How to Roll Icing Over a Cake?

Rolling icing, specifically fondant, over a cake involves several key steps to achieve a smooth, professional finish. This process primarily focuses on covering a cake with fondant, and the references focus on techniques for using fondant for round cakes.

Preparing Your Fondant

Before you begin, ensure your fondant is pliable and ready to use. This usually involves kneading it until it's soft and easy to work with.

Rolling the Fondant

1. Dust your surface: Lightly dust your work surface with powdered sugar or cornstarch to prevent the fondant from sticking.
2. Roll evenly: Use a rolling pin to roll out the fondant into a circle larger than the diameter of your cake, plus enough to cover the sides.
3. Thickness: Aim for a consistent thickness. Too thick and it will be difficult to work with, too thin and it will be prone to tearing.
4. Lift carefully: Carefully lift the fondant from the work surface using your rolling pin or your hands.

Applying the Fondant to the Cake

1. Drape over the cake: Gently drape the fondant over the cake, allowing it to fall over the sides.
2. Smooth the top: Smooth the top of the fondant with your hands or a fondant smoother. Start from the center and move outwards.
3. Smooth the sides: Work your way down the sides of the cake, gently smoothing the fondant to eliminate air bubbles.
4. Address bubbles: If you get any air bubbles, pop them using a pin from the side, rather than from the top and then smooth with your finger.
5. Round out any mis-shapeness: If the shape of the fondant gets misshapen, try to round the edges back to the circle.
6. Trim the excess: Trim away the excess fondant around the base of the cake. This can be done with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter.
7. Final smooth: Do a final smoothing of the cake to get a clean and polished look.

Tips from the Reference:

• Addressing air bubbles: As mentioned in the YouTube video, pop any air bubbles with a pin from the side rather than the top. Then smooth with your finger.
• Reshaping fondant: If the fondant gets misshapen, gently guide it back to a circle. This will help achieve a neater finish.

By following these steps, you can effectively roll icing over a cake and achieve a beautiful, professionally finished look.