How Does Fondant Taste? 2 Types & Their Fascinating Flavors

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Last Updated on July 19, 2022

How does fondant taste? This ingredient gets a lot of bad press. But, before making conclusions, give it a try yourself! You may even end up like it!

The biggest downside to fondant isn’t necessarily its flavor, but instead its texture. However, that is easily fixable if you just roll it out thin enough. So, read on to learn more about exactly what fondant is and what it should taste like if used correctly.

What Is Fondant?

If you are very into baking and decorating cakes, then you know what fondant is. But, if you are just joining this wonderful community, welcome! And let’s immediately get you started with one of the staple ingredients every decorator should know about, fondant.

There are a couple of items that are called fondant. But the one we are specifically talking about today is also known as fondant icing. This is a type of icing unlike any other. It has a very dough and clay-like consistency. This makes it possible to roll it thinly to cover cakes beautifully and create a smooth finish.

This clay-like ingredient is also used to mold figurines, create decorative items, and make embellishments. You can do virtually anything with this fantastic ingredient and many TV shows today showcase just that!

Cake Boss is arguably the first mainstream television show that showed us exactly what fondant is and how amazing it is. On the show, Buddy and his team created all kinds of life-like and animated cakes. All made possible by using fondant.

Today, many different shows still follow this trend. However, the skills of decorators have only improved. On the show “Is It Cake?” the contestants need to accurately identify the cake item amongst others. The cakes are so incredibly hyper-realistic, that it is hard to tell them from the real ones.

What is fondant made of?

Okay, so now that you know how versatile this ingredient is, what exactly is it made from?

The mixture is quite simple. The clay is made from a combination of sugar, water, gelatin, vegetable fat (or shortening), and glycerol. Sounds like a lot of fancy words, but trust us, it is incredibly simple and easy to make – once you have the know-how.

Once the dough-like mixture has been formed and worked for a little bit, you will have a completely pliable fondant icing. You can color it with gel or powdered food coloring, and even flavor it if you’d like.

Now, while this is the most common type of fondant icing out there, homemade recipes are often made using marshmallows. So, if you are wondering how does fondant taste, it will mainly be determined by which type and recipe you have used.

How Does Fondant Taste?

The flavors

So, how does fondant taste? This is a question we are often asked because so many people are scared to taste it themselves. And honestly, we get it. There are many people out there who hate the flavor of fondant and let the world know about it.

But, in our personal opinion, everybody likes what they like. And just because someone else hates it, doesn’t mean that you will too. That being said, we are also not going to deny that while it is edible, it isn’t extremely flavorful.

So, what does it taste like? Fondant is super sweet. This makes sense considering the main ingredients are sugar-based. But, it also has a very artificial flavor profile to it.

Satin Ice Navy Fondant, Vanilla, 2 Pounds

Some people also like to describe it as tasting almost like the white filling inside of an Oreo cookie. Other than that, there isn’t much in the flavor.

Now, you do get fondant that has been made with marshmallows. This recipe is usually used by home bakeries or special cake decorating shops. These types of fondant taste slightly less plastic and often have a slight vanilla undertone to them.

The texture of fondant

The texture of fondant is what mostly puts people off. But, we have noticed that a lot of the time it is because they don’t roll it thin enough. So, instead of biting into a thin layer, they get an entire chunk!

Fondant can have a very chalky and flat mouthfeel. It is made worse when the layer is thick. It is unappealing to chew on and feels like clay, just maybe a little moister.

Can You Change The Flavor Of Fondant?

Now that we know exactly how does fondant taste, we can look at ways you can improve this flavor. The best and easiest way to alter the flavor of your store-bought fondant is to add essences, concentrates, or extracts. We personally only use extracts and concentrates as they have the most authentic flavor. And, they incorporate best into the clay texture.

Depending on the size of your fondant piece, you may only want to add a couple of drops of extract at a time. Work it into your fondant until it has been fully distributed.

What helps is if you also add some gel coloring. This way you can see when the fondant (and extracts) have been well mixed. The flavor will now be spread throughout the entire chunk. You can taste a piece to see whether or not you would want to add more.

How does fondant taste when you change the flavor and texture?

You can change the flavor of the fondant to whatever you’d like. If you are using extracts, always made sure that they are completely safe to eat. You do get some that are only meant for aromatherapy.

Furthermore, make sure that the extract doesn’t have any color (if possible). If you are making white fondant, then any added hues will change the white to off-white. And, if you are making a colored fondant, other colors from your flavoring ingredients will change it.

Wrapping It Up – How Does Fondant Taste?

So, as you can see, the answer to how does fondant taste isn’t as straightforward as some people make it out to be. There are many different kinds, it can be flavored, and it mainly comes down to personal preference.

If you still have any questions about fondant icing, let us know in the comments below. We have a wealth of knowledge we would love to share!

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