Step 15 Gently pull out any pleats or folds from the sides of the cake . Lightly cup your hand and smooth the fondant flat against the cake , rubbing it gently to secure it against the ganache cake . Avoid pulling down , as this can tear the fondant . Instead , use your hands to lift the pleats out from the sides . Continue working around the cake , pulling out and smoothing the pleats one at a time until the fondant covering is even and all folds are removed . Use a pizza cutter to trim any excess fondant at the base of the cake .
Step 16 To achieve a smooth fondant surface , start with a fondant smoother . Glide it gently back and forth along the bottom of your cake to flatten the surface and get rid of any noticeable bumps .
Step 17 & 18 To smooth out the domed portion of the cake and fine tune that fondant finish , use your flexi scraper . Apply even , firm pressure as you work over the surface . The flexi scraper is great because it can bend and shape to the dome ’ s curve , making it easier to get a smooth and polished look across the whole cake . While the fondant is still soft , use your medium size balling tool to create a small indent at the top of your dome . This will be the stem mark of the fruit . We ’ ll come back to this and finish it later ! Let your cake sit for a couple of hours to let the fondant dry and firm up .