Fondant fancies are little cakes, often layered with jam or marzipan, covered with a thin coating of fondant and usually adorned with icing or sugar paste flowers or other intricate decorations. Before I knew better, I would have called them petit* fours. But in the signature challenge of episode 9, we learned that petit* fours can be any bite-sized confectionary, or even small savory appetizers.
In Britain, fondant fancies were popularized by a brand of baked goods called Mr. Kipling, which introduced its French Fancies to supermarkets in 1967 and grew to become the U.K.’s largest cake manufacturer by 1976. (Think Little Debbie in America.)
Watching The Great British Bake Off bakers making their fondant fancies was quite entertaining, until I had to do it myself. Trying to create 25 identically sized, uniformly coated miniature cakes can be extremely frustrating, not to mention messy!
Needless to say, my fondant fancies were not faultless. Lined up all in a row, they did not look like little soldiers standing at attention; indeed, they looked a bedraggled bunch, some shorter than others, some leaning to one side, some almost falling over.
When I first read Mary Berry’s recipe, I had to do a little research. I wasn’t sure what was meant by the ingredient “fondant icing,” since the only fondant I knew of was the rolling kind. Turns out, that is exactly what Mary uses in her recipe, but she adds water to the fondant to thin it until it is the right consistency for pouring or dipping.
In my research, I found several different methods for making “poured fondant,” as this thinner version is known. While Mary’s version is certainly the easiest (simply add water to store-bought fondant and stir with a mixer until it reaches the right consistency), I didn’t want to go out and buy 2 pounds of fondant, and I felt that the flavor of store-bought fondant would detract from the fresh taste of the lemony sponge, homemade buttercream and fruity apricot jam. (Sorry, Mary!)
On the other end of the spectrum is the more traditional method of cooking sugar, water and corn syrup to soft ball stage, then cooling it slightly before processing it in a food processor until it’s opaque. I didn’t really want to go to all that trouble, so I compromised with this recipe, which uses melted white chocolate chips as a setting agent added to a simple powdered sugar glaze. It was relatively easy to make and tasted more “homemade” than melted, store-bought fondant.
Even though I followed Mary’s recipe, if I were to make these again I would add a couple of steps: First, I would chill the cake thoroughly before cutting it into squares—perhaps even freeze it. Then I would cut off all the edges to give each of the cake squares four straight sides with sharp corners. Working with frozen cake would also make it easier to frost with buttercream (giving it a crumb coat) and dip in the fondant without it falling off the fork.
In the end, although my fondant fancies looked a mess, they were quite tasty! If you take the time to chill the cakes between each step and allow the fondant to set well before serving (which, unfortunately, the bakers in the Great White Tent were unable to do), they will be much neater. And placing each little cake in a paper cupcake liner will hide a multitude of imperfections, making these dainty little confections perfect for serving at a baby shower or little girls’ tea party!
Fondant Fancies
Servings: 25
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Credit: BBC.co.uk Adapted for American bakers Poured fondant adapted from: KingArthurFlour.com
For the cake:
1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
2 ½ t. baking powder
8 oz. (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 c. + 1 ½ T. superfine (baker’s) sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
4 eggs
For topping and buttercream:
9 oz. (2 sticks + 2 T.) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¾ c. powdered sugar
3 T. apricot jam
7 oz. marzipan
For the poured fondant icing and decoration:
1 c. white chocolate chips
4 c. powdered sugar
¼ c. light corn syrup
¼ c. + 1-3 T. hot water
¼ t. rosewater, or to taste
Food coloring
3 ½ oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and then line an 8-inch square pan with two strips of parchment paper 8 inches wide, placed crosswise in the pan so the ends hang out on all sides.
Beat together all the cake ingredients until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then pull up on the edges of the parchment paper to remove the cake from the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack before putting in the freezer to chill.
While the cake is cooling, make the buttercream by beating together the 9 ounces of butter and 1¾ c. powdered sugar until light in color and smooth. Transfer half of the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small, round tip and place in the fridge to firm up slightly. Keep the rest of the buttercream at room temperature for ease of spreading.
Heat the apricot jam in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until liquified. Stir and pour through a sieve to remove the solids. On a piece of parchment paper dusted with powdered sugar, roll out the marzipan into an 8-inch square. Use the base of the cake pan as a template to cut a square of marzipan the same size as the cake.
Remove cake from freezer. Turn it upside down so the flat bottom of the cake becomes the top. Trim all sides of the cake with a serrated knife to make perfectly flat sides. Trim the top (now bottom) of the cake, too, if it is uneven. Brush the top of the cake with the sieved apricot jam. Place the marzipan on top of the jam. (Use the parchment to transfer the marzipan to prevent tearing.)
Use a ruler and large knife to mark the marzipan with four evenly spaced lines vertically and horizontally in order to divide the cake into 25 squares. (They should each be 1-1½ inches square.) Cut along those lines, wiping the knife in between each cut to keep the edges nice and clean. If the cake has softened up too much, you might need to put it back in the freezer for a few minutes before cutting.
Place half of the cake squares on a baking sheet in the refrigerator while you work with the other half. Holding a cake square with your thumb on the bottom and forefinger on top of the marzipan, use an offset spatula to spread a thin layer of buttercream on all four sides. This gives it a crumb coat to keep it from crumbling when dipped in fondant. (Don’t worry about being too neat at this point. It will smooth out more easily after it has chilled for a while.) Using the buttercream in the piping bag, pipe a blob on the center of each square on top of the marzipan. When you’ve finished with the first half of the squares, put those in the fridge and repeat with the other half.
Put the second half of cake squares back in the fridge and pull out the first half again. Use the offset spatula to smooth the icing on all four sides of each square. I found it easiest to keep the squares on the baking sheet and use an upward stroke to smooth the buttercream from bottom to top on each side. If any extra buttercream comes off on the spatula, wipe it on the edge of a bowl before going on to the next side. When done with half the squares, repeat with the other half.
Chill the cake squares again while making the poured fondant.
Following the directions on the package of white chocolate chips, melt them in the microwave, stirring until smooth. Sift the 4 cups of powdered sugar into a large, heatproof mixer bowl. Add the corn syrup and hot water. Stir with the paddle attachment at a low speed until smooth.
Add the melted white chocolate to the sugar mixture. Then add the rosewater and a few drops of food coloring. If you’re afraid of making the rose flavor too strong, add 1/8 teaspoon, stir and taste. If you feel it’s strong enough, don’t add the rest. If the mixture is too thick for dipping, add 1 tablespoon of hot water at a time until the desired consistency is reached. (Mary says it should “just coat the back of a spoon.”)
To keep the fondant from getting too thick, place the bowl over a pan of hot water. (Do not put it on a stove burner, and make sure the bowl does not touch the surface of the water. You don’t want it to get too hot.) This should keep it just warm enough to work with. The fondant is easiest to work with when it’s about 100°F.
Place a cooling rack over a baking pan or parchment paper to catch the drips. Again, working with half the cake squares at a time, keeping the other half in the fridge, insert a fork into the bottom of one cake square with the tines pointing up and at an angle. Work quickly to dip the cake into the fondant, turning to coat all four sides and the top. Use your finger to slide the cake off of the fork onto the cooling rack, trying not to smudge the fondant. (But who are we kidding, it will smudge—just let gravity do its job and hopefully the fondant will drip down and cover the smudge!) Repeat with all the cake squares.
Leave the cake squares on the rack to set. (Don’t put them in the fridge again or the fondant will lose its shine.)
Reserving about 1 ounce of dark chocolate, melt the other 2 ½ ounces in a microwave-safe bowl at 50% power in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until it’s mostly melted. Then stir in the reserved amount until it’s completely melted. (If necessary, put the bowl back in the microwave for 5 seconds at a time, stirring after each time until all the chocolate is melted.) This will temper the chocolate enough that it will harden with a nice sheen. Transfer the chocolate to a zip-lock plastic bag or a piping bag with a small round tip.
When the fondant is mostly set, drizzle the chocolate over the cake squares in a zigzag pattern. Use as much or as little chocolate as you like. (I drizzled quite a bit on mine to try to hide the flaws in my fondant coating.) Leave to set before serving.
Fondant fancies are little cakes, often layered with jam or marzipan, covered with a thin coating of fondant and usually adorned with icing or sugar paste flowers or other intricate decorations.
In September 2008, Mr Kipling announced the Big French Fancy, a large cake which can be sliced into portions. A limited edition appeared in 2012, renamed British Fancies, containing cakes in red, white and blue. Supermarket and home-made copies are called Fondant Fancies.
Fondant fancies (also known as petit fours glacés) are small iced cakes that have a layer of icing on the top and bottom. They are often covered with fondant icing which is rolled out to cover the cake. Many fondant fancies also have piped decorations on them.
Fondant Fancies, or "French Fancies" as they were originally dubbed, were invented in the 20th century. They were introduced in 1967 as part of the first 20 baked goods created and sold to the brand new "supermarkets" by the Mr. Kipling corporation, makers of Mr. Kipling's Cakes in the U.K.
Store in a loosely covered container a room temperature overnight; fondant icing can take 12-24 hours to completely set and air tight containers can cause the fondant to soften and weep when not fully set. These fancies will last 3-4 days in a loosely covered container.
Actually, there is really very little difference between marshmallow fondant and traditional fondant when it comes to the ingredients in them. Although marshmallow fondant is just 3 ingredients, and traditional fondant is many more, they are basically made up of the same things.
French Fancies come in three different colours and flavours. The inside is the same for all - a delicate sponge coated with vanilla butter fondant. The brown cakes have a chocolate flavoured icing, the pink ones are supposed to be strawberry flavoured and the yellow fancies have a mild lemony taste.
Possibly one of Mr Kipling's most famous cakes, French Fancies were actually among the 20 varieties of cake that were part of the initial launch in 1967. These small sponge cakes, which resemble petit fours, are topped with delicious butter cream and coated with fondant icing.
The Mr Kipling brand name came from an Irish baker, Mr. Seamus Kipling who lived in London. The company says, "Mr Kipling exists in the hearts and minds of Manor Bakeries' employees and all cake lovers, but not in fact as a real person.
CCDS Fondant. It is a gem in the field of fondants, all because it gives off such a soft, smooth, and rich texture to the cake and when it is used to make 2D structures, it looks so smooth without any cracks.
Fondant is an edible icing made of 100% edible ingredients (which makes us question who uses inedible icing). Although the icing is edible, you might see people take the fondant off cakes when they are eating cake because people tend to not like the texture or flavor of fondant.
The main reason fondant cakes sweat in the fridge is because the fridge is full of humidity and that immediately causes the fondant to start condensing. When you remove the fondant cake from the fridge, you also need to allow it to slowly adjust to room temperature before you unwrap the cake.
Plain fondant cutouts should stay soft for at least a day or so, often longer. Gumpaste pieces, or fondant with tylose added, will usually stay soft for at least a few hours. They will dry out faster than plain fondant so keep that in mind.
Fondant does not dry in the refrigerator, it firms up. Once it comes to room temperature it will remain the same and will still need time to dry. Marshmallow fondant is a different beast, the normal marshmallow fondant recipe is usually soft and sticky.
For my cake business, I made my own fondant since it's easy enough to make and is much cheaper than buying it. Even better, although it is sweet (it's mostly sugar, after all) it doesn't have a weird taste or smell.
The marshmallow fondant I make, on the other hand, usually takes several days to harden. It does become stiff enough to build on it (if you're building a figure, for example) within a day, but it does take longer to reach the same level of hardness as the store bought stuff.
There are a lot of choices, but I would love to encourage you to try homemade fondant. It has some huge advantages and tastes INCREDIBLE compared to most all the commercial brands I've tried. Also, you can flavor homemade fondant any way you'd like so it can blend with any cake flavor you're making.
Chocolate. Chocolate is often touted to be one of the best cake flavours. It's almost impossible to resist a slice of gooey, moist chocolate cake. These cakes are made with chocolate sponge, layered with chocolate ganache or mousse, or topped with truffle frosting.
Modeling chocolate, also known as chocolate clay, is a pliable mixture of chocolate and corn syrup. It is very similar to fondant but it tastes like chocolate. Modeling chocolate can be used like fondant to decorate and cover cakes or it can be used as a sculpting material to create forms and shapes.
Mr Kiplings cake was a welcome relief from the supermarket dupes, with a soft and moist sponge, creamy icing, generous vanilla filling and a great flavour and texture combination.
History. Kipling was founded in 1987 in Antwerp by designer Xavier Kegels (who also founded Hedgren) and Paul Van De Velde, who were joined by a third partner, Vincent Haverbeke. The name was inspired by Rudyard Kipling who wrote the children's story The Jungle Book.
Kipling, is the family pet, a 7-foot Asian Water Monitor Lizard in JESSIE. The lizard belongs to Ravi and is the only link to his beloved homeland, India.
Once you finish rolling, your fondant will ideally have a thickness of about 1/8 inch. A little thicker is okay, but don't go thinner than that. Otherwise, the fondant is too easy to tear or rip.
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.
Water. This is an easy one, and handy because you'll generally have some on hand in the kitchen. Water can be a great “glue” for fondant. It dissolves a little of the sugar in the fondant, making it sticky, and therefore, well, makes it stick to stuff.
The vast majority of cake decorators cover their cakes with either ganache or buttercream before applying fondant. For help covering your cake with ganache, check out my earlier post here. As for buttercream, there are two general camps: meringue based or crusting .
Buttercream and fondant are both great types of icing for this. A well-frosted cake can last for as long as five days in a room with a stable temperature. You'll just need to protect it from dust by storing it in a covered cake stand.
The term “fondant” can refer to a couple of different things. In many British cookbooks, for instance, a soft-centered chocolate cake is called “chocolate fondant.” The term primarily refers to a cooked mixture of sugar, water and cream of tartar that can be used either as a candy filling or as a frosting for a cake.
Beech's Strawberry Fondant Cream Chocolates are made to a traditional recipe using only the natural flavour of summer Strawberries, gently coated in a crisp layer of Beech's own rich dark chocolate. There is no better flavour to say goodbye to Winter, as we look toward Spring and the improving weather.
When rolling out fondant do so on a silicone mat. Lightly grease the mat and roll the fondant to 1/8” 3 cm. it is not recommended to use cornstarch/cornflower or powdered sugar/icing sugar. This makes the fondant too dry causing rips and tears or an elephant skin appearance.
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.
There are two main types of this kind of fondant: poured and rolled. Poured fondant is a sweet paste usually used as an icing or filling for cakes and other pastries. Poured fondant is made mainly of sugar, water and corn syrup. Rolled fondant, on the other hand, is more like sweet dough.
Kneading is the most important step to successfully using the fondant. As they are worked, both fondant and gum paste become more elastic and pliable. For best results, knead in small portions until the fondant is soft and pliable and then combine.
Before you can cover your cake with fondant, you need to crumb coat your cake. This thin layer of frosting traps any cake crumbs and acts as an adhesive so your fondant doesn't fall off or move around.
Is Fondant Edible? Yes, fondant is 100% edible. In the media, you will sometimes see fondant being removed from a baked good before it is eaten, but this is simply because some people don't like the flavor or texture of this icing.
Fondant fancies (also known as petit fours glacés) are small iced cakes that have a layer of icing on the top and bottom. They are often covered with fondant icing which is rolled out to cover the cake. Many fondant fancies also have piped decorations on them.
Due to its soft consistency, it's not recommended for modeling decorations. To store fondant, cover it with a thin layer of shortening, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container.Store at room temperature.
Fondant icing, also commonly referred to simply as fondant (/ˈfɒndənt/, from the French: [fɔ̃dɑ̃] listen (help·info)), is an icing used to decorate or sculpt cakes and pastries. It is made from sugar, water, gelatin, vegetable fat or shortening, and glycerol.
Contains Cereals Containing Gluten, Contains Eggs, Contains Milk, May Contain Nuts, May Contain Peanuts, Contains Soya, Contains Wheat. Not suitable for Nut and Peanut allergy sufferers due to manufacturing methods.
It's an easy and fun way that instantly turns your bakes into art. Fondant is safe to eat, but it is by no means healthy. Its texture and taste may not be for everybody.
The word fondant comes from the french word fonder which means “to melt”. Another presumed origin is in Ottoman, Turkey. The classic use of fondant or fondant cream was as candy or chocolate cream bar filling.
What Does Fondant Taste Like? “A lot of sugar,” laughs Moss. “It's super sweet, with a pretty good bite to it.” The key difference between fondant and the icing you might use on your standard made-from-a-box grocery store cake is texture.
French Fancies come in three different colours and flavours. The inside is the same for all - a delicate sponge coated with vanilla butter fondant. The brown cakes have a chocolate flavoured icing, the pink ones are supposed to be strawberry flavoured and the yellow fancies have a mild lemony taste.
It's the little things that mean the most – like an exceedingly good cake from Mr Kipling. Product life guaranteed for 7 days including delivery day, with an average of 14 days.
RENSHAW Fondant Icing, Ready to Roll, Smooth and Easy to Use, Preferred by Professionals for Cake Decoration, Cookies and Cupcakes, Vegan, Kosher, Halal Approved - WHITE 2.2 LB.
The main reason fondant cakes sweat in the fridge is because the fridge is full of humidity and that immediately causes the fondant to start condensing. When you remove the fondant cake from the fridge, you also need to allow it to slowly adjust to room temperature before you unwrap the cake.
No, fondant does not need to be refrigerated. In fact, it should avoid any contact with your refrigerator. Leftover fondant should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If you plan on covering a cake with fondant, make sure you don't use any fillings that need to be refrigerated.
it is not recommended to use cornstarch/cornflower or powdered sugar/icing sugar. This makes the fondant too dry causing rips and tears or an elephant skin appearance. 1.
Tylose Powder is a hardening agent which when added to fondant creates a quick and simple version of gumpaste/modelling paste. When using fondant to model figurines and sugar craft it is important that you add a hardening agent such as this so the fondant sets hard.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Lawanda Wiegand, I am a inquisitive, helpful, glamorous, cheerful, open, clever, innocent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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