with dairy-free margarine used to replace the butter), I refer to it as "butter"cream. 

W., check your PM's. I'm sending you something.


----------

