I'm just getting back into cake decorating after many, many years of not doing it. I took the classes but back then it was only using BC none of this fondant stuff (not sure it was even invented yet....lol).
I want your honest opinion of what you all really think about fondant. I know it is a wonderful way to decorate your cake if you want to really showcase your talent, but what do you think about how it tastes? Or how do you even slice into these beauties? Do people actually eat the bows, circles, little people, etc. or are these decorations more for the visual as opposed for the taste?
Just curious...... 
I was very anti-fondant thinking I hated the taste. When my sister decided to make a cake for her daughter using it, I even peeled it off without tasting it. The cake, however, looked incredible! I decided to try using fondant for a birthday cake for me and it actually tasted delicious! It is Marzipan that I can't stand! In fact, everyone at the party loved the taste of the fondant. I used premade Cake Art fondant.
To be honest, it is the cakes that are covered in fondant that are fuelling my cake decorating obsession at the moment. They just look so impressive that I want to learn to do it!!
i know the us, in some places is still a bit anti fondant, like people wont eat the decorations and stuff - in the uk you can pretty much guarentee anything fondant will get eaten in my experience. even the small dry fondant crumbs at the end will get eaten by some sugar junkie! you just need to use one that actually tastes good.
of course, on the other hand, being able to do a good buttercream cake is still important.
and cutting into it is really easy, just the same as anyother cake really.
xx
Most people I make cakes for want buttercream. I use fondant only for figure work and bows and such. These things usually get eaten by the kids, not the adults. But then I haven't really found or made a fondant yet that I think tastes really good. Any suggestions or recipes for that?
I love working with fondant and have even decided I like the taste of it. Currently I'm using Satin Ice and think it tastes good but I also like MMF. Haven't tried Michelle Foster's yet but plan on it. In my limited experience, most people have eaten the fondant from my cakes and even said they llike it. I have one coworker that will eat ANY decoration I put on a cake - she loves sugar.
I make MMF (see the recipes section) and the entire family loves it as well as my friends. They also love homemade regular fondant as well. It's all about personal preference. The best thing about homemade fondants is you can flavour them anyway you'd like.
I recently made a red Mario brothers hat - the only reason I didn't eat the fondant was because I didn't want the red mouth. Everyone else ate it.
Don't forget, some people don't eat BC, the peel it away and just eat the cake. They are deviants (jk) - some people just don't like overly sweet things.
I love decorating with fondant, but i do think most people around here would rather have buttercream. I am trying to force myself to to practice buttercream more. I don't really mind the fondant personally. I figure if you don't like it, dont eat it. It isnt like the flavor seeps into the rest of the cake! It is easier to cut buttercream though (I think)
I have done a few buttercream cakes with fondant accents lately. I actually really like the combo.
I'm just getting into fondant, previously I tried the storebought wilton fondant and 1 other brand cant remember...no one liked it. I recently used macsmom MMF and my son will eat it, not my daughter. The kids mostly eat it, adults dont. Again its the sweetness factor. I love the look of some of the fondant cakes, but sometimes it looks like there is just pounds of fondant on them thats just going to get peeled off. I think there's still something to be said for being able to make a lovely buttercream border and flowers and its a skill I'm trying to improve.
To me it's not so much the flavor that I don't like it's the texture. I don't like chewing my frosting.
I also think if you don't have the correct knife, cutting it can be a terrible mess, it definitely takes a little more effort to not damage the cake.
fondant you either hate it or like it. It varies. There re not many cake decorators in my area. I am introducing it slowly I have only had one person tell me they don't like it. He owned a grocery store close to me and I won't work for him.. So I don't know if he really likes it or his was just poutting.
I like fondant and so do my kids. I use all kinds of icing and i combine some to make diffrent effects.
But like all icing sometimes you just have a bad cake day.
To me it's not so much the flavor that I don't like it's the texture. I don't like chewing my frosting.
I also think if you don't have the correct knife, cutting it can be a terrible mess, it definitely takes a little more effort to not damage the cake.
I was a BC only for 30 years. I've done about 5 cakes in fondant. Most of my brides (99.5%) come in and have zero interest in fondant. I few even hold up their hands and make sure I understand that they do NOT want fondant on their cake.
Son tasted my birthday cake and said it tasted ok, but he didnt' like the texture. I use Choco-Pan (made with white chocolate) .... I prefer this taste over satin ice, but satin ice is pretty good (tasting). Wilton brand taste like toxic waste. I think it's an acquired taste.
dkelly is SO right on having the right knife. My birthday cake was the first fondant cake I cut and I used my standard serrated knife. What a mess! I popped on CC and was given lots of good advice .... so with the leftover top tier, I pulled a straight edged knife out of my drawer and that cake cut beautifully! Having the right knife IS the key.
I don't know anyone, friends or family, that will eat it. And actaully, if I ever mention cake decorating to anyone.....their first comment is always something along the lines of .....'fondant is horrible'. Hmmmmm.....
I don't mind the taste of it. I just don't like the texture at all. Like someone else said, I can't get past the chewy icing.
Since I am not baking professionally, and my F & F won't touch it, I don't work with it at all. It does look beautiful though! I think the most elegant looking cakes are usually fondant cakes.
i can't stand the taste of wilton fondant, choco pan tastes okay, so does mmf however i find both difficult to work with. i mostly work with satin ice for decorations knowing full well it will all be peeled off. for me personally i can eat a piece of the fondant alone but i just don't think it goes well with cake- texture or flavor wise. cake is delicious fluffy fine crumb yummy-ness and fondant is a too sweet chewy gooeyness. blech! jmo
Marshmallow fondant ( MMF -in the recipes section) I usually flavor it with vanilla and a bit of almond ! Experiment...I have also used Lorann extracts to make lemon flavored, cotton candy flavored and tangerine. This is wonderful to work with and tastes great...especially since you put it on top of buttercream ( you get the best of both)!
I don't have the problem that others mentioned about the cake being hard to cut or too chewy,...I do cover my cakes though with a dome or put in a box, so my fondant does not get too hard.
My only other experience with fondant was Wilton....I REALLY didn't like the taste, which led me to find MMF
Good luck and have fun experimenting!
Kristy
Over here in Australia it is 50% BC and 50% Fondant/Regalice/Choc Art.
Since being on this forum i have noticed that most cakes from the States and Canada are decorated in BC where as through Europe they are now just starting to swing back to BC after years of Fondants.
Personally i think if you have a good ganache/crumbcoat under your Fondant/Regalice/Covering etc it makes all the difference.
Easier to cut the cake and better end result in taste.
I have only ever tried the Fondex once and nearly had a head spin as it was so sugary......never again.
Choc Art is great for modelling and making chocolate flowers - but as my photo gallery pics show - i much prefer and get asked for Regalice.
I can colour it and add flavours to it like any other rolled fondant.
Having tasted some gritty and hard crusty BCs over the years, that can be just as horrid as a sugar packed fondant.
If and when you find a fondant/regalice/covering you like and enjoy working with hopefully you will step back and be thrilled that you worked with said ingriediant.
Have to add - I totally agree with brincess_ b post quoted below.
Bh.
i know the us, in some places is still a bit anti fondant, like people wont eat the decorations and stuff - in the uk you can pretty much guarentee anything fondant will get eaten in my experience. even the small dry fondant crumbs at the end will get eaten by some sugar junkie! you just need to use one that actually tastes good.
of course, on the other hand, being able to do a good buttercream cake is still important.
and cutting into it is really easy, just the same as anyother cake really.
xx
I like the taste of every fondant except Wilton's, but I don't work with it much. I will make fondant/gumpaste flowers, the occasional topper, and use it when I have to make a dummy cake, and that's it. I find fondant much harder to work with than buttercream so I tend to avoid it.
I was like you and pretty much out of decorating for many years. About 2 years ago, I got back in, mainly due to fondant. I love working with it and I love the way cakes look with it. I don't eat it but I don't eat buttercream either so it's no big deal to me. It has fueled the passion that I haven't had in many years. I still need to work on buttercream skills and piping but I think there is a market for both.
Gosh, I must be weird! I made MMF for the first time and never looked back! I love the taste of the MMF, not so much the other stuff. To me, the MMF tastes like candy corn. YUM YUM!! Maybe it's just me. 
I'm FAR from an expert, I'm pretty much a newbie. In fact I've only made one fondant cake so far. I made my own MMF, it was so easy and very yummy...it is VERY sweet though. The hardest part for me was rolling it out without the underside sticking, but trial and error I worked it out. I put a layer of BC underneath in case no one liked the taste of the fondant...but they did.
Wow, I started this thread less than 12 hours ago and already we're on the second page of replies! Thank you all so much for your honest opinions and advice. I haven't completely ruled out using fondant someday, maybe for only some add on decorations, I don't think I want to cover a whole cake in it. I guess I'm too much "old school"....lol.
I do want to say this to all of our wonderful cake decorators on this awesome forum, from all over the world,......you all are the best! I check back here daily just for the inspiration alone! You should be so proud of your talents! I hope to someday be maybe half as good as you all are. Thanks for all that take the time out of their busy lives to give advice and encouragement to us all. 
No one likes Wiltons brand. The taste is horrible! But Satin Ice is great and so is Choco-pan. If you want to make it yourself I would suggest learning "Michele Foster's Delicious Fondant" and Rhonda's Ultimate MMF" - they are extremely popular here on CC.
I love working with Fondant/Gumpaste and I love looking at old architecture, fabrics for inspiration along with all the cake pics, magazines, books I can get my hands on.
I think it's alot of fun, I just finished my fondant/gumpaste class and I love it. Mine sure don't look as great as most of you guys on here but I love the flowers and the figures and allof that cute stuff. Wilton fondant is nasty and you can't flavor it either, I tried and almost used a whole bottle of vanilla. I am going to order satin ice next to play with. good luck and have fun playing.
First and foremost, Wilton fondant is good for one thing, covering dummies! And maybe accent pieces that no one would eat.
I used to make MMF, and actually made MFF for the first time today...love it! No chewiness as experienced with MMF.
Fondant has it's place, and it's up to YOU, cake decorator, to educate your clientele about how wonderful properly made fondant can be! I am doing my part....plus, it's a great upsell on a cake order! 
Love working with fondant. Around here, I have found the problem with fondant is how thick they put it on the cake. I have seen it at least a 1/2 inch thick with little to no bc underneath. Yeck! I have discovered, imo, that if you put a thick crumb coat on, then the fondant at least a day in advance it works best. I also cover my cakes like in a big trash bag to keep them from having a tough dry outside. A chef I worked with years ago taught me, and it worked great. Just make sure the bag doesn't touch the fondant.
I used to complain about Wiltons fondant also but tasted some recently and it really didn't have any taste at all don't know if they changed it or what. My grandson still won't eat it but most everyone else does. Go figure. It is easier to work with than others I've tried. Myself I prefer buttercream with fondant accents.
I find that most adults don't like the fondant. I use santin ice and fondax but i always put a nice layer of buttercream underneath just in case. If you don't like the fondant you can just peel it off and there is the yummy buttercream underneath. I find that works best.
A question for _jamie_ - or anyone else who can answer...
What is MFF?? I did a search on CC but nothing came up. How is it different from MMF
MFF=Michele Foster's Fondant
MMF =Marshmallow Fondant
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