Opinions on fondant icing?

We're getting married in FL and all the bakeries are giving us conflicting advice on what type of icing to use in the FL heat (granted the cake will be inside the country club and not in the sunlight.) One baker gave us all these statistics on how great fondant is b/c there are no eggs used and therefore it can't spoil or be contaminated with salmonella. Really...I need this much stress over a cake? lol...

Anywho....what is your opinion, taste-wise, of fondant icing v. regular (I guess whipped) icing. (We did have tastings at a few places and I was fine with either...I think the fondant looks nicer though...)

Thanks so much!

It depends on the quality of the fondant. I've tasted very good and tasted some that remind you of Playdough I'd try and get a sample to taste before making your final decision. Don't forget that full fondant cover can get pricey If you are having an indoor RH than I don't think traditional buttercream icing would be a problem, but then again I am not a professional.
Good luck!

Depends on who's making it. My bakery makes their own organic fondant from scratch....it contains zero chemicals and it's actually quite good....as good as rolled out sugar paste can be.

But to be honest, most fondant I've had at places has been awful. My baker told me that's because most places order their fondant from distribrutors. When it's mass produced they have to add more chemicals so it keeps its form. That's when it tastes nasty.

So ask your baker if they make their own and ask them to taste theirs if you're unsure. You can always use buttercream....if you're going to be inside then it doesn't matter.

Whipped cream needs to be refrigerated so keep that in mind if you're considering that.

Personally I think Fondant looks pretty but does not taste very well.

What most people don't realize is that fondant is not made to be eaten (it is edible) but it should be peeled off and there should be frosting underneath.

We are not using fondant simply because we decided we didn't want the additional cost. Have to find ways to save!

Fondant is for the smooth look

You are not supposed to eat it, i dont think alot of people realize this. You can eat it, but its not the consitstency people are used to.

It can be chewy and very sweet.
I love it, but i am a sugar fiend

You are supposed to peel the fondant icing off the cake and just eat the creamy buttercream frosting and cake underneath it.

FOndant is great if you want a certain look..however anytimes I've had cakes with fondnat it's tasted like playdough as someone commented earlier.

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Posted by TheFutureMrsM

Fondant is for the smooth look

You are not supposed to eat it, i dont think alot of people realize this. You can eat it, but its not the consitstency people are used to.

It can be chewy and very sweet.
I love it, but i am a sugar fiend

You are supposed to peel the fondant icing off the cake and just eat the creamy buttercream frosting and cake underneath it.

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Indeed!!!

Don't eat the fondant!!!

one thing i would NOT do is whipped cream in the summer. Your cake will melt asap.

Depending on the baker will depend on the taste of fondant. Some are horrible and some are great. Some even use rice krispies treats to mold the cake.

For me personally, i dont like any icing of any type usually. Whether its whipped cream, buttercream or whatever. Its usually too sweet and too much of it. Now think of when you cut a slice of cake, the fondant is all around the cake on every judge, just on one side. So people always start at the end where its the filling and then work their way to where the icing is. I wouldnt worry about this. But i would suggest buttercream over whipped cream if you really dont want fondant

I read somewhere that fondant is better if it'll be sitting outside for a while (even if it's in the shade).

Personally I don't like it, but my FH is lactose intolerant so it's better for him since he can't eat buttercream icing

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Posted by missliss

Depends on who's making it. My bakery makes their own organic fondant from scratch....it contains zero chemicals and it's actually quite good....as good as rolled out sugar paste can be.

But to be honest, most fondant I've had at places has been awful. My baker told me that's because most places order their fondant from distribrutors. When it's mass produced they have to add more chemicals so it keeps its form. That's when it tastes nasty.

So ask your baker if they make their own and ask them to taste theirs if you're unsure. You can always use buttercream....if you're going to be inside then it doesn't matter.

Whipped cream needs to be refrigerated so keep that in mind if you're considering that.

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its very true. Most bakeries just order fondant from a factory and use that. SOME however are now making their own so it can taste better. Ask your bakery if they make their own or buy it elsewhere...ive eaten fondant made by the baker and it was so good. If your baker uses a fondant company then its mass produced and yes wont have the greatest taste

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Posted by TGs Lady 22908

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Posted by TheFutureMrsM

Fondant is for the smooth look

You are not supposed to eat it, i dont think alot of people realize this. You can eat it, but its not the consitstency people are used to.

It can be chewy and very sweet.
I love it, but i am a sugar fiend

You are supposed to peel the fondant icing off the cake and just eat the creamy buttercream frosting and cake underneath it.

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Indeed!!!

Don't eat the fondant!!!

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Now see my baker said its 100% edible and she always tells the RH to serve it on. LOL I have no idea

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Posted by mRm2008

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Posted by TGs Lady 22908

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Posted by TheFutureMrsM

Fondant is for the smooth look

You are not supposed to eat it, i dont think alot of people realize this. You can eat it, but its not the consitstency people are used to.

It can be chewy and very sweet.
I love it, but i am a sugar fiend

You are supposed to peel the fondant icing off the cake and just eat the creamy buttercream frosting and cake underneath it.

---

Indeed!!!

Don't eat the fondant!!!

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Now see my baker said its 100% edible and she always tells the RH to serve it on. LOL I have no idea

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Well it is edible, don't worry. Just not tasty sometimes, that's all. It can def. still be served though.

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Posted by anneandchris

Personally I think Fondant looks pretty but does not taste very well.

What most people don't realize is that fondant is not made to be eaten (it is edible) but it should be peeled off and there should be frosting underneath.

We are not using fondant simply because we decided we didn't want the additional cost. Have to find ways to save!

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i
ve heard that too.

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Posted by TheFutureMrsM

Fondant is for the smooth look

You are not supposed to eat it, i dont think alot of people realize this. You can eat it, but its not the consitstency people are used to.

It can be chewy and very sweet.
I love it, but i am a sugar fiend

You are supposed to peel the fondant icing off the cake and just eat the creamy buttercream frosting and cake underneath it.

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I never heard that you're not supposed to eat it....I even took a cake decorating class where we learned to decorate with fondant and they never said you're not supposed to eat it...I LOVE sweet things, so maybe i was busy eating the fondant when they said that! lol oops!

This baker we went to does make her own fondant and we sampled it...it was oooookaaay. I'm not a fan of the texture-but yes it does make the cake look flawless. Eh....do we really want to spend $800 on a cake just b/c it looks pretty?? Thanks for all the advice ladies!



ETS: I should mention that she's a very popular baker in southwest FL and she went on for about 30 minutes on all the different (cheap, factory made) fondants and how awful they are and how they crack etc etc. Her work really is great but I just don't know....

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Posted by kmcs317

We're getting married in FL and all the bakeries are giving us conflicting advice on what type of icing to use in the FL heat (granted the cake will be inside the country club and not in the sunlight.) One baker gave us all these statistics on how great fondant is b/c there are no eggs used and therefore it can't spoil or be contaminated with salmonella. Really...I need this much stress over a cake? lol...

Anywho....what is your opinion, taste-wise, of fondant icing v. regular (I guess whipped) icing. (We did have tastings at a few places and I was fine with either...I think the fondant looks nicer though...)

Thanks so much!

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If you like the look but not the price of fondant you can ask the bakery for 'SMOOTH ICING' Looks just like fondant. I couldn't tell the fondant cakse from the smooth icing cakes!!!!

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Posted by kmcs317

This baker we went to does make her own fondant and we sampled it...it was oooookaaay. I'm not a fan of the texture-but yes it does make the cake look flawless. Eh....do we really want to spend $800 on a cake just b/c it looks pretty?? Thanks for all the advice ladies!



ETS: I should mention that she's a very popular baker in southwest FL and she went on for about 30 minutes on all the different (cheap, factory made) fondants and how awful they are and how they crack etc etc. Her work really is great but I just don't know....

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i do i have viennese hour so ppl have tons of other things to eat

Fondant makes a cake look beautiful, but I'm not a fan of how it tastes. I think most people don't like it, but I could be wrong.

I think the baker was trying to make you spend more $$ since fondant costs more than smooth buttercream.

looks pretty, tastes funky.

We're doing buttercream since our cake is included and we're doing full viennesse so it's silly to pay extra IMO. Our hall doesn't offer Fondant. If they did, I don't know which I would pick. I like buttercream, especially when they make it very smooth.