TASK 21 COMMODITIES "FONDANT"

HISTORY

Invented in the 16th century, fondant has long been renowned as a frosting for its versatility and pliability. Unlike other frostings, fondant may be stored for long periods of time. Its texture lends itself easily to molding and shaping. Cake makers prefer to use fondant as a base frosting for any elaborately decorated cakes, such as wedding cakes, as it provides a smooth foundation on which to build. Today, bakers usually combine fondant frosting with piped frostings and other decorations, using royal icing to "glue" fondant into the shapes they desire.

Origin

· Early fondants were made with rosewater, sugar, lemon juice, egg white and gum paste. Fondant gains its pliability from its chemical composition -- unlike other types of frosting, it is basically a sugar-water paste and contains no butter. The word "fondant" comes from the French word "fondre," which means "to melt." Likely this term was applied because fondant tends to melt in the mouth.

· Early fondants first found popularity as candies, only later being adapted into a cake icing. Fondant icing did not achieve much popularity until the early 20th century, perhaps due to the prohibitively high cost of white sugar before that time.

Early Uses

· Unlike modern fondant icings, early fondant was not chilled and then applied to cakes. Rather, small cakes were dipped in warm fondant and allowed to set. Because fondant icing has such a strong, sugary taste, flavorings were often added it.

These included chocolate, almond extract and citric acid. Some bakers also would ameliorate the sugary taste of fondant by beating marshmallows or other types of frosting into it. Small fondant-dipped cakes were sometimes used to decorate larger cakes.

TYPE OF FONDANT

Poured fondant

Is a creamy confection used as a filling or coating for cakes, pastries, and candies or sweets. Its simplest form, it is sugar and water cooked to the soft-ball stage, cooled slightly, and stirred or beaten until it is creamy consistency. Sometimes lemon or vanilla is added to the mixture, mainly for taste. Other flavorings are used as well, as are various colorings.

Rolled fondant

Fondant icing, which is not the same material as poured fondant, is commonly used to decorate wedding cakes. Although wedding cakes are traditionally made with marzipan and royal icing, fondant is increasingly common due to nut allergies as it does not require almond meal.
It includes gelatin (or agar in vegetarian recipes) and food-grade glycerine, which keeps the sugar pliable and creates a dough-like consistency. It can also be made using powdered sugar and melted marshmallows.
Rolled fondant is rolled out like a pie crust and used to cover the cake. Commercial shelf-stable rolled fondant often consists principally of sugar and hydrogenated oil. However, different formulations for commercial shelf-stable fondant are available and include more natural combinations such as sugar, cellulose gum and water.

Sculpting Fondant