Many of us have seen gorgeous cakes at weddings and other events that do not look like they have been frosted with traditional icing. These cakes look like they have been covered with a layer of perfectly smooth frosting, and, to some extent, that is what has happened. These cakes have been covered with what is known as rolled fondant or fondant icing. Fondant icing is made through a few different techniques, but it is basically formed by taking some type of melted sugar and mixing it with gelatin, glycerin or another similar substance. This mixture is smooth and pliable and can be rolled out and worked with much like pastry dough.
Fondant can be mixed with various food colorings so that it is available in an almost endless variety of shades. Moreover, since it is quite similar to a dough, it can be cut into myriad different shapes. Cookie cutters can even be used with rolled fondant. This means that fondant cakes can be covered with all sorts of colorful shapes that will hold their consistency far longer than traditional icing.
You may be wondering, though, how fondant cakes are made. Fondant cakes start out as normal cakes. Most bakeries that work with fondant offer cakes in a variety of flavors and flavor combinations. Ask your bakery for a taste-test so that you can choose the perfect flavor. Furthermore, many fondant cakes also contain some sort of filling. This filling adds flavor while it also helps retain the moistness of the cake. Fondant cakes are often ordered for special events, and they can be quite time consuming to construct. This means that a cake may have to be started a few days before it will be or is able to be served. In order for the cake to stay moist and delicious, a tasty filling is sometimes added between the layers of the cake.
Once the cake is baked and layered with the filling, it is then shaped. Fondant cakes come in a wide range of different shapes. There are cakes that have been shaped like tea cups, handbags, sailboats, and guitars. Before all of the frills can be added, the cake itself must be cut or formed into the general shape of the desired object. When this has been done, the cake is then covered with a traditional buttercream frosting. Again, this adds another layer of flavor and also helps seal in the moisture of the cake. It works as a substance to adhere the fondant to, as well.
As soon as the cake has been prepared up to this point, the fondant may be applied. Typically, the fondant is lifted like a sheet and smoothed into place over the cake. It may then be decorated with other fondant or sugar pieces, piped buttercream frosting, or other embellishments.
Fondant cakes are a smooth, beautiful, and aesthetically pleasing way to celebrate any special occasion. They provide a perfect canvas for some of the best cake art around.
For more information on fondant cakes and traditional cakes for weddings, birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, holidays, and other special occasions, please visit Tiffany’s Bakery.