Duff's Fondant

Decorating By ChefDebby Updated 8 Jul 2010 , 1:51pm by iris219

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ChefDebby Posted 5 Jul 2010 , 8:24pm
post #1 of 24

Hello again, CC!

I was just wondering if anyone has used Duff's fondant? If so, what did you think of it?

I, personally, think it tastes great, but it's waaaaaayyyy too soft for me. I use fondant mostly as accents, (very rarely do I get orders for fondant covered cakes), so I need a somewhat stiff fondant. I normally use Satin Ice, or the Wilton precolored fondant in very small amounts as I hate the taste of Wilton's fondant. Duff's fondant didn't hold the cut shapes at all and stuck to the paper that I put over it despite a generous dusting of corn starch.

Thoughts, experiences?

Thanks!

23 replies
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vlk Posted 5 Jul 2010 , 10:19pm
post #2 of 24

TOTALLY agree with you! I use Satin Ice or Fondx... and found myself in a pinch and grabbed some at Micheal's ($20 with NO COUPON that day!!!)

Got it home, had to make those Red covered plastic cups.. 6 of them... that stuff was so soft ~ thought if I put it in the fridge it would harded enough for me to roll out and shape... BAD idea.. it sweat so bad I had a HORRIBLE mess and my hands where so red.. that I almost called Duff and wanted to see if he could explain the "tricks of the trade" on how to use his fondant! LOL

** Tasted great
** Great Color
* Too Soft for "forms"
* Goes a LONG way on covering a cake

I will buy again (With my coupon next time) and have it as a extra... just in case.... all else fails....

HTH ~

Vicki

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meli617 Posted 5 Jul 2010 , 10:51pm
post #3 of 24

OMG! I had the same expereince with the fondant and his design mats too ( they don't imprint the design on any fondant or gumpaste very good). It's a shame because I was really excited when I found out he was coming out with a line. He uses Satin Ice at his bakery, you'd think he would make his fondant, just as good.

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cr8zchpr Posted 5 Jul 2010 , 10:59pm
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I haven't used his products yet, but once I seen the price tag, I was like I'll stick with Satin Ice. I use it almost exclusively and when I need a stiffer fondant I mix in a bit of Wilton's. I still have the Satin Ice Flavor and texture only a little stiffer. It is disappointing to see that an icon in this field would trade substance for profit, but I guess that is what it comes down to money. I also found it amusing that he uses one product and created another instead of just endorsing Satin Ice. I think I'll stick with the reliable products and my tools than to venture out and risk on a name at a crucial time.

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mommicakes Posted 5 Jul 2010 , 11:16pm
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I bought some just to see how it would work. icon_confused.gif

Had to keep wiping my hands w/a paper towel, it seems too greasy or oily for me.

It is quite soft, and really doesn't hold it's shape for much. Wanted to use it to make a frog, but the frog kept turning into the "lily pad" instead. icon_sad.gif

I guess I could use it to cover complete cakes with and I must agree it doesn't taste too awful bad.

Glad to hear that I am not the only one that has had issues with it.

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langranny Posted 5 Jul 2010 , 11:26pm
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It is extremely soft and stretchy. I bought some (50% coupon) to try it because I needed bright red for accents on an Elmo cake. I discovered that in order to use it, I had to cut my pieces and then without touching them, walk away for about 1/2 hour and then they would firm up so I could move them to the cake. Otherwise by the time I lifted them about a foot to the cake, they had completely stretched out of shape. Tastes really good though and once they have set up for a while, they are still pliable and attach to the cake really well.

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artscallion Posted 5 Jul 2010 , 11:43pm
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The fondant that is sold under Duff's name in the DecoPac is Satin ice. The 2 lb tubs that are sold under Duff's name in Michaels are Fondarific.

He uses both brands himself and so promotes both under his own new label.

I've tried the 2 lb tubs of white and dark brown (chocolate). The white smells exactly like buttercream and tastes delicious. The brown also smells great and tastes like tootsie roll. They both work really well for covering whole cakes. But they are on the soft side for sculpting.

I'll pay attention to your Elmo lesson, langranny, as I'll be using it to make some large accent pieces myself this week.

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carmijok Posted 6 Jul 2010 , 12:00am
post #8 of 24

Just got through using the red Duff fondant for my 4th of July cake. WAY soft and greasy. I was cutting out the stripes for the hat and they would stretch out of shape when I tried to pick them up for placement. It took me 3 hours to do what should have taken maybe 1 hour. The color and taste are good...I just would use it more to cover something rather than for making decor. I used it for the fondant balls on my 'firecracker' and it never dried. Very frustrating. icon_cry.gif

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RosieC Posted 7 Jul 2010 , 10:21am
post #9 of 24

Oh man, I hate that I'm reading this. I bought a tub of Duff's at Michael's the other day, but haven't used it yet. Hope I have better results. I really liked the Satin Ice but don't like the fact that I have to order it online. Was excited when I found Duff's at Michael's as I cant' stand the taste of the Wilton's and won't use it on a cake anymore. I have made my own MMF which is way, way cheaper and does well for accents.

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KieslerKakes Posted 7 Jul 2010 , 10:58am
post #10 of 24

I have also tried Duff's fondant and have found it to soft. I tried to make roses last night and it was way to soft and greasy. I ended up not using it at all. I will have to purchase Satin Ice to finish my cake. I agree it tastes great!

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SandiOh Posted 7 Jul 2010 , 11:20am
post #11 of 24

HOWEVER.....The black buttercream flavor from Michaels is great...doesn't dry out like Satin ice and tastes a heckof a lot better. Totallly recommend....with the coupon of course....

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carmijok Posted 7 Jul 2010 , 5:08pm
post #12 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by SandiOh

HOWEVER.....The black buttercream flavor from Michaels is great...doesn't dry out like and tastes a heckof a lot better. Totallly recommend....with the coupon of course....




Are you talking about the Duff fondant at Michaels? And if so, have you used it for decor or just covering? It's true I think Duff's tastes good, but you are correct...it does NOT dry out...which can be a problem in certain situations.

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cakesbyamber Posted 7 Jul 2010 , 5:35pm
post #13 of 24

I really think Duff's brand is supposed to be marketed to the general public who doesn't know any better, not professional cake decorators. People who have used a good quality fondant won't like Duffs. Maybe someone who has never used it and is only a fan of his show will be suckered in to paying $20.00 for a tiny bit of fondant. Oh well, at least we know better. It really is dissapointing. I wonder if he even had any place in creating the fondant or even tested it out before they let them plaster his face all over it!

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artscallion Posted 7 Jul 2010 , 5:58pm
post #14 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by cakesbyamber

I really think Duff's brand is supposed to be marketed to the general public who doesn't know any better, not professional cake decorators. People who have used a good quality fondant won't like Duffs...Oh well, at least we know better....




Actually, as I posted a little higher up on this page... the fondant that is sold under Duff's name in the DecoPac is Satin Ice. The 2 lb tubs that are sold under Duff's name in Michaels are Fondarific. Both are brands that many professionals, including those on this site use all the time.


Quote:
Originally Posted by cakesbyamber

I wonder if he even had any place in creating the fondant or even tested it out before they let them plaster his face all over it!




Yes, Satin Ice and Fondarific are the two brands that Duff uses in his own shop.

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cakesbyamber Posted 7 Jul 2010 , 6:11pm
post #15 of 24

Actually, as I posted a little higher up on this page... the fondant that is sold under Duff's name in the DecoPac is . The 2 lb tubs that are sold under Duff's name in Michaels are Fondarific. Both are brands that many professionals, including those on this site use all the time.
]

In response to the above:
Actually, I saw your post. But obviously there is something going on with Duff's fondant. It's NOT like Satin Ice, I've used that. Never used Fondariffic but I haven't seen anyone complain. Maybe they've changed the recipes to make them cheaper to increase their profit margin or something who knows. What I do know is that Duff's is afwul and Satin Ice is great even though you say they are the same thing.

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michiparma Posted 7 Jul 2010 , 6:23pm
post #16 of 24

I used Duff Fondant for my 4th of July cake as well. Used the white (looked more like off white to me) to cover the cake and Wilton fondant for decorations.

It's definitely soft and greasy. It tasted a bit too buttery for me, almost like a butter toffee or butterscotch. Not my cup of tea! It did work well on covering the cake because of its elasticity.

I have a few 50% off coupons for Michael's and am tempted to get the brown/chocolate, tootsie roll flavor, really, I'll try it! icon_lol.gif

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artscallion Posted 7 Jul 2010 , 7:17pm
post #17 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by cakesbyamber

...It's NOT like Satin Ice, I've used that. Never used Fondariffic but I haven't seen anyone complain. Maybe they've changed the recipes to make them cheaper to increase their profit margin or something who knows. What I do know is that Duff's is afwul and Satin Ice is great even though you say they are the same thing.




You could be right. I haven't tried the Deco Pacs to compare them to Satin Ice. I've only used the 2lb tubs to compare to Fondarific. And in my opinion, they seem the same. Maybe, are you comparing the 2lb tubs to Satin Ice? Because it's only the Deco Pacs that are Satin Ice.

Anyway, it's not me who claims they are the same. It is both of those companies that have confirmed it in threads on this site.

But whatever. Who knows?

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hking Posted 7 Jul 2010 , 7:28pm
post #18 of 24

I recently bought a tub of white and tub of blue Satin. After kneading together realized the color saturation of Satin's pre-tinted is VERY powerful. I had seen Duff's at Michaels, so figured I would knead in some of his white to get my shade of blue lighter and get give me a little extra fontant to cover pieces. I had heard he used Satin, so assumed it was Satin with his brand on it.
It was waaaayyyy greasy on top, almost like it got too warm and separated a little or something. It was not a bright white. After some kneading and tweaking it to firm it up, I incorporated it with my blue. It did very little to lighted the tint. I rolled out a small test and all seems to be ok.

Won't purchase it again.

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KalliCakes Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 1:22am
post #19 of 24

Great for covering a cake--not so great for sculpting! The critters I made kind of sagged and never really set up. The flavor is outstanding though! It is stretchy. I'm going to look for the DecoPac to try out to see if that works better.

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SandiOh Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 2:22am
post #20 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by carmijok

Quote:
Originally Posted by SandiOh

HOWEVER.....The black buttercream flavor from Michaels is great...doesn't dry out like and tastes a heckof a lot better. Totallly recommend....with the coupon of course....



Are you talking about the Duff fondant at Michaels? And if so, have you used it for decor or just covering? It's true I think Duff's tastes good, but you are correct...it does NOT dry out...which can be a problem in certain situations.




I used the Duff black fondant from Michaels to cut out shapes (with my exacto knife) and used it in my clay extruder...It did hold shape well without drying out (of course I did use a bit of crisco in the clay gun). I am a big fan of fondariffic, but find the rest of the duff stuff at Michaels to be more elastic than fondariffic....so I'm not convinced it's the same formula.

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MessiET Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 6:00am
post #21 of 24

Just curious, are any of you adding anything like Gumtex or Tylose powder to Duff's fondant when making figures? I have not yet tried Duff's fondant - still using Michelle Foster's recipe to make my own. I usually add Tylose or Gumtex powder to my fondant when making shapes to help the fondant keep it's shape and to help it dry faster.

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KalliCakes Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 10:40am
post #22 of 24
Quote:
Originally Posted by MessiET

Just curious, are any of you adding anything like Gumtex or Tylose powder to Duff's fondant when making figures? I have not yet tried Duff's fondant - still using Michelle Foster's recipe to make my own. I usually add Tylose or Gumtex powder to my fondant when making shapes to help the fondant keep it's shape and to help it dry faster.




MessiET-I didn't, but that's a good idea, I'll have to try that with my remaining fondant. I did mix it with some pettinice for some of the figurines and that helped a little.

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Delynn Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 1:26pm
post #23 of 24

I used Duff's black fondant to cover a 2010 Camaro cake and red to cover a 1995 Firebird cake last month (June 1st & 27th YIKES 2 in 1 month). Yes it tastes great and the color is great but yes, it's very stretchy. One BIG advantage was that it stayed soft for a LONGGGGG time so when I finally got it smoothed onto the cake I had plenty of time to scribe panel line details on both cars. Too soft to make the wheels on the Firebird so I had to glue a much-thinner-than-wanted tire w/rim onto a piece of dried gumpaste so it would hold up when I glued them to the cake. My biggest struggle was that it kept sticking to my mat. I did consider mixing in a little Wilton or Satin Ice to firm up a bit but didn't know how much lighter it would make the great shades.
LL
LL

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iris219 Posted 8 Jul 2010 , 1:51pm
post #24 of 24

I tried it for the first time this past weekend, and agree it was very greasy and kept streching. I though it had to do with the extreme heat we were having (105 degrees with 98% humitity) But I did manage to get the design I wanted with Duff's fondant.

I even used it on my cricut expression and it worked out ok, I wouldn't say great but ok. I had rolled out the fondant on the cricut cake mat and let it set to dry while I worked on the cake. I even went as far as to test it (complete decrated) once outside in direct sun light. It did start to sweat after about an hour in that heat so I took a paper towel to soak up the greas and left it alone and it held up it's shape.

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