Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

I usually bake my cake in advance and freeze. I let them defrost at room temperature and when they are still a little cool I torte, fill and crumb-coat. I then put in the fridge overnight to set. The following day I cover with icing and remove the cake from the fridge half hour before laying the fondant on. With the last couple of cakes I have done, I have smoothed the fondant over fine and achieved nice sharp edges. However, after a while a soft bulge appears in the fondant. Not all over, just in one or two places. What am I doing wrong? Thank you.

Hi Lynn

You haven’t done anything wrong. Sometimes, when a filled cake comes to room temperature, it begins a to settle. It’s to do with the difference between fridge and ambient temperature, ie expansion and contraction.
To avoid bulging, settle the filled cake at room temperature with a weight eg a book or a plate. This will expel any air or overfill trapped in between the layers. Any filling which squishes out smooth around the cake. Place in the fridge as normal until required for icing.

Before icing, ensure the cake is tacky to touch all over. Any dry spots will cause air bubbles under the icing which can appear to be like bulging. I find the best way to get an even tack is, to use a water spray or misting bottle. As you have the problem in one or two places, dry spots may well be the culprit.

? hope this helps.

Thank you very much. I have my last Christmas Cake to fill, crumbcoat and ice tonight and tomorrow evening. I will try this approach and let you know how I get on.

You’ll be fine ?. Good luck and have a wonderful Christmas. Look forward to your feedback ?

Don’t over wet by spraying as that will make problems.