While there is a great debate in the baking world about whether fondant is better than buttercream or not, there is also another smaller but very important debate taking place.
This debate concerns marshmallow fondant vs. regular fondant. Sure, they are both used for making a cake look polished and professional, so on the surface, they may seem like the same thing.
But there are some key differences between the two types of fondant, including their ingredients, recipe, and how they are to work with. The following article will be exploring and detailing all of that before helping you come to a conclusion about this fondant dilemma.
An Overview of Marshmallow Fondant
There is not much to explain here. Marshmallow fondant is made using three simple ingredients: powdered/confectioner’s sugar, water, and marshmallows. The pro tip is to use mini marshmallows as they melt quicker and therefore give the fondant an even consistency.
Marshmallow fondant tends to be very soft, and hence, it is easier to shape over/around a cake. It also tastes amazing because of the marshmallows, which are already flavored. This fondant is pretty easy to make, too.
Recipe
To make the marshmallow fondant, first, melt your marshmallows on a double boiler. Or you can just put it into water and microwave that for a minute. Stir until all the marshmallows have melted.
Then, add in your powdered sugar and mix. When it becomes impossible to stir anymore, dust a surface and your hands with powdered sugar and knead the mixture until it is smooth. You can then divide up the fondant (if you need to) and add your desired flavors and colors.
Key Features
- Has a soft and moldable texture
- Tastes great because of the flavored marshmallows
- Super easy to make at home with very few ingredients
- The ingredients are easy to find and are also affordable
An Overview of Regular Fondant
Regular fondant has a firm texture, which can be tricky to work with, especially when you are trying to shape it on a delicate cake. It is expensive when bought pre-made, but it is also a bit time-consuming to make at home.
But it is still really popular for making structured desserts as it holds any shape really well because of its consistency.
This fondant uses only a few key ingredients: water, powdered sugar, glycerin, corn syrup, gelatin powder, and shortening.
Recipe
You are really better off buying it at a store, as it will be easier, though more expensive. But if you really want to make it at home, read on.
Bloom some gelatin powder in water, and put that on a double boiler. Pour in your corn syrup, shortening, and glycerin. Mix that together.
Take the bowl off the heat and mix in your flavoring. Once the mixture is cool, fold it in with powdered sugar.
When you can’t fold any further, start kneading it. Add in water or powdered sugar while you knead until the fondant has a perfect consistency.
Key Features
- Uses few ingredients, but they may not always be accessible
- Very easy to make at home in just a couple steps
- You can flavor and color it however you want
- Can be pretty expensive to buy pre-made
Differences between Marshmallow Fondant and Regular Fondant
Let us now look at some of the key differences between marshmallow fondant and regular fondant.
Ingredients
Both types of fondant require very few ingredients. For regular fondant, you only need water, powdered/confectioner’s sugar, glycerin or gelatin, and corn syrup. And to make marshmallow fondant, you need water, powdered sugar, and mini marshmallows.
Recipes
Making these two types of fondant is pretty easy. For marshmallow fondant, you need to melt the mini marshmallows before mixing them in with the other ingredients and then kneading it.
However, for regular fondant, there is a bit more elbow grease and time needed, especially over the stove and while kneading.
Taste
The popular opinion is that marshmallow fondant tastes better than regular fondant. This might be because of the mini marshmallows which are used for the former type, as they are already delicious by themselves because of the sugar and vanilla. Regular fondant also has a chewy texture, unlike marshmallow fondant.
Costs
Again, marshmallow fondant wins out. It is much less expensive to make at home than it is to buy regular fondant from the store.
There are essentially three simple ingredients used for making marshmallow fondant, and two of those (confectioner’s sugar and water) you probably already have at home.
Accessibility
While regular fondant also uses a limited number of ingredients, these ingredients tend to be less accessible than what you need for marshmallow fondant. For instance, if you are making marshmallow fondant and you don’t have the powdered sugar for it, you can just make some at home using granulated sugar.
But if you don’t have corn syrup or glycerin at home when making regular fondant, then there is no way to improvise those ingredients.
Marshmallow Fondant vs. Regular Fondant – Who Is the Winner?
Marshmallow fondant tastes great by itself, without any need for flavoring. It also has a softer texture, which is not only delicious to eat, but it is also easier to work with on a cake.
All that said, you will have to make marshmallow fondant at home by yourself. On the other hand, regular fondant can be bought from the store. If you are in a time crunch with your baking project, then that is probably the option you should go for.
However, regular fondant is also expensive. And if you want to make it at home, then it is time-consuming and not as simple as making marshmallow fondant.
So, when it comes to marshmallow fondant vs. regular fondant, the former wins out in most categories, including important ones such as taste and cost-effectiveness.