So I am making a cake for my best friends little girl's 10th birthday. She picked out a cake out one of my decorating books. The icing being used in this is fondant. I really want it to tast as well as it looks but fear the fondant will take away from this. She said she likes vanilla cake, and cream cheese frosting. How can I accomplish great looks and tast? Your ideas will be appreciated to this new baker.

i would say making a crusting creamcheese frosting, that way you can smooth it out with a viva towel and make it look like fondant. easy and tasty and it will give you the look of fondant that you want.

I did a wedding cake that was Italian Cream cake with cream cheese frosting. They really liked the look of fondant. They were concerned about the taste/texture of the fondant, so as the cake was served, the fondant was peeled off and served with a little extra cream cheese frosting.

So you could always make the cake in fondant, like she wants, but include a small bowl of extra frosting to be served as well.

WASC is always a favorite. Great flavor and texture.

Ok this girl is 10. I guarentee that as long as there's sugar she will be happy.
I think you need to tell us what fodant you will use. Some brands (pretty much any) and better than others (namely Wilton - which is better than it used to be).
I don't think you can beat Victoria sponge for cake!
xx

Thanks everyone! Very helpful!

brincess b, what type of fondant would you recommend? I have only tried wilton and I thought that it tasted like the play dough that my child plays with. Aweful! I guess I could use the cream cheese frosting, smooth it, and just do the flowers in fondant. However if you know of a fondant that tasts better, I'm all ears!

You could try making marshmallow fondant:

http://sugarsweetcakesandtreats.blogspot.com/2010/09/recipe-marshmallow-fondant-mmf.html

http://sugarsweetcakesandtreats.blogspot.com/2010/11/recipe-red-marshmallow-fondant-mmf.html

Or you could make your own regular fondant. Or, you could buy fondant other than the awful tasting Wilton. There are a few brands out there: Pettinice, Duff's fondant, Satin Ice. I've made my own using Toba Garrett's recipe, and flavored it to my taste.

If I'm buying fondant, I prefer the taste of Satin Ice. although nothing beats making your own and flavoring it how you like.

What is WASC by the way? I see it everywhere on here and I'm not yet familiar with a lot of terms and abreviations..

White Almond Sour Cream cake.

Be careful with the recipe. I've heard good and bad things about it. And there seems to be more than one. I'm not sure which one is the better. Maybe someone with experience with it will help you with this.

When I make WASC for kids I leave out the almond flavoring. I once made WASC for an 8yo's birthday, and the cupcakes were only half eaten! The grown-ups all liked it, so there was nothing wrong with the cake, and I was using expensive Penzey's almond extract. I've left the almond out ever since then, and kids like it much better.

Bear in mind it's the texture of fondant not the taste many don't like/ aren't familiar with. Like I said kids love sugar, will probably be happy with whatever you use or make. If a fair number of adults will be eating it might be worth buying a more expensive, better tasting brand - fondx, satin ice, chocopan, duff - there are lots. Spend time on here before you buy, there are many reviews about all of them. Bear in mind that shipping will bump up the cost too! I live in the uk, so don't have the same brands.
Making your own is an option, I don't have the time or inclination.
Also, when you see an acronym with dots under it like bc, hold the mouse over it and an explanation pops up.
xx

Oh, you definitely need to experiment with marshmallow fondant. Every child that I know that has tasted it just loves it. It is sweet and marshmallow tasting which is just what kids love.

If Wilton fondant has been your only fondant experience then no wonder you are afraid of it. Believe me, there are better fondants and you needn't be afraid of it.

You can still ice the cake with your favorite buttercream and put the fondant on top. There are some cake designs that just look better made with fondant than buttercream.