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Over the years, rolled fondant has had its fair share of ups and downs on the roller coaster of cake trends. When I was getting started in the world of professional pastry back in the early 2000’s, fondant might as well have been a dirty word. Why stoop so low as to enrobe a perfectly good cake in a thick sheet of the starchy, sugary stuff? Not while there’s lovely Italian meringue buttercream in this world!
These days, though, fondant’s bad rap has largely disappeared thanks to the wide availability of high quality fondant and the ingenuity of some extremely talented cake artists. While there’s really no way to get around that extremely sweet flavor, a highly elastic fondant can be rolled so thin and silky smooth that the one-note flavor and slightly spongey texture are barely noticeable in the grand scheme of a grand celebration cake. And, as any quick scroll through Instagram or Pinterest will show you, a fondant covered cake makes a perfect blank slate for any number of stunning decorating techniques.
Two different takes on the painted cake trend from Hey There, Cupcake! in San Diego, California.
When talking about fondant as a canvas for cake art, the obvious go-to technique is painting. Hand-painted fondant cakes have been so popular over the last few years, they might be one of the big reasons for fondant’s return to fashion. Elaborate stained-glass and water color-inspired designs would be impossible to achieve on the glossy, slippery surface of a buttercream cake. The matte, smooth finish of fondant is a dream for cake decorators that want to give their cakes that extra artistic touch.
Marbelized black Massa Onyx and white Massa Americana fondant and sugar stones make for a moody celebration cake by Hey There, Cupcake!.
Natural stone has been a huge trend in cakes this year, probably carrying over from the recent popularity of marble and slate in home décor. A marbleized fondant finish is easy to achieve by just kneading together contrasting colors of fondant. One man’s under-kneaded fondant is a cake decorator’s meticulously marbleized pastry art.
Massa Jadeite has been imprinted on the top tier and enhanced with modified Massa Americana molded décor on the bottom two tiers.
Molded and embossed fondant is another easy way for cakes to make a big impression. Pressing a mold into soft fondant to imprint an elaborate design is a stunning and dead simple technique. Or, add just a smidge of CMC Powder to fondant for extra elasticity and a firmer, dryer finished product that is ideal for molding into pearls or sculpting into flowers. Use about 1-2 teaspoons of CMC Powder per pound of fondant.
A classically beautiful celebration cake covered in ivory Massa Grishuna Neutral and bedecked with modified Massa Grishuna White Chocolate fondant flowers and sugar pearls by Sedona Cake Couture in Sedona, Arizona.
Many thanks to the inspired cake artists who shared their photos with us: Stevi Auble of Hey There, Cupcake! can be reached via her gorgeous Instagram feed (@heytherecupcake_) or at her web site. Andrea Carusetta of Sedona Cake Couture is a Massa fondant fan from all the way back in ’97, and you can see more of her beautiful cakes in a variety of esteemed cake publications and on her web site.
What other fondant trends have you been seeing around? Have you had any crazy artistic requests from your customers? Show us your cake creations by visiting our Facebook page or post to Instagram with #auifinefoods. You can always find us back at our home page or with an email to PastryTeam@auifinefoods.com. Happy cake-ing!
About the Author
Carolyn Crow is an experienced pastry chef and chocolatier who has traded in emulsifying ganaches for organizing events and tradeshows as AUI’s Event Manager. Even with a Culinary Institute of America Pastry Arts degree and a University of Maryland English Literature degree, Carolyn still believes the best dessert is a brownie sundae and the best book is anything with Harry Potter in it.