Can You Eat Fondant? All You Need To Know

If you are a fan of baking and eating pastries, I’m sure you must have been served a slice of cake covered in fondant a couple of times now.

If you are not sure what fondant is, it’s this cake decoration that is used to make a smooth surface. Often coming in different colors, shapes, and sizes, fondant usually looks like it’s not edible and is merely for décor.

If you have a little time on your hands, and would like to know if you can eat fondant, simply read on to know more about this cake décor.

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What Is Fondant

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What exactly is Fondant? If you are new to baking, and have no idea what I am talking about, fondant refers to two different types of icing used on a cake’s surface. The most known type of fondant is the rolled fondant.

This type is made out of confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, water, gelatin, and shortening. This type of fondant can easily be molded into different shapes and sizes, which makes it the best type of icing for personally customized cakes that are a bit complex.

The other type of fondant takes form of a creamy paste. Just like rolled fondant, it is made out of confectioners’ sugar, corn syrup, and water. This type of fondant is usually poured over baked desserts such as éclairs, petite fours and Napoleons.

Can You Eat Fondant

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Since fondant often comes in different shapes, colors, and sizes, it can look like it is not edible. But the truth is you can eat as much fondant as your heart desires since it is completely made out of edible ingredients.

However, you must be mindful not to take in too much fondant since it is high in sugar content and can be very bad for your health if taken in large amounts.

How To Make Fondant

Homemade fondant is fairly easy to make and cheaper than store bought ones , which is why you may want to learn how to whip up a batch of rolled fondant at home to save yourself a tiresome trip to the store as well as a couple of bucks.

If you want to make some fondant at home, all you will need is:

  • 1 (.25 ounce) package unflavored gelatin or agar agar
  • ¼ cup cold water
  • ½ cup glucose syrup or corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon glycerin
  • 2 tablespoons (1oz/30g) shortening or butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
  • Rolling Out Fondant
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Once you have gathered all your ingredients, all you need to do is:

  • Step 1: Mix the gelatin with cold water until the gelatin forms into a thick consistency
  • Step 2: Place the gelatin in a double boiler and heat it up until it melts
  • Step 3: Mix the gelatin with 4 cups of confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl. Add in the sugar and mix the ingredients together until it is no longer sticky
  • Step 4: Take the fondant out of the bowl and knead it until it is completely smooth and not sticky. You may add more sugar to the fondant if you think it’s too soft, and add water if you think it’s too hard.

How To Roll Fondant

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If you plan on using your fondant over cupcakes or cakes, you must roll out your fondant by using a rolling pin. Simply coat your rolling pin with powdered sugar and start flattening your fondant with it until you reach your desired size. When making large fondant sheets for medium sized cakes, you may want to prepare a sheet that is around ¼ up to 1/8-inches thick.

Coloring Fondant

If you wish to add a splash of color to your fondant to make a livelier cake décor, you may use a paste food coloring instead of a liquid one. Paste food coloring offers more vibrant colors, making it a great choice when used with white fondants.

To add color to your fondant, simply add a dab of paste food coloring to your fondant as you knead it. Continue to add food coloring until you meet your required color.

How To Flavor Fondant

You may want to add more flavors to your fondant to make it more than just a thick sheet of sugar.

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You can easily add flavor to your fondant by adding a few drops of your preferred flavoring to it as you knead it out. Be careful not to add too much flavoring to avoid an overwhelming taste.

A Quick Recap

Fondant is a type of icing used to decorate cakes. There are two types of fondant, rolled out fondant, and a creamy paste fondant. When feasting on cakes, you should know by now that fondants aren’t just for mere aesthetics, but for eating as well.

However, eating too much fondant isn’t a wise choice either since it is packed with a lot of sugars that can be bad for your health.

If you liked this article, and would like to know more about baking, please leave us your feedback in the comment box below. Until next time, enjoy!

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