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Creatively embellish cakes with fondant

What is fondant? For hobby bakers, fondant is already part of the basic equipment and is now also available in every well-stocked supermarket. The mass, which consists mainly of sugar, can be rolled out, dyed, kneaded, shaped into creative forms, cut out and thus embellish cakes, cupcakes, muffins and cookies. The design possibilities are almost endless.

Covering a cake with fondant: What should you pay attention to?

The basic rules when working with fondant are:

1. The fondant mass must not come into contact with water or substances containing water or fresh cream, otherwise it will dissolve. Fondant is best when applied over a layer of buttercream or ganache.
2. The layer on which the fondant is applied should be level and firm. Small hills, bumps or cracks will stand out otherwise. A base that is too soft will also ensure an unprofessional end result.
3. Likewise, do not heat the fondant, apply it to hot pastries, or store or transport it in a warm/hot environment
4. When rolling out the mass, fondant dries out quickly, so work quite quickly and plan the processing steps in advance.
5. When coloring fondant, food-safe gloves should be worn, as food dyes are often difficult to wash off
6. Decorative elements, such as cut-out stars, flowers or figures that will be applied three-dimensionally to the baked goods, should be prepared the day before to dry thoroughly before application. This will ensure that the elements retain their shape.
7. When storing cakes with fondant in the refrigerator, make sure that the back wall of the refrigerator is freshly cleaned, that no fruits or vegetables and no strong-smelling foods are stored openly in the refrigerator. If these points can not be met, storage in a cool cellar should be preferred.

Buttercream or ganache - which is better?

Whether buttercream or ganache is better as a base for fondant is a matter of debate, not to mention a matter of taste.

Ganache is made from chopped or grated chocolate and cream. The appropriate amount of cream is heated and removed from the stove top just before it comes to a boil and poured over the chocolate so that it melts. The mixture is then carefully whisked to form an even and smooth mass, which should now rest for a few hours in a cool, but not too cold place and can then be processed as desired. For the ganache mass is suitable depending on taste whole milk dark or white chocolate. Chocolate coating is also suitable.

Buttercream is often made from vanilla or chocolate pudding powder or cornstarch, milk, butter, vanilla sugar or even chocolate. However, there are also buttercream recipes that consist only of powdered sugar, butter and vanilla bean or cocoa. The disadvantage to buttercream compared to ganache is that the cream melts faster at warmer temperatures and is also a bit more pliable overall and may not provide enough stability. A well-chilled layer of ganache, on the other hand, is more stable, again, may also be a disadvantage: Small dents or mounds stand out under the fondant and are more difficult to conceal. In terms of taste, ganache offers a good contrast to the sweet fondant mass due to its high chocolate content.

How much fondant is needed for a cake?

The required amount of fondant can be calculated exactly with our online calculator.