By: Helena Stallings, Culinary Arts Student
In the Pastry Industry fondant is one of the most common staples in the kitchen. Especially with the rise in competition and reality baking shows, masterfully intricate cakes are becoming mainstream and without fondant those cakes would be nearly impossible. Since fondant is a paste made from sugar and water it is an incredibly self-stable product, and is the foundation of any high-end, decorate cakes. When prepping your own cake to cover in fondant, the first step is to crumb coat your cake and make sure that all rough surfaces have been smoothed out with a base layer of icing or buttercream. Any indentations in your cake will show in the fondant, so it is important to smooth over all the surfaces of the cake, as well as making sure your work table is clean so you don’t pick up pieces of crumbs in your fondant.
After your cake has been crumb coated and is ready to go, measure out enough fondant to cover all sides of your cake and sprinkle powdered sugar or cornstarch on your table to keep the fondant from sticking when you roll it out. The more you roll out fondant the more delicate it becomes, so when you are ready to cover the cake, roll your fondant on to your rolling pin first, then transfer it to your cake. Once the fondant has been laid over the cake, cut off any extra pieces around the base to stop the fondant from pulling and start smoothing out the top of the cake with the side of your hand. When the top has been smoothed out, gently pull on the sides of the fondant as you smooth out the sides of the cake. If you have a fondant smoother available that is a great tool to use, but your hands are the best tools. Once your cake has been fully covered and smoothed out, cut off any excess pieces and you are ready to decorate!
