About Fondant
Ever seen a cake decorated with icing that appears to be impossibly smooth? Chances are that's not icing, but fondant. Today's prepackaged fondant looks great but may not taste as good as expected. The fondant that covers most professionally baked cakes is a concoction of sugar, water and glucose. Whether going for elegance alone or delectable elegance, fondant will make any cake stand out from the crowd. Add this to my Recipe Box.
History
Fondant can be traced back to the history of icing in general. The Renaissance was not just about painting and sculpture; cake decorating came of age during this verdant period of history. Because pure sugar was far too expensive, a paste made from sugar and almonds was used instead to decorate desserts.
Features
The feature of fondant that is most identifiable is the feature that is the most highly prized. A cake with fondant rather than simple buttercream or whipped icing is much smoother and muck thicker. The taste is not necessarily the best feature of fondant, because in many cases other types of frosting may actually taste better.
Function
Fondant provides a sense of elegance to dessert. The result of using fondant rather than traditional frosting or icing is that the cakes tend to look like something that belongs in a display for a cookbook photograph rather than something on a dinner table.
Benefits
The primary benefit of using fondant rather than conventional icing is that it can be easily shaped. Fondant can be used to give cakes the appearance of everything from an aardvark to a zoo train. Fondant is the cake topping of choice for professional cake decorators who possess the talent and ability to transform cakes into award-winning works of art.
Considerations
A cake decorated with fondant can appear to be far more tasty than a cake decorated with plain frosting. That is the point of fondant: appearance.
Appearances are usually deceiving when it comes to fondant. Although cooked fondant is sweet enough to be as enjoyable as icing, many cooks utilize an uncooked fondant that is made mostly of confectioner's sugar and has almost no taste at all. The result is not necessarily a bad taste, but many people are surprised when biting into this because it is not the sugary treat they expected.
Potential
Fondant is not just for traditional cakes. Small petit fours get their thick skin from fondant. Fondant can also be applied to cupcakes and be used to decorate a traditionally frosted cake with small sculpted flowers or animals.
Warning
Fondant can be very difficult to work with. Patience is a virtue that will be tested if you have too much or too little fondant to work with. Fondant can easily come apart as you try to stretch it. Begin by using premade fondant before attempting to make it yourself. Once you have learned to master the uncooked fondant, you will be much better equipped to handle the cooked kind.
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