I've been recently picking up baking and decorating on my own, and I've noticed that my fondant [made with just corn syrup, butter and powdered sugar] looks very greasy! I want an easy way to make fondant that looks smooth and matte, not shiny and sticky looking!
I've seen some different styles of fondant on here that are matte silky and I want mine to look like that!

Does heat affect anything? I'm in Houston ha ha!

Also, what's a good cheap brand of fondant to use? Something that tastes good as well as looks good. I've seen prerolled fondant but I don't want to spend that much money for that little product.

Also, what's the difference between marzipan, fondant and gumpaste?

Someone please help!!!!

Marzipan is a paste made out of ground almonds, powdered sugar and corn syrup. It's not used very commonly in the US, and would be very expensive to cover a large cake with.

Gum paste dries rock hard. It can be rolled very thin and made into delicate decorations. You wouldn't cover a cake in it because of how hard it dries, though.

Fondant will give you that nice, smooth look on a cake.

It sounds like you're using rolled buttercream instead of fondant. You should try marshmallow fondant. It's cheap to make, reliable, and tastes all right. It also stands up to humidity but you may need less water than the recipe calls for if it's very humid.

Texas_Rose is right! There are many good recipes on this site for mmf & other fondants. Michele fosters fondant is as good one as well as rhonda's mmf. You'll have to try a few & get the feel for what you like best. Making your own is def. the cheapest way. I've heard that satin ice & fondex are the best fondants to purchase already made.

Marshmallow fondant is easy to make and tastes good, it may take a few tries to get it exactly as you like it. I have also used Wilton fondant, it doesnt taste as good but it rolls out beautifully, leaving a smooth clean finish. I have yet to try satin fondant, I hear it works beautifully also.

bakels and fondex are both quite good brands. if your covering a cake and want it nice and smooth rub a piece of fondant that you smoosh in your hand over it. it will buff it and make it look great. as for sticky shiny fondant use some p/s when your rolling, but try not to get too much on the top surface or it can be patchy and hard to get off.

Thanks you guys!
I feel like a complete idiot now.




But I introduced myself into cake baking about a year ago, so most of my information is from the internet....And everyone knows there can be a lot of hoo-ey out there!

XjoreXcoreX, yes, gumpaste is good for making flowers and othe toppers. That is becuase when it dries it dry hard. And when you make something you can play with it as long as you want till you get desired finish. On the other hand, the fondant is much softer and doesn't dry hard enough.

If you want make figures and stuff, you can use gumpaste alone or 50/50 gumpaste and fodant.

I use Choco Pan rolled fondant and I purchase a large pail of it. You can buy it in smaller amounts. Many people have commented on the flavour and say that it tastes good! Kids, I find, have a difficult time with the texture! I have never tried making MMF but I have heard good things.

fondant mixed with gumpaste or just mixed with a little tylose is good for modelling figures but gumpaste is definitly better for flowers. your best bet is to dive in and have a go, have a peek at the online tutorals or take some classes if your able.