What seems to confuse people most about fondant is its name. Fondant, often referred to as “sugarpaste”, is basically an edible form of modeling clay–made from a mixture of powdered sugar, egg whites, and liquid sugar.

Fondant is NOT the same thing as marzipan, which is a pliable paste made from ground almonds and a mixture of superfine and confectioners sugars. Many professional cake decorators “marzipan” their cakes prior to applying a second covering of fondant or royal icing to create a super smooth finish.

In addition to producing a smooth cake finish, fondant cake decorating icing can also be used to make decorations such as flowers, leaves, shapes, figures, or whatever your imagination desires.

Fondant cake decorating icing is easy to make at home yourself but there are many ready-made varieties available. If you plan on purchasing ready-made fondant, first try a small quantity to see if its easy to work with for the cake you’re icing. A large of amount of fondant isn’t going to do you any good if the texture is hard to handle.

One of the most important things to remember about fondant cake decorating icing is that it dries out very quickly when exposed to air. Make sure to keep it covered when not in use. Blocks of fondant come in many sizes—ranging from just a few ounces to several pounds.

Ready-made fondant has a shelf-life of about eight months but homemade fondant should be used within 7 days. Any unused portions should be stored in air-tight plastic bags. To keep it extra-fresh you can also store the plastic bag in an airtight plastic container.

Ready-made fondant cake decorating icing is also available in several colors, or you can add your own food coloring stains. To color your own fondant, food coloring paste usually works better than liquid food coloring, which often makes the paste too wet to work with. You can probably find a limited range of colors in your local supermarket, but for a wider selection, speciality cake decoration shops are probably your best bet.

Use the tip of a knife or a toothpick to apply the coloring paste to your section of fondant. Knead the food coloring into the fondant until it’s darker than the desired color. You can add more white fondant until the color is smooth and even. Unfortunately, kneading coloring paste into large quantities of fondant can be hard work and time-consuming. You may quickly discover that ready-made packets of colored fondant cake decorating icing is more convenient for your larger projects.

Tags: cake decorating, Cake Decorating Frosting, cake decorating icing, cake fondant, marzipan, sugarpaste