What Is Fondant?

It’s possible that in one time of your life or another, whether at a birthday party or a wedding, you’ve eaten cake with a thick, chewy coating over the top of it. But what exactly is that coating on professionally made cakes that make them look so smooth? This ingredient is called fondant icing and is commonly used to decorate, sculpt, and perfect the look of cakes and other pastries.

If you’re familiar with any popular cooking or baking shows where the bakers frequently make cakes, you’ve seen them working with fondant. Fondant icing, or more simply called fondant, is that thick, chewy dough draped over cakes. Normally when you hear icing, you think of a creamy, thin sugar spread that is used to frost cakes or can sit atop cupcakes. Fondant is completely different. The cool thing about this ingredient is that you can buy fondant online or make it yourself!

What is Fondant?

Fondant is typically made with sugar, water, and corn syrup. For sculpting and shaping, gelatin is usually added to form a thicker and more malleable consistency. This ingredient is now more popularly used to sculpt, decorate, and cover bigger, professionally made cakes. You will typically find fondant on a cake meant for special occasions or more commonly on wedding cakes. Fondant is the preferred baking product for decorations and sculpting because it is easy to work with, easy to find, and mostly allergen-free.

In the past, marzipan or royal icing were the most common ways to decorate and sculpt cakes. For weddings, it’s very important to look out for potential allergens, because marzipan contains almonds and royal icing contains egg whites. Fondant can be consumed by virtually anyone who isn’t allergic to sugar, water, and corn syrup.

And yes, we said fondant can be consumed. Despite its thick and chewy texture that is often compared to Play-Doh, fondant is 100% edible. If you’ve got a major sweet tooth, then you might enjoy chewing the fondant from your slice of cake.

What It’s Used For

There are many different benefits to using fondant over other icings like buttercream. Not only does fondant create a seamless, smooth surface on a cake, but it also lasts much longer than any other form of icing or frosting. When draped over a cake, it acts as a barrier to the elements, and also seals in the cake, making it last much longer than if frosted with buttercream.

For example, if you’re crafting a cake for a wedding that’s a few days away, you are completely able to cover the cake with fondant and store it in the fridge. On the day of the wedding, the cake will be as fresh as the day it was made! Using fondant this way can save bakers and cake makers a lot of time, especially if the bakery is busy.

When chilled in the fridge, the fondant icing goes a bit harder, but when sat at room temperature it won’t melt and ruin a cake. Since fondant is very easily malleable and shapeable, it’s ideal for creating embellishments for the cakes like fondant flowers or other decorations. Fondant is very easily colored, as well, so no matter the color palette, you can achieve anything with this ingredient.

How to Make Fondant

Of course, the easiest way to obtain this sugary dough is to buy fondant online, but if you’ve got some time on your hands, you can easily make fondant at home! You will only need a few ingredients. Grab some gelatin, water, corn syrup, glycerin, shortening, and confectioners sugar!

1. First, combine cold water and gelatin and heat it through a double boiler until fully dissolved.

2. Add corn syrup, mix, then add the shortening.

3. Combine this mixture with the sugar into a dough has formed

4. Once a dough is formed, knead this sugar dough until you’ve reached the consistency you want.

There are a few different variations of how to make fondant, so it’s best to experiment and see which recipe works best for you and your cakes!

If you’re a busy cake maker and can’t find the time to produce homemade fondant (many can’t) then you can find high-quality, big batches of fondant online. The important thing is to find a trusted and reliable bakery ingredient distributor for your fondant supply. That distributor would be us at Stover & Company.

Where to Buy Fondant Online

At Stover & Company, we strive to provide our customers with the highest quality ingredients for their confectionery businesses. From things like huge jugs of fondant, all the way down to the smallest decorating tools, we’ve got you covered on all grounds.

Our commitment to trustworthy customer service and satisfaction is unmatched by our competitors. See for yourself at stovercompany.com. If you have any questions or want to see what we can do for your business, give us a call at 724-274-6314.
 

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