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To Fondant or NOT to Fondant?
by Topozios
Cake Artistry
One of the questions you are bound to run into when deciding on your
cake is whether or not to use fondant on the outside of your cake. First
of all, what is fondant? Fondant originates from "fondre", to
melt, and is a soft creamy preparation of sugar, water, and flavoring.
Fondant is basically a sugar syrup that is crystallized to a smooth, creamy
white mass and is used for both icing cakes and cake decorations. The
cooked Fondant (European Fondant) is quite difficult to make and is usually
replaced by it's cousin, rolled fondant.
Present Cake
with fondant
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European Fondant is made by boiling sugar, water and glucose
to 240°F. It is then poured onto a marble slap and sprinkle
with some water to prevent crystallization. Once the syrup has cooled
down to 110°F, the sugar is worked with a steel scraper, folding
it onto itself. The fondant is worked until it is smooth, creamy
and white.
Rolled Fondant is a Canadian term for Sugarpaste, which is a different
product. Sugarpaste is an icing sugar and gum based paste. Sugarpaste,
rolled fondant and roll out icing are all the same. They are just
different names used in different countries. Sugarpaste is easy
to mould, shape, color and roll out and you don't have to wait for
the sugarpaste to dry before finishing the final decoration on the
cake. Rolled fondant is used widely in the U.S. and is probably
what you will get when you order a fondant covered cake. |
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Some people say that they do not care for the way fondant taste.
Keep in mind that fondant may also be flavored. Flavoring it with
citrus, nut or berry is a good way to change the flavor of the fondant
and also enhance the flavor of the cake. There is also chocolate
fondant which has a nice flavor and a beautiful dark brown color.
In regards to color, fondant can be made in any color, or multitude
of colors. It is very flexible and can be transformed from it's
original white paste consistency to just about any design your imagination
desires.
There are many ways to apply fondant to a cake. If you have a cake
with rounded edges, then the fondant is usually draped over each
tier. The fondant also may be cut into panels and applied to each
surface of the cake to give it a sharp well-defined edge. With either
method, a fondant covered cake will give your cake a very smooth
porcelain finish. |
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Present Cake
with buttercream
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An alternative to a fondant finish is a very smooth buttercream finish.
To achieve this, the pastry chef will wet the buttercream after it has
been applied to a cake, and then smooth it out many times to achieve a
very smooth satin finish.
So which finish is best for YOUR cake? A fondant finished cake will cost
more than buttercream. You can expect to pay anywhere from $1 to $3 more
per serving for fondant. The main reason for this is because the fondant
has to be hand rolled and then applied to the cake, usually over a light
buttercream. Some bakeries do not like to go through the extra work involved
with fondant and may even try and talk you out of using it. Look around,
there are lots of bakeries that are very talented with fondant and may
even specialize in fondant covered cakes.
Topozios
Cake Artistry
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