Post # 1
Member
36 posts
Newbee
I am a big fan of the way fondant looks but a big fan of the way buttercream tastes! I have read about people having fondant cakes with buttercream underneath so that the fondant can be peeled off before the cake is served.
Just wondering…does anyone have experience with the logistics of this? Does a cake typically get taken ‘back’ to the kitchen before being served or would this be unusual? If you have ornaments like sugarpaste flowers on top of the fondant, do they have to half dismantle your cake to do this?
I guess people could peel their own fondant off but honestly I don’t know if most people on my list would have much experience with fondant (a lot of the guest list are my parent’s older friends,) so short of having a "fondant announcement" I don’t know how I could make sure people knew this was an option.
Post # 3
Member
120 posts
Blushing bee
I think it’s fairly common to take the cake back to the kitchen for the staff to finish cutting it up and getting it onto plates. May I make a suggestion as an option for you? How about getting a smaller fondant cake that’s got the design you love but having a few sheet cakes with buttercream frosting waiting in the kitchen to be served to your guests?
Post # 4
Member
1530 posts
Bumble bee
From everything I’ve heard, it’s common to take the cake into the kitchen to be cut and served. I know that’s what they’re doing with ours, we’ll cut our piece and then they’ll take it back and get it ready to serve. My mom worked as a banquet waitresswhile she was in college and she said that they actually sort of take most cakes apart in order to cut them.
I’d check with your catering manager/coordinator and see if he/she could talk to the staff about how to preapre your cake. I’d think they would be relatively familiar with fondant, so taking it off shouldn’t be a problem. And if they can’t, I’m sure that people could pick it off if they didn’t like it, even if they hadn’t seen it before.
Post # 5
Member
8375 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
Why don’t you have a beautiful fake cake with the look of fondant, then serve the tasty buttercream? I think fondant tastes so weird….like stiff taffy? Ick. Probably cheaper this way, too! And NOBODY will know
Post # 6
Member
1449 posts
Bumble bee
We take the cake back to the kitchen to cut it, but the server will cut through the fondant and serve it that way. We dont peel it off, though Im sure we would if someone asked us to. The cake does get "broken apart" because the bottom layer is usually to big to cut slices from so they will cut another circle in the center of the bottom layer so these pieces would only have fondant on the top and not the sides.
Post # 7
Member
784 posts
Busy bee
If you are set on having fondant, I would not draw any unnecessary attention to it by ‘making a fondant announcement’. I think the PP’s have good ideas about using kitchen cakes and a "fake fondant cake" out front. But why don’t you just find a baker that does great job with buttercream??? That’s what I did…and not only did my cake look as smooth as fondant, it tasted GREAT because it was buttercream. Here is a picture of my cake. See what you think…
just my opinion… Good luck and happy planning!
Post # 8
Member
1315 posts
Bumble bee
I’ve seen cakes after they take the fondant off- it’s not pretty!
Most cakes have a layer of buttercream under the fondant- it’s a crumb layer that keeps the cake from being crumbly and helps the fondant stick onto the cake.
However, after the fondant is peeled off, it usually takes the buttercream and chunks of cake with it- so you are basically left with a mangled looking piece of cake.
My advice would be to either serve it with the fondant and people can eat around it if they don’t like it OR look into buttercream- you’d be suprised what can be done with it- fondant isn’t the only option for smooth cake finishes.
Good luck!
Post # 9
Member
178 posts
Blushing bee
I think if people eat the fondant and don’t like it, they’ll know to peel if off themselves =) — no one would ever not finish a piece of yummy cake if they don’t want to eat the fondant. In fact, I frequently find most frostings to be too abundant and overly sweet so I’m a pro at eating every morsel of cake and leaving a perfect little pile of frosting on my plate, lol. Plus, depending on your baker, you might actually have someone who makes a delicious fondant. I realize that’s rare, but if Food Network Cake challenges are to believed, it does seem to exist!
Post # 10
Member
186 posts
Blushing bee
Yeah I definitely would not tell people to tear off the fondant, caterers or guests. And they will send it back to get cut up. I acutally went to a wedding where they cut the whole thing up in front of everyone and hardly anyone got a decent piece because it got so mangled. You have to take an entire cake apart to do that.
I really would just recommend to have a buttercream cake that looks like fondant. It is definitely possible.
Post # 11
Member
36 posts
Newbee
Thanks for the responses. I think I will probably go buttercream with some fondant (or maybe they are gumpaste,) accent pieces overlaid. I didn’t realize taking the fondant would leave such a mess, so that is good to know! I think the only thing they can’t do as far is buttercream are the metallics like silver and gold…but I think they could stick on some silver fondant accent pieces that could easily be taken off.
Post # 12
Member
180 posts
Blushing bee
Hey Anne79. I just made a cake with buttercream and fondant on it last week. From experiance and reading a lot on cake making, there is always some sort of icing under the fondant. There is at least what is called a crumb coat on it, and usually another layer on that. I personally dont like fondant and neither doesnt my Fiance so we just peal it of as we eat it. It is kinda messy, I can send you a pic if you want of some peeled off, but its no big deal.