Marzipan Vs. Fondant

Decorating By SandyV Updated 9 Jan 2007 , 12:23am by ShirleyW

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SandyV Posted 23 Nov 2006 , 2:20am
post #1 of 5

Hi - I am justr getting into more complex cake decorating, and I have a naive question. Is marzipan the same as fondant? If not, how are they different? When is marzipan better to use than fondant? And, what does MMF stand for? Thanks!

4 replies
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Sugarflowers Posted 23 Nov 2006 , 3:06am
post #2 of 5

Marzipan is type of almond paste, is very sweet and is usually wrapped around fruitcake in the UK before putting fondant over it. It is used many times for figure modeling. The expense of it is one of the main reasons it's not used much in the U.S.

Fondant is more like a sugar dough. It's pliable, kind of stretchy, and is more like the center of some candies. It is rolled to about 1/8" thick and smoothed over a cake. In the U.S., we put fondant over buttercream. The fondant gives a cake a "porcelain" look.

Fondant has to have a very smooth surface underneath or very single flaw will show. Both marzipan and buttercream prevent this problem from showing.

MMF is MarshMallow Cream Fondant. There are recipes on this site, but I have never used it, so I can't help you there.


HTH

Michele

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SandyV Posted 8 Jan 2007 , 9:30pm
post #3 of 5

Thank you for such a helpful reply!

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Zmama Posted 9 Jan 2007 , 12:11am
post #4 of 5

There are two types of MMF, one made of whole marshmallows, one with the cream. Either are very easy to make, but can be difficult to get right; the recipe must be adjusted to your climate and the day's weather, but I enjoy using it. You can also buy premade fondant. Other alternatives include candy clay or rolled buttercream.

I have used marzipan (almond paste) before, but did not like it. The flavor is strong, and there is a nut allergy concern to consider. It also had a more grainy texture, which didn't work well for me.

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ShirleyW Posted 9 Jan 2007 , 12:23am
post #5 of 5

Marzipan is something people seem to love or hate, I am in the latter category. I do love modeling with it, it's so smooth a pliable because of the amount of almond oil. But just the smell or taste makes me feel sick.

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