Trying to make fondant discs but too soft and floppy

[Ailishhamilton]

Tried to make a fondant disc and indent it with a happy birthday embosser but when I put it on the cupcake it flopped down the sides and didn’t look neat and pretty as I’ve seen on the internet.

Am I doing something wrong? The ones I’ve seen sit flat and sturdy on the cupcake so what am I doing wrong? Mines were floppy and soft.

 

[Tintagel]

Hi, I often use fondant or gum paste discs on cupcakes, you can make some really pretty ones and it makes a change from butter icing.
i make my discs a couple of days in advance to dry out. I see which size cutter I need, cut the circles out, using different coloured fondant and textured mats and leave to dry out. Make sure the cupcake is flat, then moisten the top of the cupcake with either a flavoured syrup or melted apricot jam, but not too much and place the circle on top. Hope that helps.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Tried to make a fondant disc and indent it with a happy birthday embosser but when I put it on the cupcake it flopped down the sides and didn’t look neat and pretty as I’ve seen on the internet.

Am I doing something wrong? The ones I’ve seen sit flat and sturdy on the cupcake so what am I doing wrong? Mines were floppy and soft.

There is fondant and gumpaste. They are two completely different products. I think in the UK they use the term gumpaste when referring to fondant. But these are two completely different products.

To make a proper permanent decoration you need to mix fondant and gum paste. If you simply try out a piece of fondant, if it is exposed to humidity— if you live near the seaside, it will absorb the moisture in the air, and turn soft.

Make a 50-50 blend of fondant and gumpaste.


This is a fondant

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This is gumpaste.

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[Tintagel]

We also use gumpaste here in the uk, but if I have run out then I use fondant, although not quiet as good as gumpaste it does hold up ok, I find that my cupcakes don’t last long enough for the fondant to go “soggy”, espec When baking for the guys at work!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

We also use gumpaste here in the uk, but if I have run out then I use fondant, although not quiet as good as gumpaste it does hold up ok, I find that my cupcakes don’t last long enough for the fondant to go “soggy”, espec When baking for the guys at work!

The situations will vary for everyone. Cupcakes may be delivered hours before an event, even the night before. or when I take a tray of cupcakes to my brother’s house, they will last several days since they are a family of three.

The environmental conditions one lives in are really important for the baker, as the heat and humidity affects both fondant and butter creams. In the United States, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Vermont, Maine, Alaska, Indiana, Hawaii, and Iowa are all have relative humidity of well over 70%, which is considered very high. The moisture in the air well affect the fondant.

Another consideration is the type of icing. icings can be made from a variety of ingredients. With a meringue buttercream there’s water in egg whites, and there is water in the butter. Moisture in the air and water in the icing will soften a pure fondant decoration in short order.

So the baker needs to be thoughtful about how they make they decorations. Especially if they’re running a small homebase business and those decorations are going to be on product they’re selling.

There’s a lot of people who read the threads for information who never comment. When I comment on thread it’s not to disparage anyone’s information. Rather it is to put information out there to help everyone.

 

[Tintagel]

We are lucky over here in the UK humidity isn’t such an issue as in the USA. I agree using fondant on buttercream soon turns the fondant soft. I also agree with your comment that if you are running a small business it is different from just home baking as friends and family forgive if the decorations are not as hard as they should be but paying customers expect and rightly so perfection.
if I am baking for say a fair or school bake then I use gumpaste or flower paste, as they need to stay hard, but if I run out and am baking for the guys at work a dozen cupcakes, or even a large decorated cake doesn’t last the day.
I always find your comments both helpful and interesting, it gives an insight into baking in America.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

We are lucky over here in the UK humidity isn’t such an issue as in the USA. I agree using fondant on buttercream soon turns the fondant soft. I also agree with your comment that if you are running a small business it is different from just home baking as friends and family forgive if the decorations are not as hard as they should be but paying customers expect and rightly so perfection.
if I am baking for say a fair or school bake then I use gumpaste or flower paste, as they need to stay hard, but if I run out and am baking for the guys at work a dozen cupcakes, or even a large decorated cake doesn’t last the day.
I always find your comments both helpful and interesting, it gives an insight into baking in America.

Lol, yes family and friends are very forgiving. Twenty years ago after my first all day cake class, I set my cake on the counter. My husband had a slice and said, “Honey, that is one ugly cake, but boy is that one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever eaten.” It was July in Washington DC. Humidity was in the high 80’s. The kitchen we were working in was probably in the 80’s too. That was my first time making and working with meringue buttercream. That cake looked a hot mess. But he still ate it

 

[Fred]

The things I read here are almost always interesting. I saw folks making fondant on the Great British Baking Show (never missed an episode) but never have given it a try myself. Sounds intriguing but also sounds like a total mess, and I'm not all that fond of cleaning the kitchen. And gum paste? Never heard of it, but I'm suspicious. Exactly what is that "gum" made of?

 

[Linus]

I tried making this before, & found out that it was a very hard thing to do!!

 

[retired baker]

pastillage is the way to fly, it sets hard in minutes rather than overnite.
Corn syrup is ok instead of glucose, i don't use either.
i also use a squirt of lemon instead of tartare.
Be warned, it sets as you are playing with it on the table, have your ducks in a row or it will harden before you can cut it.
Think of it almost like caramel but often faster.