Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

I am doing a vegan cake, need to know a vegan ganache recipe that will be stable and stay firm when I cover cake with fondant in a warm Australian climate we are having right now. Also I want to know if Swiss Meringue butter cream can be used instead climate under a fondant covered cake, which I will have to have sitting on the bench overnight, and a day till delivery.

Hi qvkake

As long you use vegan chocolate or pure dark chocolate, ganache can be made with any vegan liquid or cream. It can also be made with water. There are recipes online if you make a search for watr ganache.
Meringue buttercream can be made using Aquafaba and regular buttercream with vegan spread. For best place to reference any of the above please search recipes in the following website which is entirely vegan:

https://www.gretchensveganbakery.com/

I’m not sure that any buttercream can be left out overnight in extreme heat on a bench without refrigeration. It may be able to sit out in an air conditoned room. If you make ganache using higher ratio of chocolate to liquid it will be stable in heat. The linked website has good customer service and will answer most queries. I hope you will find it useful.

Thanks for the reply. Also want to know that once you cover cake with fondant after using ganache by or having Swiss meringue buttercream underneath will it be ok to place it in a cake box, and sit on the bench for a day . So cake is ready by Sunday and must be delivered by Monday morning. When should I finish ganaching and fondant covering .

Normally a ganched or SMBC cake can be left in a box on the bench overnight before icing the next day. However, as your weather appears to be very hot at present, it will be better if you ganache/buttercream the cake on Saturday and refrigerate it in it’s box. On Sunday, remove the cake from the refrigerator. As the cake comes to room temperature, dew will form on the surface of the covering mediums. Let this dew disperse then ice with fondant. A fan aimed at the cake will help disperse the dew quicker. After icing, keep the cake in it’s box and store in the coolest room in your home. If you have air con it will be fine to sit out on the kitchen bench overnight. It is wise to give the customer some storing instructions once the cake is delivered so it remains in good condition. Storing instructions should recommend a cool or air conditoned room and not refrigeration.

Please let me know if this makes sense. I am a little concerned about the hot temps you are experiencing. 🙂