Fondant vs Buttercream

While the taste of the wedding cake is important, also equally important is the cake design. When choosing a cake design, the consistency of the icing must be considered. Scrolling, pearlization, draping, texturing, ruffles and ombré cakes are some design and decoration examples that can be achieved by using either fondant or buttercream icing.

So what is buttercream? Buttercream is a classic icing; made from butter, sugar and cream, it can readily take on other flavors by adding chocolates, extracts, citrus zest, and other delicacies. Our cake designers can achieve the smooth finish similar to fondant with buttercream, but texturing trends including piping, plastering, rosettes, petals, basket weaving and zig-zag are better executed with buttercream.

So what is fondant? Fondant is a type of icing that can be either poured or rolled out into a sheet. Rolled fondant’s pliability and dough-like consistency allows pastry chefs to create effects ranging from perfectly smooth finishes to more structured creations. Fondant is a better option to withstand some of the demands of outdoor events. The taste of fondant is a marshmallow-like flavor and when used correctly doesn’t add much sweetness to the finished cake. Fondant is the best, although pricier choice, for brides who want to really show their creativity and style through more structured design elements on their wedding cake.

So Fondant or Buttercream? What will determine whether you use fondant as an icing or buttercream? For the most part it is appearance, budget and durability. Fondant by default is more expensive then buttercream and there are some designs that you can’t achieved with buttercream itself.