Differences Between Rolled Fondant and Gum Paste - Confectionery House (2024)
If you’re new to cake decorating or just getting into the world of sugar pastes, you’re probably wondering, what is the difference between fondant and gum paste?
You’re not alone, this is one of the most frequently asked questions about cake decorating!
Fondant:
Used as an icing to cover cakes.
Soft and flexible--gives cakes a smooth polished look.
Stays soft.
Great for molding in silicone molds and cutting out small decorations.
Tasty and flavorful. Traditional fondant tastes of vanilla but other flavors may be used.
Easy to work with.
Note: Fondant decorations will dry and harden on the outside but the inside will stay soft.
Use Fondant When
Covering cakes, cutting out small flat decorations for cupcakes and cakes making decorations that don’t need a lot of stability or detail
How Fondant is Different from Gum Paste
Fondant is a rolled icing that’s used to cover cakes and cupcakes. It’s soft and pliable and is rolled out with a rolling pin before being draped on a cake. Since it’s an icing, fondant never hardens like gum paste.
Fondant contains a key ingredient called glycerine, it’s what makes it behave differently than gum paste. Glycerine is what keeps fondant soft and pliable, making it ideal for covering a cake. It also contains gum tragacanth (similar to tylose), this gives the fondant elasticity and allows it to harden on the outside with a crust, never hardening completely (so it’s not ideal for modeling 3D figures).
Buy Satin Ice Fondant >
What You Need When Working with Fondant:
Fondant smoothers
Large rolling pin
Satin Ice Fondant
Buttercream or jam for coating the cake. A thin coating of buttercream or jam makes the fondant stick to the cake and should not be skipped.
Cornstarch for dusting your work surface, rolling pin, and hands.
Gum paste:
Used for modeling and sculpting flowers, bows, and other intricate pieces.
Dries quickly and hardens completely.
Rolls out ultra thin for making lifelike sugar flowers.
Ideal for modeling detailed figures.
Firm and pliable-- hardens with a porcelain-like finish.
Use Gum Paste When Making :
Flowers
Sugar bows
3D figures
How Gum Paste is Different from Fondant
Gum paste is an edible sugar dough used for decor. No one, however, usually eats gum paste because it dries out hard and brittle. Cakes are never covered in gum paste. It’s used for decor only. Gum paste, unlike fondant, dries very quickly. While working with it, keep the unused portion covered with a damp cloth.
Buy Satin Ice Gum Paste >
What You Need When Working with Gum Paste:
Modeling and sculpting tools. Small wooden rolling pin Cutters and other molds. (optional) Floral wire. (optional) Satin Ice Gumpaste.
Your Questions About Fondant and Gum Paste Answered:
Should I use cornstarch or confectioners sugar when rolling out my gum paste and fondant? Use your best judgment, if it is hot and humid out, and your fondant or gum paste is sticking to everything, go for the cornstarch!
If the air in your home or workplace is dry, and your gum paste or fondant is cracking or drying too fast, use confectioners sugar (cornstarch will dry out fondant and gum paste when there is too much moisture).
What to do when Fondant or gum paste is drying too fast and cracking? “Elephant skin” is a common term with fondant and gum paste --If you’re not quick to work, a crust will form on the top layer, and when you stretch the sugar paste, it will resemble the look of elephant skin, and it may even start to crack.
To avoid this happening, rub shortening onto rolled out gum paste or fondant, it will slow the drying time and keep it from crusting over.
How do I remove the powdery look from using cornstarch and confectioners sugar? Rub a very small dab of shortening onto the tips of your fingers, and lightly brush away the powdery look with your hands or fingertips.
How do I “glue” gum paste or fondant together? To “glue” fondant on top of fondant, you can apply a little water with a paintbrush to the back of your fondant piece (dried or still soft, wither will work) and it will stick onto the other piece.
You can do the same with gum paste but it would be ideal to make “gum glue” which you'll need to use if you are gluing pieces together for 3D modeling or flowers.
Since it's an icing, fondant never hardens like gum paste. Fondant contains a key ingredient called glycerine, it's what makes it behave differently than gum paste. Glycerine is what keeps fondant soft and pliable, making it ideal for covering a cake.
It can be rolled quite thin and is ideal for creating hand-modeled flowers or other intricate decorations. While fondant will remain soft, gum paste dries quite hard and is better suited for decoration on a cake than for, say, covering an entire cake.
Gum paste is a soft, mold-able substance used to make flowers, figurines, and other decorations. It will dry very quickly, while fondant doesn't dry as quickly.
The most common is rolled fondant, which looks a little like smooth pie dough and is often draped over cakes to cover them, as well as being cut into strips or shapes for decoration. Poured fondant is creamy and fluid, and is often used as either a filling or coating for cakes, pastries, candies, and other desserts.
In cake decorating both terms are used to mean the same thing. Rolled icing, sugarpaste, fondant are the same thing. Pros and cons depends on which brand you use and where you are located. Some sugarpaste/fondant is especially formulated for use in hot humid countries and can be refrigerated.
Rolled fondant is closer to a dough than a paste. It can be moulded into whatever shape you like, and is called “rolled” because it gets rolled out before being used to cover cakes. Rolled fondant is also used to cut out edible decorations like flowers or stars.
Rolled fondant icing typically has a shelf life between 6 months to a year. On the other hand, fondant covered cakes have merely 3 days no more than 4 days shelf life. It is also best to store the fondant cake by cutting the fondant cake slice by slice covered with plastic wrap and place in a clean and dry container.
Satin Ice Rolled Fondant – This is the most common brand of commercial fondant used in the US today, and has been endorsed by both celebrity pastry chefs and reality TV cake decorators.
Thickness: Typically, it's best to go as thin as possible when it comes to rolling out your fondant. It's said to use between ¼” to ⅛” after rolling so it's not too thick and overpowering, yet not too thin where it could tear when decorating.
But you're not tied to fondant when it comes to finishing off your cake. Buttercream is a beautiful and tasty option that is great for birthday cakes, wedding cakes or cupcakes, while fresh fruit, chocolates or sweets can also be used to finish the top of the cake in a striking way.
How long do the gumpaste Sugarflowers keep? Sugarflowers keep for several years and can be even kept and used past their “best by” date, as long as their are kept safe and away from direct sunlight and moisture.
The gumpaste is rolled out thin to make the petals, and then left to harden before assembling into flowers. Most flowers will be dry overnight, but some of the larger flowers (like an English rose) could take up to a week or more to dry. Once gumpaste is dry, it contains no moisture and is shelf-stable.
No, it's not the same. Fondant takes much longer to dry and never dries really hard. Fondant is also better-tasting - especially homemade marshmallow fondant! Gum paste does not taste as good, dries fast and rockhard, and doesn't taste great.
Tylo powder is a form of gum, and a gum is a hardening agent. It's what is added to make gumpaste. So by adding a small amount of Tylo powder into fondant you are creating a very simple version of a gumpaste. It allows the fondant to firm up a lot more than fondant on it's own.
Unless it's the perfect consistency, rolled fondant is likely to stick slightly as you work with it—but dusting it with confectioners' sugar risks altering the consistency and can potentially ruin the smooth look. Honestly, it doesn't taste good—which always makes me wonder why anyone bothers with it at all!
Is gumpaste edible? Technically, yes. The ingredients are all edible, but they don't taste great together. There are no flavorings added, so it just tastes like sugar with a bit of an aftertaste from the tylose.
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