when my friend got married last year, she had a cake with fondant and i thought it was pretty disgusting. tasted like semi-soft flavorless plastic. i don't know if it's because it was ordered from a restaurant, not a bakery (she only had 25 people attending the wedding so a bakery wasn't necessary)
so is that really what fondant tastes like or is it really delicious? why does it cost so much more than buttercream?
Thanks
ps: i'm sure i'll discover the answer whenever FH and I go cake tasting ... but until then, i'm curious
whispersamethyst
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Re: cakes with fondant
IMO fondant is pretty tasteless. It's expensive because it's easy to manipulate and you can make just about any image with it. So unless you're having a really detailed wedding cake shaped like a castle, a crown, or whatever other crazy image that pops into one's head, it's really not all that necessary.
Bee12
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Re: cakes with fondant
i agree... not a fan of fondant but They say that the texture is much smoother than icing.perfectly smooth, without wrinkles or air bubbles
lisagail55
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Re: cakes with fondant
Posted by whispersamethyst
IMO fondant is pretty tasteless. It's expensive because it's easy to manipulate and you can make just about any image with it. So unless you're having a really detailed wedding cake shaped like a castle, a crown, or whatever other crazy image that pops into one's head, it's really not all that necessary.
I completely agree. If you want that smooth look and are willing to be a little different and love chocolate - go for ganache and your icing!
Diana12
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Re: cakes with fondant
I know what you mean! I don't really want it on my cake, so I don't think that I will.
isk8r813
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Re: cakes with fondant
I'm a pastry chef by education; here's a little more info on fondant:
Most restaurants (and bakeries for that matter) don't have the expertise to place fondant on the cake correctly, which is why it can taste gross.
The best way to put fondant on a cake and to make it taste good is to put a few light layers of buttercream frosting on the cake first, and then to roll the fondant out as thin as possible before placing on the cake. It takes a lot of skill to be able to smooth the fondant onto the cake when it's thin.
It takes much less skill and time to put 1 light layer of buttercream on the cake, and to place fondant on the cake when it's thicker. A large lump of fondant does not melt in your mouth, so that's why you thought it tasted bad.
That being said, fondant is really more for the look, but done correctly, it can taste almost as good as buttercream.
Tracey1979
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Re: cakes with fondant
i had buttercream but they did it so smooth that it looked like fondant (per our request)
springsandra
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Re: cakes with fondant
We had buttercream on our cake and it looked beautiful and tasted amazingly delicious! It was July too and there were no problems at all!!!!
We went to a wedding in September where the cake had fondant and it really tasted disgusting. They cut the cake and served the pieces with the fondant on it and the whole thing was like chewy cardboard. Could've been that bakery, but it really turned me off to ever wanting to eat cake like that again. (And I LOVE cake -- loved ours sooooo much!)
JAAMS
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Re: cakes with fondant
i actually love the taste of fondant, and i think it makes the cake look smoother...but i think you a good pastry chef can really achieve that-or a very similiar- look w/ buttercream
jlt2010
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I've worked at a wedding before where they actually peeled off the layer of fondant before cutting and serving it. The Crystal Plaza in NJ. That's the only time I've ever seen it done tho.
FutureJOC
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Re: cakes with fondant
Also fondant makes the cake looks smooth and you can do alot of different designs with it, IMO I really don't like the taste of fondant. I had never tasted before my friends wedding last year and I am usually an icing person and I didn't like it at all.
AwaitingAugust
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Re: cakes with fondant
Posted by isk8r813
I'm a pastry chef by education; here's a little more info on fondant:
Most restaurants (and bakeries for that matter) don't have the expertise to place fondant on the cake correctly, which is why it can taste gross.
The best way to put fondant on a cake and to make it taste good is to put a few light layers of buttercream frosting on the cake first, and then to roll the fondant out as thin as possible before placing on the cake. It takes a lot of skill to be able to smooth the fondant onto the cake when it's thin.
It takes much less skill and time to put 1 light layer of buttercream on the cake, and to place fondant on the cake when it's thicker. A large lump of fondant does not melt in your mouth, so that's why you thought it tasted bad.
That being said, fondant is really more for the look, but done correctly, it can taste almost as good as buttercream.
put that way,it actually sounds yummy lol
AngnShaun
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Re: cakes with fondant
imo its more for making it look pretty and clean... it really doesnt do anything for me taste wise...
Mommy2BeBride
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Re: cakes with fondant
I am all about butter cream!! I do not like fondant at all!! but that's just my opinion. every bride has their own taste!
JenBill61210
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not a fan of fondant, i usually peel it off
flibbertigibbet
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i hate fondant. the icing is my favorite part of cake so there's no way i'm using it.
sure it has that smooth look, but unless you're getting married in a hot month there's really no reason to use it. a talented baker should DEFINITELY be able to make butter cream look good.
KerriJohnS
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Re: cakes with fondant
I had pretty awful fondant at a party once.
I had AMAZING fondant at my wedding though. So it can go either way.
Can you do a taste test on the cake before you decide? I think it depends on who makes it and how it's made. Sometimes it's REALLY good and sometimes REALLY bad!!
KerriJohnS
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Re: cakes with fondant
Posted by weddingbees
i hate fondant. the icing is my favorite part of cake so there's no way i'm using it.
sure it has that smooth look, but unless you're getting married in a hot month there's really no reason to use it. a talented baker should DEFINITELY be able to make butter cream look good.
icing can be under the fondant! I had icing under my fondant of my wedding cake.
love82110
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Re: cakes with fondant
As a fellow August bride, our options are slightly limited depending on your bakery. I spoke with mine briefly (Audrey's) and whipped cream as well as ganache are not available May-Sept, because they don't stand up well in heat. That leaves Buttercream (my dad, a former baker is not a fan) and Fondant (+$1.50 pp). I totally think it comes down to the quality of the fondant and we will see at a tasting....
MrsDtoBe09
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Re: cakes with fondant
We had fondant but I paid to have my cake made - I didn't use WM's baker. It was actually really good but very pricey. Cakes by Jay made my cake and the fondant was delicious!
