I’m curious about the caution about not using a buttercream that has eggs or cream. We have a lot of options in terms of how to make buttercream - there’s meringue buttercreams (Italian Meringue or Swiss Meringue), French or Classic buttercreams (with corn syrup or sugar, and eggs - either yolks, or some combination of whole eggs and yolks) and then there’s a lot of variations of what most bakers call “simple buttercream” or “American buttercream” which can have milk, butter, salt, vanilla, and either butter or vegetable shortening. 

What kind of buttercream does Loveliana make or use for this?  If you were going to do it (melted/steamed buttercream) how would you make the buttercream?

Speaking of solving mysteries, Jeanne, I’ve been meaning to thank you for clearing one up for me! I made a successful wedding cake back in 2004 loosely based on Rose’s art deco design in TCB. That is, I used her flourless chocolate cake, the choc oblivion truffle torte with rolled fondant but not the art deco design. She writes that after tiering, the completed cake can be served the same day or refrigerated for an additional 2 days. I think I only refrigerated it overnight, but anyway it worked like a charm.

Last year, when I proposed doing the same cake at baking school (again with different design elements), my instructor looked at me like I had lost my marbles. He insisted that it wouldn’t work, that fondant should NEVER go in the fridge, but he let me go ahead. It almost didn’t work. The fondant began to sweat like anything, and I was terrified that the piped royal icing decorations would slide off the cake before it was served. Maybe they did, and the bride and groom were too sweet to tell us later.

I was mystified! In hindsight, the fact that different fridges can have different humidity levels is the obvious answer. But it didn’t occur to me then or since. That is, until I read your comment. Our walk-in cooler at school would naturally be more humid than a home fridge, especially with all the produce etc. for the “hot side” of the kitchen. Duh! So thank you very much. I’ve been afraid ever since to put fondant on that particular cake, which really does need to be refrigerated. And it’s such a wonderful taste/texture combination.

my walkin is very humid as well; if I need to refrigerate a fondant covered cake for any reason, I put it in a large sheet pan bag and tie it. I use a masonite board under the cardboard the cake is sitting on so it doesn’t flex at all and it works great for the smaller tiers.  It doesn’t work (the bag is too small) for anything bigger than a 13” round or 12” square.  What I do when it gets busy is to put the bigger tiers in boxes and wrap the box in plastic. 

It helps a little and works better if it is overnight rather than longer. Different brands of fondant behave differently in these conditions so what you’re used to with one brand may be better or worse with another.

I did a cake for a bakery intern who worked at a large, well known place in CA and she told me that they use (new) garbage bags to cover the entire tiered cake. It’s the only way they can do that many fondant cakes in a weekend.