Mmf + Buttercream = Too Sweet - Help

Baking By MontiBellesBakery Updated 29 Nov 2005 , 9:46pm by frstech

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MontiBellesBakery Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 5:15pm
post #1 of 25

Hello everyone

I am looking for some suggestions...

I made a cake last night with buttercream icing under MMF and it is way too sweet.

I don't think there is anything i can do to lower the sweetness of the MMF, what do you all use as icing under the MMF?

Thanks...

24 replies
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rainbowz Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 6:22pm
post #2 of 25

Simple: Make your fondant from a scratch recipe.

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MontiBellesBakery Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 6:25pm
post #3 of 25

I did, I used the MMF recipe from CC.

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bubblezmom Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 6:42pm
post #4 of 25

She means make a traditional fondant instead of mmf. icon_smile.gif

Yes, mmf is way too sweet to an entire slice of cake covered with it. Changing the frosting you use underneath isn't going to balance the incredible the sweetness of the mmf. However, it is tasty in small doses such as cutouts.

hth

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BellaRosa Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 6:43pm
post #5 of 25

Is your MMF white or colored? I add popcorn salt to my buttercream under fondant & it cuts down on the sweetness. As long as the MMF is on too thin, I havent had a problem with discoloring from salt, but I rolled a dark blue to thin & the discoloring came all the way through. It didn't hurt the tast at all.

You can also try different flavorings for the foundant. I typically always use vanilla, but almond seems to not be as sweet. The Lorann oils work really well for flavoring too. The raspberry is my favorite, but it can be very sweet.

BellaRosa

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rainbowz Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 7:42pm
post #6 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by bubblezmom

She means make a traditional fondant instead of mmf. icon_smile.gif




"He means..."

And yes, I meant real fondant. MUCH better than MMF. I really don't get why people have it in their heads that MMF is easier/cheaper to make than scratch. It's not. Maybe someone here can explain that one.

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BellaRosa Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 7:49pm
post #7 of 25

I have done several cakes with different fondants. The scratch & store bought fondants do not get good reviews in my area. The Satin Ice is the only "regular" fondant that gets any good reactions. MMF goes over really well in my area. I guess it is a matter of taste. I personally won't eat regular fondant, but love MMF. It costs me $1.75 to make enough MMF to cover a 12x18 cake. I have used several different flavor variations for the fondant & icing base and have never had complaints of it being too sweet. I guess it is just a taste preference.

BellaRosa

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MontiBellesBakery Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 9:39pm
post #8 of 25

I'm with BellaRose...real fondant doesn't get good reviews here either. I tried the MMF because it was easy to make and I thought the taste might go over better. I colored it light pink, with the buttercream also colored light pink. I flavored it with vanilla.

I'll give the popcorn salt trick a try and also try the Satin Ice and see what that's like.

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Gail Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 9:52pm
post #9 of 25

Hello everyone!! I'm fairly new to cake central but love reading all the posts. What is MMF (fondant) and satin ice? I've been making cakes for about one year now and creating some recipes. Love learning new things.

Thanks,
Gail

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rainbowz Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 10:22pm
post #10 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by MontiBellesBakery

I'm with BellaRose...real fondant doesn't get good reviews here either. I tried the MMF because it was easy to make and I thought the taste might go over better. I colored it light pink, with the buttercream also colored light pink. I flavored it with vanilla.

I'll give the popcorn salt trick a try and also try the Satin Ice and see what that's like.




Sorry to hear it wasn't a sucess, Monti. icon_sad.gif That's a bummer.

What did you find people didn't like about your scratch fondant? What recipe did you use to make it? Perhaps we can pinpoint the problem.

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bubblezmom Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 10:44pm
post #11 of 25

Mr. Rainbowz, icon_biggrin.gif
Which scratch fondant do you use? I made the mmf in order to learn how to work with fondant. It cost about $2 to make. You melt marshmallows and in pwd sugar. Pretty hard to mess up and if somehow you do mess up, then nuking it for 30sec makes everything all better.

Glycerin and know gelatin aren't things I usually have on hand so that's why I tried the mmf first. I've heard people say that Collette's recipe is good, but she herself calls it "less palatable." Sure didn't make me want to hurry up and try it. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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MontiBellesBakery Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 10:47pm
post #12 of 25

they liked the taste of the MMF but it mixed with the buttercream under it made the entire cake (the cake was strawberry) too sweet.

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Lisa Posted 20 Nov 2005 , 10:59pm
post #13 of 25

I really like the taste of MMF too. I don't think it's too sweet but I roll it really thin. Since you won't need a crusting BC, try making your BC using less powdered sugar. Mix it till it's light and fluffy. That should cut down the sweetness. You can also use less of the BC on the cake...just enough for a smooth surface.

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rainbowz Posted 21 Nov 2005 , 12:01am
post #14 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by bubblezmom

Mr. Rainbowz, icon_biggrin.gif
Which scratch fondant do you use? I made the mmf in order to learn how to work with fondant. It cost about $2 to make. You melt marshmallows and in pwd sugar. Pretty hard to mess up and if somehow you do mess up, then nuking it for 30sec makes everything all better.

Glycerin and know gelatin aren't things I usually have on hand so that's why I tried the mmf first. I've heard people say that Collette's recipe is good, but she herself calls it "less palatable." Sure didn't make me want to hurry up and try it. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!




Dear Ms Bubblezmom, icon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gif

I use Toba Garrett's recipe which is identical to Collette Peter's which has been posted here.

The only difference is that Toba's book says the glycerin is optional, so that's not an absolute requirement. I can't say that I've seen anything that explains why that's added in the first place, though.

As far as "easy" there's no difference, I've found, between making scratch vs MMF. Whether you melt the MMs or melt the gelatin, it takes about the same amount of time. Other than that point, the steps are identical: mix in your sugar, knead until smooth, refrigerate for at least 24 hrs, roll out.

Did Ms Peters actually say the scratch version was less palatable then MMF? icon_surprised.gif

I strongly suggest you give the scratch version a try. Make your own mind up as to which is better or perhaps simply fits better for one situation over the other and use either as the need be. A kid's birthday cake may suit MMF perfectly where a more subtle flavoured cake needs the more subtle taste of a scratch icing.

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Lisa Posted 21 Nov 2005 , 12:51am
post #15 of 25

I think it's interesting to note that the fondant recipes are actually very close to a recipe for marshmallows with powdered sugar added or MMF. At the start of most fondant recipes, you're actually making marshmallows. The only real difference is the amount of sugar added and glycerin if you use that.


http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=106

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rainbowz Posted 21 Nov 2005 , 2:29am
post #16 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by lisa

I think it's interesting to note that the fondant recipes are actually very close to a recipe for marshmallows with powdered sugar added or MMF. At the start of most fondant recipes, you're actually making marshmallows. The only real difference is the amount of sugar added and glycerin if you use that.




Good point, lisa.

I think another aspect to the difference between actually making marshmallows and the fondant is the amount of gelatin and vanilla used.

According to a quick search I just did for marshmallow recipes, I noted that many of them asked for three to four Tbsp of gelatin and 1 or 2 tsp of vanilla added to about 2 or 3 cups of sugar + 1 cup corn syrup. Perhaps that's where the strong flavour is originating: massive ratio of gelatin with vanilla to sugar.

Something esle to keep in mind and where the higher sweetness comes in, is that adding 16 oz of marshmallows (one pound) is the equivalent of adding about 4 cups more conf. sugar. So in effect, scratch fondant has about 3.5 cups less sugar than MMF (remember it's getting one half cup syrup). When both recipes start with 2 lbs (8c) of sugar, adding yet another extra pound - or 50% more - is certainly going to be noticeable.

I'm a little relieved to figure out that the perception of higher sweetness and stronger flavour are not just my imagination icon_lol.gificon_lol.gif

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BlakesCakes Posted 21 Nov 2005 , 2:57am
post #17 of 25

I find two things cut down on the sweetness when putting MMF over buttercream: keeping the buttercream layer thin and using a recipe that is at least half butter--all butter is even better.

With commercial fondant, I use a thicker layer of buttercream because many people peel off the fondant and eat what's underneath. With the MMF, they seem to eat the fondant as the primary icing so I keep the buttercream skimpy.

My .02
Rae

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alimonkey Posted 21 Nov 2005 , 3:01am
post #18 of 25

I have something to say on the addition of glycerine. I've made Collette's recipe and forgotten to add it in and it just won't come together. Kneaded it in after the fact and it was fine.

I was curious about the reason for the difference in flavor too between scratch and MMF, so I guess now I know.

To flavor mine (Collette's recipe) I use the same flavoring as the BC (unless it's chocolate) and it blends right in with the BC. For example if I'm making plain BC, I flavor the fondant with 1/2 butter extract, 1/2 vanilla.

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rainbowz Posted 21 Nov 2005 , 3:26am
post #19 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by alimonkey

I have something to say on the addition of glycerine. I've made Collette's recipe and forgotten to add it in and it just won't come together. Kneaded it in after the fact and it was fine.




Interesting... I made fondant earlier today and decided to pass on the glycerin. Mixed the ingredients up in the KA and kneaded the last cup or so of sugar in... it was amazingly silky. I was actually thinking "wow, this is really smooth!!"

Strange... why such different results I wonder?

The fondant is sitting in the fridge aging at the moment. I'll let you know if there are any issues when I roll it out for the next cake.

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bubblezmom Posted 21 Nov 2005 , 3:28am
post #20 of 25

[As far as "easy" there's no difference, I've found, between making scratch vs MMF. Whether you melt the MMs or melt the gelatin, it takes about the same amount of time. Other than that point, the steps are identical: mix in your sugar, knead until smooth, refrigerate for at least 24 hrs, roll out.

Did Ms Peters actually say the scratch version was less palatable then MMF? icon_surprised.gif

I strongly suggest you give the scratch version a try. Make your own mind up as to which is better or perhaps simply fits better for one situation over the other and use either as the need be. A kid's birthday cake may suit MMF perfectly where a more subtle flavoured cake needs the more subtle taste of a scratch icing.[/quote]

Thanks for the info. Glad to know that the glycerin isn't essential. One fine day I will have to give Collettes recipe a try. Collette said fondant was less palatable than buttercream. It just seemed like a nice way to say it was icky so that's why I never paid much attention to the recipe. icon_razz.gif

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MrsMissey Posted 21 Nov 2005 , 3:45am
post #21 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gail

Hello everyone!! I'm fairly new to cake central but love reading all the posts. What is MMF (fondant) and satin ice? I've been making cakes for about one year now and creating some recipes. Love learning new things.

Thanks,
Gail




Welcome to Cakecentral Gail...MMF is MarshaMallow Fondant and Satin Ice is a brand of fondant that you can purchase premade. HTH!!

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Cakepro Posted 29 Nov 2005 , 3:45pm
post #22 of 25

I'm glad I'm not the only one who found the marshmallow fondant to be too sweet to eat. Yerk.

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frstech Posted 29 Nov 2005 , 4:01pm
post #23 of 25

I have only tried the MMF and Wilton's, but I will now also try the Collette recipe. My question is this in the Collette recipe you add 1 teaspoon of flavoring. Would this be the same amount for the MMF & Wilton also ??

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rainbowz Posted 29 Nov 2005 , 9:23pm
post #24 of 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by frstech

I have only tried the MMF and Wilton's, but I will now also try the Collette recipe. My question is this in the Collette recipe you add 1 teaspoon of flavoring. Would this be the same amount for the MMF & Wilton also ??




That's a point you might want to play with a bit. I find that even a teaspoon of flavouring seems to make the fondant's flavour quite pronounced. I've cut it back to a half-teaspoon, still has taste but isn't competing with the cake's flavour quite so much. Of course, this is going to depend on whether you want the frosting to be "tasty" or "subtle", depending on your audience: kids, for example, might quite like a stronger strawberry or minty flavour in the frosting.

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frstech Posted 29 Nov 2005 , 9:46pm
post #25 of 25

yes, I guess I will play with it a little and see what happens. icon_razz.gif

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