The Great Fondant Review – Which fondant is best?
Which brand of fondant is the best? Which one is smoothest? Whitest? Holds it shape? Here we review and compare between satin ice, duff, fondx, home made, bakels pettinice, orchard, cake art and marshmallow fondant.
For this review the homemade fondant was made using this recipe and the marshmallow fondant recipe can be found here.
Which fondant is easiest to work with?
The usual way to cover a cake is to roll out the fondant then using a rolling pin transfer it to the cake. So for this test 450g (15.87 ounces) of each fondant was rolled to a set circle size on baking paper then transferred to a rolling pin, hung for a minute and a half then checked for tearing and stretching.
Some fondants were easier to roll out than others (see video above for details) but all passed the hang test. Obviously the bigger the cake, the more fondant is needed so it gets heavier and tearing may be more likely. It would be interesting to repeat this test with a larger amount of fondant.
Which fondant is the smoothest?
Any of the fondants will be fine for covering a cake, but if you need that cake to look perfect – wedding cakes – then check out the pics below and choose for yourself.
Generally the simpler the cake you are making the more important it is to have perfectly smooth fondant.
Fondant Sag Test
Whether you are using fondant for modeling or for covering a cake you want it to stay exactly where you put it. It is disappointing to make a fondant model only to have it sag out of shape. And if you cover a cake perfectly you don’t want to later see it bulge at the base.
So here is the sag test – 30g (1.06 ounces) of each fondant was rolled to 10cm (3.94 inches) long and then made into a rainbow shape and placed at a set distance apart on a cake board. The fondant was checked 24hours later and for those of you using fondant for modeling – two weeks later.
As you can see from the image below most of the fondants held there shape well with one obvious exception. (This test was repeated three times with the same results).
Watch the video to see how they looked after two weeks and how well they set in that time.
Duff and Cake Art did not set hard which is an advantage for covering a cake as it means that it will not crack. But it is a disadvantage if you are wanting a model to set firm. It is important for fondant to dry out if you want to ship a model, are making an unusual shape that will not hold unless it sets or if you are making something like eyeballs that you want to press into place without them becoming misshapen. That being said, my kids loved ‘remodelling’ with the soft fondant that was on their cake.
Which fondant is best for lettering?
Which fondant is whitest
The following image shows all the fondants against a brown background so that you can see which one is the whitest when covering coloured buttercream or gnache. Duff was not included on this test as it was not white to start.
Which fondant is the Cheapest?
The following are price per kilo for white fondant in the US and Australia based on online prices excluding postage costs.
| Brand | Price per kilo Australia | Price per kilo USA |
| Bakels Pettinice | $14.60 | $13.66 |
| Cake Art | $12.95 | – |
| Duff | – | $13.78 |
| Fondx | $18.88 | $17.99 |
| Home Made | $5.72 | – |
| Marshmallow | $5.74 $9.29 if only use half packet to get white marshmallows |
– |
| Orchard | $8.58 | – |
| Satin Ice | $16.00 | $9.87 |
Which fondants come pre-coloured?
If you are making a bright blue coloured thomas the tank, a red spiderman or anything black then it will save you a lot of time to but pre-coloured fondant. At the time of writing this article the following brands are available in different colours.
| Brand | Number of colours available |
| Bakels Pettinice | 8 |
| Cake Art | 11 |
| Duff | 10 |
| Fondx | 16 |
| Home Made | – |
| Marshmallow | – |
| Orchard | 3 |
| Satinice | 8 |
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Great review! But I was wondering which one taste the best?
Hi Dayana, Ann ran a taste test on fondants but there were no conclusive results. She found most people liked the brand they were most familiar with. You can add flavouring to fondant if you wish.
hi, New to fondant, so I would like to make some simple sports logos to put on the sides of a cake , can any of these fondant be colored with food coloring, and which brand would recommend for that? Would they stick to the cake if it was frosted in just butterflies? Thank you
Buttercream not butterflies, sorry lol
Hi Donna, Ann doesn’t recommend a particular brand. You can buy it coloured or use gel colours to colour white fondant. For fine details Ann will paint colour on using gel or powdered colour. Check this page for further info: https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/sugar-paste-fondant-cake-decorations/ . Ann likes to use a mix of ganache and buttercream before applying fondant covering to her cake. If you are sticking the fondant details to a cake tat you have first covered with fondant, you can check out this video for a demo on how to add fondant details to your cake.
Hi Ann 🙂 I just love your work!!! It’s amazing.. I was wondering if you know if there is anyway I can turn extra soft fondant (runny type) into a rolled type (covering cakes) we accidently picked up a 15kg bucket of the runny type and so don’t want to waste it cause we have no need for runny fondant. Would adding icing sugar help us at all? Thanks 🙂
Hi Emma, The pourable fondant usually has a sugar syrup in it to make it runny. I haven’t tried adding sugar to thicken it. I suspect it won’t be very effective but if why not experiment with a small quantity and see how you go??
Hi with is the esiest way to make a fondan
Hi Eli, most people prefer to use a commercial fondant as it is usually easier to work with. Here is a recipe for a home made one: https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/recipe-for-home-made-fondant-sugar-paste/ .
HI HOW BIG CAN 500G FONDAND COVER A CAKE AND IS IS PREMIUM FONDANT THE BEST TO COVER CAKE THANX IN ADVANCE
Hi Gibraltor, Every brand will be different and we find even common brands of products can vary from country to country. Usually 500g of a a quality fondant will be enough to cover a 6 inch round cake.
hello, can i ask u how i can make fondant as professional ,a made my home made fondant but is not good as fondant company .I look forward to my home workeshop.thank for u help
Hi Ghada a mahrose, commercial fondants usually contain additives that help keep the fondant pliable and reduce cracking.
I really appreciate the work u are doing here, is not essay doing all this God will reachly bless u. I have lead what i don’t know as a baker due to the way u guys over their made ur fondant is not the same with our own here in Nigerian tanks alots i will always chalking ur site tanks
Love all the videos and info. Do you have any videos on how to stop your fondant from drying out when covering a cake and cracking?
Hi Jenny, If you are using a commercial fondant, then you may need to shift to a different brand that you find easier to work with. Some people find adding a small amount of crisco or margerine can help, BUT it does depend on the brand and it can effect your colour. To do this you need to warm the fondant slightly in the microwave and then work the crisco or margarine into it. If you are making homemade fondant and you are having this issue, then trying increasing the amount of glycerine in your mix.
Hi Ann I love your blog, does the fondant also good for hot weather?.thanks in advance
Hi Mary, Ann shows in the test video how the various brands stand up to heat.
What was the best fondant? I didn’t see a link for the final outcome.
Hi! can you please tell me the difference between marshmallow fondant and satin ice fondant? what exactly is satin ice fondant ?
Hi Min, Marshmallow fondant is home made fondant made using marshmallows. Satin Ice fondant is a commercial brand of a rollable standardfondant icing. It is nothing like marsmallow fondant. It has additives to help make it easy to work with. There are lots of different brands and you can make your own fondant icing.
thank you for putting up these great tutorials..especially for ” newbies” to caking like me. My question is, what is the difference between fondant and gum paste …is it only an additive such as tylose?
Hi Jojoplusbo, Fondant is a sugar paste made using glucose, sugar, water, glycerin(food grade) and water. You will find a good home recipe here: https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/recipe-for-home-made-fondant-sugar-paste/ . Gum paste is quite different as it is made using egg whites, shortening and sugar. While both are using for cake decorating they are generally used for different purposes. Gum paste sets really hard and is often just used for figurines and similar decorations.
I bought a white soft fondant by mistake. I meant to buy ready to roll fondant. It came in a big 14kg pack. Is there any way I can make it as the ready to roll fondant. Please give me the recipe, otherwise it will be wasted. Apparently this soft fondant is being used for dougnuts and bread icing. Thank you for your help.
Elisa
Hi Elisa, Ann hasn’t tried it but you could experiment with a small amount of the soft fondant. She suggests adding more icing sugar to the mx to see how much you would need to get the cosistency you require. You will likely need a lot!
Any chance that you might do some more comparisons in the future? The 2 fondants I am looking for reviews and comparisons on weren’t done here – Fat Daddios & Fondarific.
Hi Cheri, Thanks for the suggestion.
Which fondant do you use? (I’m sorry if I have grammar mistakes but I’m from Greece)
Hi Alexia, Ann uses a variety of fondant.
Hey I was just wondering how long it would take to color normal foundant. And if it’s cheaper to just buy colored found any.
Hi Makenzie, Here is a blog post on colouring fondant:https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/sugar-paste-fondant-cake-decorations/
For small quanties and special projects it is good to colour your own. For larger quantities it is easier to buy the coloured fondant.
Hi. I am a beginner for cake icing. I would like to make cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday and I am hoping to make some tiny teddys and shoes as cupcake toppers. Can you give me the recipe on how to make fondant at home that dries rock hard during humidity and also how to store it for 3 or 4 days. I tried out so many recipies and I ended up the figures melting. I hope you would mail me regarding this. I really need your help
Try gumpaste. It dries rock hard.
Can you color marshmallow fondant?
Hi Stacie yes you can if you want it all one colour you can add the colour to the melted marshmallows to save you kneading it in later. Otherwise you can just massage in gel colour like you would with other fondant.
Can I use fondant to ice a cake without any buttercream inside?
the buttercream smooths it out & also helps the fondant stick to the cake Helen
Hi, great review. Could you please let me know when you will conduct “Which he fondant tastes the best?” test, as I look forward it.
Thanks
Hi Collie, have been meaning to do that one but it seems there are different brands all around the world so it’s a bit tricky getting the all here
Hi Ann, Why don’t you ask your followers to send you some of their preferred packaged fondant? You’d get some from all over the world- I’d volunteer to send the fanstastic “Massa Ticino” as i am swiss 😉
Hi Ann
Could you tell me which one tastes better out of the 2 types of homemade fondants?
I guess I’m asking which one do most people like.
Is it a strong marshmallow flavour or has it been halved for example.
Thankyou!