Fondant is a Cake decorating element that is growing in popularity in this country because of its versatility in creating shapes, changing colors and providing an overall sophisticated, clean look to virtually any cake.

What is Fondant?

Fondant is a special type of confection made from sugar. It can be used as both a filling and a cake covering, depending on its consistency. In a more fluid form, the fondant typically is used inside different types of candy and then covered in a chocolate coating. The more malleable solid form can be rolled out like cookie dough and you can cut out shapes for decorating or drape the fondant over a cake for a smooth looking finish.

The Versatility of Fondant

There are different forms of fondant. Some are quite tasty while others are more for looks. You can purchase prepared fondant but the best tasting kind is one you make yourself as it will be fresh and you can create whatever flavors you choose. There are some great marshmallow fondant recipes as well as Dutch chocolate, vanilla or even white chocolate fondant.

Most fondant can be tinted quite easily in your favorite colors. With candy oil, you can change the flavor of it too. You can cut out shapes using a cookie cutter and even sculpt a variety of items into different shapes to use as decorations. But a theme will be needed to provide guidance for your decorations.

Applying the Fondant on Cakes

Rolling out fondant is the easy part; it’s just applying it smoothly onto your cake that is the hard part! There are few tricks you can try for a smooth finish. First of all, ice your cake with a nice quarter of an inch thick layer of butter cream frosting. The frosting will give the fondant a smooth foundation in which to work.

When you apply fondant to an un-iced cake, it can be quite difficult to take it off and reposition or even slide it to another position due to the traction between the fondant and the dry cake top. However, applying the frosting first not only provides a smooth layer but also a work area that allows for a bit of fondant leeway in the positioning process.

The only true way to become adept at using fondant is to practice and play with it. From experimenting with colors and shapes to even the flavor of it, fondant will show its true versatility.

For more information check out the whole package at Art of Fine Cake Decorating

Buy 2.lb. Red Fondant by Satin Ice

Buy 2 lb. Green Fondant by Satin Ice

Buy 2 lb. Yellow Fondant by Satin Ice

Buy 2 lb. Pink Fondant by Satin Ice

Tags: Cake Decorating, Fondant

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 at 1:16 am and is filed under Cake Icing Techniques. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.