If you are into baking and frequent into baking sites or forums, you will probably bump into a discussion if a fondant can be eaten. There seems to be an aversion about eating fondant.So, can you eat fondant? We will find this out together in this article.
What is a fondant?
Before we can tackle this seemingly boggling question, we will first learn and get to know what a fondant is.
Fondants are those beautiful, silky with somewhat porcelain appearance that you see on cakes. Fondants can be sculpted and shaped to different things. It is a cake decoration where the limits of its decorative ability are your creativity and imaginative mind.
Wedding cake with white fondant
A fondant is defined as a soft creamy preparation of sugar, water and flavorings. This preparation is usually used as basis for icings and candies.
There are actually two kinds of fondant in the cake industry. You can either have a poured fondant or a rolled fondant. There are no major differences, especially in the ingredients, with both of these types. Both are made from a preparation of sugar, corn syrup and water as main ingredients.
The main difference between these two is their form. Poured fondant, as the name implies, it can be poured as icing or filling for other pastries. You will often see poured fondant as soft and pasty that is squeezed into tubes to form some shapes.
Rolled fondant on the other hand is like firm dough that can be rolled and shaped in any shape that you desire as decoration. Rolled fondant is made up of the usual sugar, corn syrup and water but added with gelatin or glycerin to make them bendable. In homemade fondants marshmallows are often added.
The type of fondant that is often discussed among cake makers and buyers is often the rolled fondant. I will also limit what I want to discuss to you for rolled fondants.
Hot Chocolate Fondant with Mint Leaves and Berries
If you are an aspiring baker or looking forward to buy cake with fondant designs this article gives you the ten things you need know about the fondant.
Using a fondant
Using a fondant is fairly easy. Though it might seem difficult at first but the more you use it and get some practice the easier it is to use and mold rolled fondants.
When using a fondant, you will need to:
- Have a flat and clean surface to work with. A fondant mat will come in handy to keep your fondant dust-free and smooth.
- Grease your hands (vegetable oil or anything similar) and knead your fondant. Kneading will make it warm soft and pliable.
- To test if you have achieve the perfect fondant try to pinch it or roll it into a ball and look for some cracks. If there are no cracks present then this means your fondant is ready.
- Make sure that you have some idea on the amount of fondant that you would use. Exposing the fondant with air will dry it out and make it stiff.
- If you have determined the amount that you need, like a zip lock bag.
There are three things that you need to consider while you are using your fondant as decoration: thickness, strength, and edges of the shapes.
Thin rolled fondant is always the preferred look. Thinner fondant will prevent your cake from getting a bulky look. Depending on the designs and shapes that you will incorporate the acceptable thickness often mentioned by baking experts is between 1/4 and 1/8 of an inch.
A good fondant must have strength to stand on its own and carry its weight. Nothing is more depressing that a cake with fondants structures falling apart. A food-safe hardening agent can be added to harden the soft fondant.
Cake making is an art and if you have a fondant where the edges are rough then it will not make your cake attractive. When cutting the extra pieces of fondant, make sure to cut it towards the side. Also make sure that you do not move your fondant piece as you cut it.
If you want to learn more about how to use fondant as decoration, this site will be a useful resource.
Where can you get a fondant?
Now that you have learned the basics of a fondant, it is time to learn where and how you can get your hands on a fondant.
There are two ways that you can acquire a fondant. You can either make your own or you can buy it from specialty stores.
Making your own fondant is fairly easy. You will need a few ingredients such as confectionery sugar, water and corn syrup. You can also add marshmallow instead of the glycerin or gelatin. Colors can be added as well to make your own fondant attractive.
You also have the choice to buy a fondant in stores if you don’t want to dirty your hands and make your own. There is a wide variety of fondant brand selections in the market. One of the most popular and widely used store-brought fondants is this brand.
There are pros and cons in using a homemade fondant or a store-brought fondant.
- Homemade fondants are basically cheaper than the commercial one available on the market. Though it might take some time to make the fondant but the savings you get is certainly worth it.
- Also, there is no better feeling in the world than making every element of cake with your own hands.
- The pros of commercially distributed fondants depend upon the brand of fondant you choose to use.
- There are fondants that are easy to use and manipulate while others a bit stiff. There are brands that make it easy for you to write texts on the fondant product but other are not as easy.
If you want to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of different fondant brands, this article can provide you some additional information.
Can fondant be eaten?
The simple answer to this question is yes.
You can eat fondant as it is and edible and organic substance. Though it doesn’t seem to look like something that can be eaten, especially when it takes a variety of shapes, it can be eaten.
There is no certain rule that a fondant cannot be eaten or how to eat it. Some say that it tastes good while a few people tend to avoid eating a fondant because it tends to be sweetand some do not really enjoy the added flavors.
There is no need to worry because it is safe and just behind every fondant is a luscious treat waiting for you to be devoured.