Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

I usually cover my cakes with modeling chocolate paneled either on top of ganache or on top of buttercream, but I recently had to make a cake that was covered the traditional way with fondant. The finished cake + decorations looked great and then air bubble monsters started appearing all over the sides and the top. (I never had this problem with MC. ) I stabbed them down with a needle and hopefully that solved most of the immediate problem, BUT why does this happen and how can I prevent it from happening in the future. Looking forward to your response.

Hi franke

There are lots of different answers and suggestions to help prevent monster air bubbles forming. See them here: http://www.cakeflix.com/questions/?s=bubbles+in+fondant
Try also settling your cake before ganaching.
Settle the cake before ganaching by placing a weight on it overnight. I usually lightly wrap the cake in clingfilm and place either a book or a flat plate on the top to expel any air trapped in between the layers and filling. Once the layers are settled down, all air is dispersed and non can become trapped in between the ganache and icing to cause bubbles. Moisture/dewing on cake surface, air temperature differences from fridge to room which causes air expansion, can all play a part in the formation of these horrid little or big monsters! Insuffcient moisture or tack on the crumbcoat causes lack of adhesion and will also form bubbles! Air bubbles don’t happend quite as much with modelling chocolate because it doesn’t attract moisture from the cake in the same way as sugarpaste. Because it is chocolate the adhesion and setting tends to be better, particularly if you are panelling. I’m sure other members will have more tips, I’m just offering tips from my own experiences. Hope they help a little. To help fellow members, any feedback or tips which you can offer will also be much appreciated. x