I am doing my very first fondant cake in my Wilton #3 class this Thursday. From what I have read on this site, Wilton's fondant tastes like poo. I would like to give the cake as a present, so I'd hate for it to taste bad. Not to mention what a shame it is to put all of that work into it knowing in advance that it is going to be yucky. The problem is that I am clueless about fondant texture, elasticity, etc., and am not sure that I would know if I got it right or not.

So, is there a Fondant for Beginners that is easy, tastes good, and can travel to and from class with me that people recommend? (Is MMF an option here?) Or should I just be the good student and use the Wilton poo for the experience of it?

You could always flavor your Wilton fondant. That way you won't think you are being a bad student.
I think it's a good texture and workability, it just doesn't taste like some other fondants out there.

As far as flavorings go, what are some recommendations for if I go that route?

Buy some Wilton to play with and get a feel for, then make and use the MMF. Even with flavoring, the Wilton tastes disgusting.

As far as flavorings go, what are some recommendations for if I go that route?

You could put vanilla in it, but it will still taste like cr**. I suggest what pp said - get wilton and get a feel for it. Then, I suggest making toba garretts fondant (can be found in the recipes). I use vanilla flavoring. It is yummier than wilton fondant and easier to make (in my experience) than mmf. HTH

I think the glycerin makes it pliable and not so hard. I know that you can add it to Royal Icing so that it isn't as hard. I'm not sure though.

I have only used fondant twice. I am WAY beginner over here... I've only played with this cake stuff for a month. So, trust me when I say MMF is easy to make and great to work with!!! The only problem I had with it was for making roses... it got to warm and melted together, so it wasn't holding its shape for that detail work.

It did, however, cover my cake beautifully and made other wonderful decorations that weren't as elaborate. I love the stuff! Oh, and my kids love to eat the marshmallow "paper stuff". lol...

I also agree that you should use the Wilton for the class and to get a general feel of fondant. Then you will have a basic idea of what fondant is like and be able to judge the differences between the different types of fondant - and there are several great ones to try (SatinIce; Pettinice; MMF; White Fondant Rolled Fondant; etc.).
You can add candy oils to the fondant for taste but it's more the texture that people don't like - kinda chewy; thick tasting. Personally, I think the Wilton fondant is a great starting point.

As for flavoring Wilton fondant you have a few options. Use almond extract, which is a more potent extract than most or candy oils work well. But again, that stuff tastes like a petroleum byproduct to begin with, so you will always have that for your base flavor.

Marshmallow Fondant (MMF) and Toba's fondant both have pros and cons to them -- read the threads and you will see some of the problems some have had.

I agree with the above statement to buy Wilton fondant and play with it so you have a feel for what real fondant is supposed to feel like. If you have someone near you who has made these fondants before and is used to working with them, then have them show you because they can also show you the tricks to working with them.

If this cake is a gift, you may want to buy some Satin Ice or Pettenice (sp?) fondant which is considerably more pricey, but MUCH better tasting. It's an option anyway. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

I've hated fondant for years but a friend inspired me to try MMF. So yesterday I made a batch of Rhonda's Ultimate MMF to use on coopkies today. In place of the vanilla I used butter flavoring and instead of the lemon juice and other flavoring I used Creme Bouquet. My new favorite ingredient! Oh man, is it good! The MMf itself was simple to make.

I don't understand using something you know tastes like poo. I wouldn't waste my cakes or time on the Wilton fondant. Whip up a batch of MMF, flavor it with something you like and know you're making something really good.

Is your instructor really strict on you buying Wilton products? I asked if I could take my own, my instructor was okay with it. I started out using Pettinice brand and moved on to Satinice. MMF is super easy, but can be temperamental. Sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn't.

I added almond flavoring to my MMF and it tastes great! Also, if you aren't locked into using Wilton for the class, try Pettinice. Its prepackaged like Wiltons, but tastes pretty much like the marshmallow fondant that you can make. Granted, its much more expensive to purchase than a bag of marshmallows....but if you are pressed for time, and are looking for a really forgiving fondant, go for the Pettinice! Good luck in your class!!!

Don't be afraid. It is sooooo easy. I took the 3rd Wilton class 2 years ago and never touched fondant since because I didn't knwo there were other things out there than Wilton. But, this past winter, I wanted to take the gumpaste class, so I needed to do fondant. Someone here suggested Toba Garretts when I said how much I hated Wilton fondant. Every since, at least half of the cakes I've made have had fondant on them. I don't use the glycerine, so it's not a big deal if you don't. The only problem I have had with it is since hte humidity is up (I live in PA), it has been a little softer. But, it still works great.

well I finished my class 3 last month .I loved wiltons workability.It is a dream to work with ,but taste ...well that you know.Make your MMF with what ever flavor you like and then mix half that and half wilton.I did that and no one complained.Hope this helps.