Rolled fondant is a common choice for wedding cakes and offers couples a way to achieve a "picture-perfect" cake. The rolled fondant look is appealing and found in many wedding cake catalogs, magazines, and websites. There are a few pros and cons to consider before choosing this wedding cake design.
Fondant Frosting Facts
Fondant is a frosting has a texture resembling malleable dough. Made from either a cooked sugar recipe or a simple marshmallow recipe, it is a favorite for decorators and clients who want to achieve a smooth, satiny finish to their cake.
Couples who are trying to decide between buttercream versus fondant frostings should keep in mind that most rolled fondant cakes use buttercream as the crumb coat. Usually one-quarter inch thick, this coat helps the rolled fondant adhere to the cake.
Fondant Pros
Choosing a rolled fondant wedding cake is something couples do when they want an elegant wedding cake design. The fondant offers a smooth surface, perfect for adhering fondant or gumpaste flowers and design elements. Many modern wedding cakes are frosted in fondant because it offers such versatility-it can be shaped or molded to create virtually anything the couple desires. Other pros of using fondant include:
- Holds up well in the heat
- Fondant covered cakes do not need refrigeration (as long as the filling is stable at room temperature)
- Can be colored and flavored
- Provides a blank canvas for adding further decorations
Fondant Cons
Despite all of the positive aspects to rolled fondant frosting, couples should keep in mind a few drawbacks:
- Not every baker works with fondant, or works well with fondant
- Flavor can be somewhat "off"
- Texture can be gummy or chewy
- Cost per slice is significantly higher than a buttercream frosted cake
To counter some of the issues with fondant, some couples choose to do a small-tiered cake with fondant frosting and then serve guests buttercream-frosted wedding sheet cake.
Designs for Rolled Fondant Wedding Cakes
You may not have too much of a choice when it comes to choosing between fondant and buttercream frosting if your wedding cake design is one that can only be done with fondant. For example, airbrushed decorations could melt right off the side of a cake frosted in buttercream. Cake designs commonly seen using fondant include:
- Shaped ruffles along the bottom of each tier
- Faux ribbons and bows
- Marbled frosting colors
- Draping
- Lace or eyelet designs
- Cut-out flowers, leaves, dots, and other flat design elements
- Butterflies, bees, and insects
- Texturized finishes, such as gros grain
- Brocade
- Vines, scrolls, and flowers made of fondant
A rolled fondant frosted wedding cake is usually the first step in creating intricate designs using fondant, gumpaste, and molded chocolate figures. The fondant provides a smooth, clean background for the rest of the design elements to sit. Cake tiers are covered in the rolled fondant and then the decorator works on adding all the design elements to the fondant canvas.
Fondant Tips and Tricks
Making rolled fondant wedding cakes is not always the easiest task, especially for amateur bakers. However, fondant can be rolled onto any shape of cake, from round to heart to hexagon to square wedding cakes by a decorator with a little practice. Follow these tips for working with rolled fondant:
- Always apply a crumb coat of buttercream frosting
- Roll fondant to approximately one-quarter inch thickness
- Roll fondant thinner if you are covering a light cake
- Fondant rolled too thick is prone to cracking
- Wrap fondant tightly with plastic wrap and store in an airtight container
- Use a little cornstarch for rolling out the fondant
- Cover each tier separately on a cake
- Practice on several cakes ahead of time to work out any kinks
If you find making fondant recipes yourself to be too challenging, you can use premade fondant to cut down on labor. Sugarcraft offers a variety of premade fondant ready for rolling, including the popular Wilton wedding cake brand.
Couples who want intricate, creative wedding cakes often use fondant as their icing of choice, due to its flexible nature. Fondant creates a perfectly smooth base for simple, sophisticated designs, too. When looking for a wedding baker, ask to view wedding cake photos in his or her portfolio that use rolled fondant. An experienced decorator can turn your dream cake design into reality using fondant.
