Fondant Art Part 2

The word 'fondant' is derived from the French verb 'fondre' which means to melt.

Rolled fondant finds its origin in icing, which was done already several centuries ago. The earliest recipe for fondant dates back to 1558 and during the 17th to the 19th century, fondant was combined with marzipan and used as cake covering and for creating other unique, decorative, edible art.

Don't confuse it with icing though, because it is not the same and has totally different effects and uses. Icing can not be molded and sculpted like fondant; it is merely used to add a tasty glaze to the pastry.

You don't have to go out of your wits and ways coming up with difficult and detailed sculptures; after decorating a cake with a layer of fondant it lends itself very well as a foundation for a painting for which you can use food coloring.

You can also give it some more dimension by cutting out shapes and placing those on top of each other and/or the fondant layer. Paper patterns and cookie cutters can be great guides and of a tremendous help making it your own.

There may be a way to preserve your creation for posterity. When dried, fondant turns into a sort of hard candy. I wonder how long it would last when covering it entirely with and in Polyurethane? It is worth a try.

I would suggest testing it on sample first, just in case. That shouldn't be so hard to do when you are on the roll!