Why Do You Prefer Fondant Over Buttercream? (Fondant Users)
Decorating By jjandhope Updated 26 Sep 2008 , 5:08pm by RookieDeb
I have been wanting to make the MMF to play around with it. Can you add in some flavoring to the recipe or will it affect the way the fondant turns out?
Oh yes!! Play away with flavors! I suggest using LoRann flavored oils, but any extract will do.
I use LoRann's butter flavor in my MMF which gives it a fantastic BC flavor! I also add 1 t popcorn salt (or grind your own salt in coffee grinder - you'll get crystals if you don't) and I add 1 T glycerine to really help it with pliability.
Tip: Don't roll it out too thin or every little bump will show.
LOL... one more tip I forgot:
You can also add your food coloring to the melted marshmallows to avoid having to knead color into white MMF.
But, if you do have to add food color to white, it blends really fast if you pull it like taffy. (Once it's warm/pliable).
Re-heat fondant in the micro a few seconds at a time to re-soften. A full batch (16oz MMs) may take up to one minute, but smaller amounts heat up surprisingly fast.
If it gets too sticky form over-heating, add cornstarch. Or just let it cool off.
...Plus, fondant is safer on warm days. No need to stress over your designs melting.
I love the taste of buttercrem flavored MMF. I've tweaked Rhonda's recipe a bit and I absolutely love it!
MMF takes 15 mins to make. But I would not bother trying to make red or black fondant - it gets too sticky and weird in texture when adding that much food coloring (I've tried adding cocoa powder first to get black, but still... ick).
MMF stays soft, so the texture isn't quite the "chewy" that is off-putting to many people.
Satin Ice dries too fast, too hard, too matte, too chewy.
I prefer the Fondarific black or red buttercream flavor, but it can be too soft for intricate cut-out designs.
I wanted tro try FondX, but it doesn't come in black (that I've found, anyway) so I guess I'll never have the chance to weigh in on that one.
**I just have so much fun playing with fondant! You can't make figurines with BC.
**I really love the look of painted fondant as well. Check out meghan89's photos. Here is one of hers:
WOw!!!! SOOOO beautiful! I want to do that! How does she paint it? What does Meghan use? I tried "painting" with lemon juice and luster and it was nice, but nothing like that? Please if you know, share with us how to do that...
Can you guys help me understand the time element a bit better? So many say it's faster, then I read posts about all the time needed to knead it and color it and roll it and how they end up with Popeye arms!
I buy Satin Ice pre-colored in every color they make (red, black yellow, blue, green, pink, purple, white ivory, brown/chocolate... I think that's it lol), and just use those colors to blend my custom colors. MUCH faster than tinting fondant with liquid/gel/paste. And no mess!
I'm still surprised at how many kids have eaten the fondant off the cakes! 
I'm not a big fan of frosting or fondant in terms of taste. I just eat the cake, but when I'm making a cake....FONDANT, PLEASE!
angie
I prefer to work with fondant. You can do more things with fondant me personally I like fondant the best to me is Satin Ice. But most people like the buttercream. But most brides like the smooth look. If they want the look of the design you see (meaning my cake dummy displays) You should get fondant and most of the time they do.
i've found that if you have people who love buttercream but want the look of fondant, that if you torte your cakes there is plenty of icing for the cake even if the fondant is picked off.
I use SMBC and put all of my cakes in the fridge too.
I don't care for MMF. I find it to be really sweet and much stiffer when it dries/sets up. Satin Ice is another no-go for me, but a lot of ppl like it. I think it smells like vanilla play-doh.. it has a chemically smell about it. I have tried lots of fondants and I like Massa the best for comercial brands, but it's pricey. I like Fondex and Choco-Pan too. If you are going to make it try Michele Foster's recipe here in the recipe section. It is great stuff.
I like fondant because it offers a nice smooth canvas that anything will stick too. You can attach heavier side decorations if you want to because it's sturdy and not worry they will slide off.
I always offer people a sample of fondant.. the wilton fondant just doesn't count.. it's NASTY stuff.
I've tried buttercream, but I don't like it because I hate the Crisco frosting and I can't get it smooth enough.
I like fondant because:
Perfectly smooth
Keeps cakes fresh
Great surface to pipe and paint on
Moldable, so you can make bows or figures, or what ever
Looks more professional
I really envy people who can get their buttercream perfect, though. I wish I could do that!
"...Plus, fondant is safer on warm days. No need to stress over your designs melting."
MacsMom,
I'm new to cake decorating and have only used fondant once for class...of course it was the Wilton Fondant. I'm really excited to try MMF but was wondering about your comment with it not melting. When I did my cake, I noticed as it warmed up from out of the fridge, there was a sag in the middle where I torted my cake. Is that normal or was my fondant too heavy or too thick?
I have to say reading everyones thoughts and ideas is really fun and exciting and I can't wait for my next cake!! Thanks, Deborah
I love working with fondant because it is so much easier. And its very pertty and neat, when you cover the cake with it.
If someone doesn't like the normal fondant, there are lots of variaty of fondants out there. For example Michele Fosters and MMF is much tasteir than the normal fondant.
"I'm really excited to try MMF but was wondering about your comment with it not melting. When I did my cake, I noticed as it warmed up from out of the fridge, there was a sag in the middle where I torted my cake. Is that normal or was my fondant too heavy or too thick?
Likely you had either too thick of a crumbcoat underneath (the BC softens and gets smooshed by the fondant), not a dense enough cake to withstand the weight of fondant embellishments (I always use the WASC recipe with varying flavors), or didn't damn your filling so, again, the cake smooshed.
I work on my cakes in the middle of summer when it's 110 outside and my house won't get any cooler than 83 degrees (poor insulation). I haven't had fondant sag on me, but I know what you're talking about.
White Almond Sour Cream cake. Here is a link to the recipe:
http://www.recipezaar.com/69630
I tried several recipes to find the perfect cake for carving and for tons of fondant decor and the WASC was perfect! It's dense, moist, delicious...
I use the same basic recipe for all of my cakes, varying the flavors of mixes and extracts and adding a pkg of pudding. I use flavored coffee creamers in place of 2 cups of the water to enhance the flavor or to create new flavors (the holidays bring out tons of different flavored creamers--I prefer International Delight).
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