Exploring Fondant Icing

Friends often asked me many questions about fondant. But… as  a new comer in this fondant thing, sometimes i’m not sure about the answer too There are few questions that always ‘haunted’ me from time to time. Like… Is fondant HALAL? Can i subtitute ‘this’ with ‘that’? Can i keep fondant in fridge? Etc… Few days ago i decided to do a little research and fondant experiment to find all the answers.

In this post i’d like to share all the results from those experiments.

First of all… What is fondant ( rolled fondant/ fondant icing ) ?

Rolled fondant or fondant icing, which is not the same material as poured fondant, is commonly used to decorateIt includes gelatin (or agar  in vegetarian recipes) and food-grade glycerin which keep 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. This gives the cakes a smooth appearance. ( source : wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fondant )

other name for fondant : sugarpaste, plastic icing

There are so many fondant recipes that you can find on books or internet. But still the main ingredients are the same :

1. icing sugar / powder sugar :

also known as confectioner’s sugar is very fine powdered sugar. I used to called it sugar flour : ’tepung gula’ in Bahasa Indonesia , because it looks just like flour or ‘gula donut’ : doughnut sugar, because it sometime use to powder a plain doughnut in traditional market.

2. Gelatine :

is a protein produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the boiled bones, connective tissues, organs and some intestines of animals such as domesticated cattle,pigs, and horses.is a translucent, colorless, brittle (when dry), nearly tasteless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals’ skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food. It is found in some gummy candiesas well as other products such as marshmallows, gelatin dessert, and some low-fat yogurt.

In fondant, gelatine also used as gelling agent.

NOTE :

- Coz some gelatines are made from ‘PIG COLLAGEN’, it’s not save for muslim to consume this kind of food/fondant, because it’s not HALAL.

- Some source said you can subtitute Gelatine with agar – agar to make Vegan Fondant. ( —-> read my conclusion )

3. glucose syrup :

The more general term glucose syrup is often used synonymously with corn syrup, since glucose syrup is most commonly made from cornstarch. Technically, glucose syrup is any liquid starch hydrolysate of mono-, di-, and higher-saccharides and can be made from any source of starch; wheat, rice and potatoes are the most common sources. ( wiki )

As in some places are lil difficult to find glucose syrup so i googled ‘how to make glucose syrup’. And wikianswer said this : “Simple. Take a cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water and heat till just thickened. Not too long or it will become a solid.”

But can we use this kind of glucose syrup to make fondant? ( —–> read my counclusion )

4. Glycerine :

sometimes spelled glycerine, is a clear, thick liquid that has a faint sweet taste. It is often used in pharmaceuticals and beauty products like soaps and lotions to help moisturize the skin, but it also has food applications. Because it readily absorbs moisture from the air, it is often used to keep foods moist and soft. It is also sometimes used as a sugar substitute. When used in candy-making, it can add a subtle sweetness, keep candy soft, and help improve the texture. Be sure to buy food-grade or food-safe glycerin for baking and candymaking purposes.

In fondant, glycerine also stop it from getting dry. sooo it’s more pliable and have dough consistency.

Some said it’s not necessary to use glycerine when we make fondant. Source said the glycerine helps keep the fondant pliable while you work with it.  Otherwise, it risks drying out very quickly, which leads to cracking as you work, marring the look of your cake. If for some reason you don’t want to use glycerine, you can substitute an invert sugar syrup like Numoline, available at some candy-making stores.  Either one helps interfere with the crystalline matrix, preventing the sugar from hardening too quickly. If you’re absolutely intent on doing without, you can simply leave it out of the recipe, but be prepared to work quickly.

( ——–> read my conclusion )

5. Shortening :

is a semisolid fat used in food preparation, especially baked goods, and is so called because it promotes a “short” or crumbly texture (as in shortbread). Shortening is fat or lard from an animal or vegetable. The term “shortening” can be used more broadly to apply to any fat that is used for baking and which is solid at room temperature, such as butter, lard, or margarine. Shortening often has a higher smoke pointthan butter and margarine, and it has 100% fat content, compared to about 80% for butter and margarine.

Although the term has been in use for many years, it is now known that shortening works by inhibiting the formation of long protein (gluten) strands in wheat-based doughs. The similarity in terms is entirely coincidental since full understanding of the structure and chemistry of dough is comparatively recent. ( source : wikipedia )

When make fondant, i often use vegetable shortening: Crisco.

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Another kind of fondant is Marshmallow Fondant.

Why is it possible?

If you read backside of the package everytime you buy MM, you will see… Gelatine… and Glucose which mean you score 2 ingredients in one place. In my opinion, MM also makes fondant taste ‘yummier’, and easier to make

In the market, there are HALAL and Non HALAL MM too…

Don’t believe me ????

This is MM i often used to make fondant.

OR this one… in bigger package

I’ll post Rolled Fondant and MMF recipes ( which i think the best and the most simple recipe follow ) in the end of this post.

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From all those ingredients, i did few experiments. Subtituted A with B. Mixed and tried everything Until i find the answers i need to know.

And i end up with these conclusions :

1. You should remember that GELATINE mostly came from animal colagen, in this case is PORK. sooo that means Gelatin is NOT HALAL. But if you want to make halal fondant, you can use AGAR AGAR which from seaweed. AGAR AGAR also use to make VEGAN FONDANT. ( edited : Gelatine made from animal extract other than pig is halal, example from beef )

2. From my project i found out that ‘yup’ Gelatine made thicker gel than Agar agar, which is in my opinion it is a better ingredient for fondant. If you still want to use agar – agar to make Halal fondant or vegant fondant, just remember you must use GLYCERINE, it prevent fondant from cracking. OR just use halal MM for halal fondant.

3. Yes, you can make glucose syrup by mixed sugar and water in low heat untill it’s thick enough. Don’t want to waste your time? Just buy one  :)

4. No glycerine when you make MM fondant.

5. When you use Gelatine, i think with the right amount of shortening you can make fondant WITHOUT glycerin.

6. When you use agar agar, glycerine is a MUST.

7. Remember always use shortening. It’s white and tasteless… just right for fondant. Don’t use butter or margarine.

8. To make MM Fondant always remember if you’re a muslim, check the backside of the package for Halal Label and read the ingredients. Halal MM usually use Beef Gelatine.

9. To make fondant taste even nicer you can add 1 tblspn colorless flavour. NOTE : COLORLESS

10. You can put fresh homemade fondant in fridge if you’re not using it. Put it inside sealed container and don’t forget to wrap it with plastic wrap. You can use it up to 3 month. BUT DON’T FREEZE!!!!

11. Fondant is SUGARPASTE. FONDANT is soft, even when you leave it on the room temperature, it will not completely harden. It’s different with GUMPASTE which make hard edible shape or figure. To transform fondant to Gumpaste simply add little amount of Tylose Powder ( or THIS ) to your fondant.

12. Fondant Recipe ( wilton ) : http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Rolled-Fondant-1

13. MM Fondant recipe. : http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Rolled-Marshmallow-Fondant

14. Follow the recipe! Right amount of water! Low heat! Those are the keys to make a good fondant

15. After all those experiments, i think i’ll stick to MMF

Please leave your comment and do correct me if i’m wrong.

Fondant… DARE TO TRY???