Wedding Cakes: Fondant vs. Buttercream

It's time to choose your wedding cake and you're faced with a dilemma... what kind of frosting you want on the cake. This is a matter in which you want to choose wisely!

Fondant icing is a sugar dough that is rolled onto cakes. It is what you see on most cakes in bridal magazines. It's the very pretty, very smooth icing that comes in a multitude of colors. Cake decorators use it to make the elaborate concoctions that are able to replicate literally anything. Without a doubt, fondant makes for some gorgeous and creative cakes. It also holds up well in heat if you have an outdoor wedding.

If you choose fondant, you can expect to pay about 3x more than you would for buttercream. Before committing to that kind of expenditure, do yourself a favor and request a taste test. In many instances, you will find that fondant is tasteless. Some cake designers are able to add flavoring to the fondant and this may or may not make it seem a little more edible to your guests. You'll have to decide. If you choose fondant, you might find that your guests simply eat the cake and leave the fondant shell on their plates.

Buttercream frosting, on the other hand, has a wonderful flavor. Some people will say that you cannot get that same smooth, finished look with buttercream like you can with fondant, but a good cake designer will be able to design a cake with buttercream frosting that looks every bit as good as one with fondant. (Note: Not every cake designer can achieve this, so be sure to view their portfolio!) By choosing buttercream, you are sure to get a cake that is delicious.

Either way you go, you will want to request to see pictures of past weddings your cake designer has done so you have a good idea of their level of expertise. Decide first what is most important to you... Is it taste? Is it appearance? Does your choice fall within your allotted budget?