I have a very silly question...

I've been trying to figure out what's the difference between the two? When should I be using fondant and gum paste?
I used to have the misconception that gum paste harden faster but after looking up some website it seems to be the other way around...

I notice flowers are usually made with gum paste as well. Can anyone clarify their main purposes?

Thanks!!

Fondant is made to cover a cake, some decorations like cut outs and then some other items that don't have to hold their shape or have to hold little shape.

Gumpaste is for things that you do want to dry faster and harder. It is made for flowers, espeically ones that have very ruffled petals. You can roll it thinner than gumpaste.

You can do a blend of the two of them to get the best of both worlds. Gives you more working time, but also will dry faster than just fondant alone so you can do other things with it. You can make bows with the blend or drapes with it. You can also make some flowers with it.

good topic!
what about monogram plaque "toppers" for cupcakes? I plan on doing a 3 layer plaque (base, then different shaped on top, then monogram letter) for a wedding in October.
Which do you think would be best... fondant or gumpaste?
Thanks!

I completely agree with the previos answer! I've mixed the 2 myself.
Where I live, our humidity is really high and I can NOT get fondant to dry.

But I can get gumpaste to dry.

Here's a completely different idea for your monogram: have you considered candy melts and a candy mold?
I have used those before too. I guess it just depends on how fancy you want to get.

You can also do the monogram with color flow or royal icing....

Thanks for the tip!
I was considering chocolate, but the wedding/reception are outside on the first of October. And in Ohio, you never know what the weather will do, so I decided to play it safer and not chance that the topper will melt.
I may use royal and practice and see what happens.

Is it going flat on the cupcake or standing up?

If it is flat and there is a chance they will be eaten I would go with fondant or fondant with a little gumpaste in it.

If you are standing them up, I'd probably do atleast a blend if not all gumpaste. Of course because the gumpaste dries hard, then they probably won't want to eat them.

they're not going flat on top, and they're not standing up. they'll just be placed on top, kind of angled, on a swirl of buttercream, kind of like the pic below...

I'll be starting on them several weeks ahead of time to allow them to dry and so I don't have to do everything at the last minute. I've read that if they've dried for at least a week, they won't soak up the moisture in the icing.

fondant and gumpaste mix? I make my own buttercream MMF, and it tastes really good. I hope people eat it, but if they don't that's fine. would gum paste mess up the MMF?

Thanks!

Do you have problems with your MMF during and holding it's shape? If not, since you are doing them ahead of time and they have plenty of drying time, then I would probalby just do MMF.

I would not close them in an airtight container once they are on the cupcakes though.