What is Fondant Cake

For many people “fondant” is not a familiar term, but most people have seen the firm sugary icing that often adorns traditional cakes for weddings, showers, and christenings. Fondant, also known as sugar paste, is an icing made primarily of confectioner’s sugar and gelatin. It can be kneaded, rolled, cut into shapes, molded, and embossed. As a cake covering it provides a wonderfully smooth canvas for decorating and seals in the freshness of the cake.

Poured fondant is a cream confection used as a filling or coating for cakes, pastries, and candies or sweets. In its simplest form, it is sugar and water cooked to the soft-ball stage, cooled slightly, and stirred or beaten until it is an opaque mass of creamy consistency. Sometimes lemon is added to the mixture, mainly for taste. Other flavorings are used as well, as are various colorings. For example, the main filling of a Cadbury Creme Egg is poured fondant. Rolled fondant or fondant icing, which is not the same material as poured fondant, is commonly used to decorate wedding cakes. It includes gelatin (or agar in vegetarian recipes) and food-grade glycerine, which keep the sugar pliable and creates a dough-like consistency. It can also be made using powdered sugar and melted marshmallows. Rolled fondant is rolled out like a pie crust and used to cover the cake.

History

• Fondant, as we know it, originated in Europe in the 18th century. It was created as a way to decorate elaborate cakes, usually for royalty.

Types

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  Rolled Fondant
  

  The two main types of fondant used on a cake are pourable fondant and rolled fondant. While both can  be used on cakes, rolled fondant is used more often.

Features

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  Pourable Fondant
  

  Rolled fondant is a dry, firm fondant that is rolled out with a rolling pin and draped over a cake. Poured fondant is a liquid, pourable fondant that is poured on the cake and spread quickly before it dries.

Function

• Fondant on a cake creates a smooth, stunning, seamless covering on wedding cakes and other cakes for significant traditional celebrations. Some fondant is used to create edible cake decorations.

Identification

• Rolled fondant on a cake is known by its uniform shell matte appearance. Pourable fondant on a cake is a little thinner, but the main difference is its shiny appearance.

Misconceptions

• Both kinds of fondant for cakes are edible, but people have the misconception that both taste good. Pourable fondant tastes relatively good, because it is cooked and often flavored. Rolled fondant is not cooked or usually flavored, so there is not much taste to it. Rolled fondant is for looks only and is often  peeled off the cake before eating.

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