I’ve had a chance to try a few different types of rolled fondant, and here are my results of taste, workability and price.
Fondant has a really bad rap. And no wonder why – bad tasting fondant certainly does exist. Fortunately, there are some fondant brands and options that not only look great, but taste great as well.
A list of types I’ve tried:
- Satin Ice Rolled Fondant
- Duff Buttercream Rolled Fondant
- Wilton Rolled Fondant
- Mimac Rolled Fondant
- Dawn Rolled Fondant
- Virgin Ice Fondant
- Marshmallow Rolled Fondant
- Scratch Rolled Fondant
Satin Ice Rolled Fondant: One of the things that’s really fantastic about Satin Ice is that it comes in an array of colours, which is great for when you need that bright red or pink (which can be quite challenging to obtain using food colouring). In addition to the smaller 900 g and 2.5 kg quantities, it also comes in 10 kg pails. Check out http://www.satinfinefoods.com/ for many helpful fondant tutorials and videos.
Taste: 4.5/5 – The Satin Ice chocolate/dark fondant tastes very good. The white/vanilla is good/okay depending on your tastes. The dark coloured fondants have a food colouring taste.
Workability: 4.5/5 – Stretchable and can easily roll to 1/8″ or 1/16″ thin. Blends nicely. I would consider it a bit stiff/dry, which can be both good and bad – this results in less sagging but can become dry and form wrinkles. Secrets to success include working quickly, using minimal(or no) dusting cornstarch/icing sugar, or using the mat method.
Price: $35-$45 CAD – 5lb, $90-$120 CAD – 10kg
Available in Calgary, AB at: Qzina, PM Hobbycraft, SAIT Marketplace, Cakes N More, wholesale distributors
Duff Buttercream Fondant: Duff Goldman, from TV show Ace of Cakes, has come out with a line of fondant products. What’s interesting is that it comes in an natural off-white. I find this a plus as I find that often white coloured food products contain white food colouring (titanium dioxide), which can alter taste. Also available in different colours.
Taste: 4.5/5 – The white fondant has been flavoured buttercream, which is of appealing taste.
Workability: 5/5 – Very good stretch. It comes out of the container rock hard, but once you get it kneaded, it’s very good. It can be held up without tearing.
Price: $29.99 CAD – 2 lb
Available in Calgary, AB at: Michaels craft stores
Wilton Pure White Rolled Fondant: Very common, easy to obtain. This brand is widely available at Michael’s craft stores, who carries a wide array of Wilton cake decorating supplies.
Taste: 2/5
Workability: 3/5 -Dry, stiff, hard to roll and it was quick to form cracks.
Price: $29.99 – 5 lbs
Available in Calgary, AB at: Michael’s craft stores
Mimac Rolled Fondant: Common fondant used in industry, available from wholesalers. Lower price point.
Taste: 3/5 – Average, somewhat mild, taste.
Workability: 3.5/5 – Can be very soft. Tears easily. Blends nice.
Price: $30-$40 – 10 lbs
Available in Calgary, AB at: Wholesale distributors
Dawn Decorice (White Sugar Paste) Fondant: Great blending capabilities. Lower price point. Available from wholesalers.
Taste: 2/5
Workability: 4.5/5 – Very workable; not too soft, not too stiff. Easy to blend and to roll out.
Price: $40-$60 – 15 lbs
Available in Calgary, AB at: Comes from wholesale (Dawn foods), but occasionally you can also buy it at PM Hobbycraft.
Virgin Ice Fondant: Easily available at Bulk Barn (Canada). Comes in alternate colours. Comes in a reasonable sized 4 lb container.
Taste: 3/5 – Average, neutral taste. Somewhat chewy texture.
Workability: 4/5 – More on the stiff/dry side, which I prefer. Some cracking may occur at corners/edges. I suggest working fast or using the mat method for this fondant.
Price: $15.99 – 4 lb (white)
Available in Calgary, AB at: Bulk Barn
Marshmallow Fondant: Easy, simple do-it-yourself recipe that involves melting marshmallows, then adding icing sugar and a little bit of water. Marshmallows contain the major ingredients used in some types of fondant – glucose and gelatin. Can be a bit messy to make. There are many recipes available online, see here or here.
Taste: 4/5 – Sweet, marshmallow taste.
Workability: 3.5/5 – Varies depending on the amount of icing sugar added. Not enough icing sugar will result in tearing; too much icing sugar will result in lack of stretch. Lacks the overall stretch of commercial fondant.
Price: Affordable. Works out to $5-8 for about 2.5 lbs of fondant
Available at: DIY. Can make it yourself.
Scratch Fondant: Many recipes online available everywhere. Can be messy to make and some ingredients may be occasionally hard to obtain sometimes (such as glycerine). The taste however, is worth it when made with real butter and vanilla.
Taste: 5/5 – Best taste, enjoyable. Comparable taste to the glaze on a donut. Many recipes have vanilla and salt added to enhance flavour.
Workability: 3.5/5 – Varies depending on the amount of icing sugar added. Not as stretchy, but will work on shapes that are easy to cover. Sticky.
Price: Affordable. Depending on your choice of ingredients it works out to around $10 for about for 2.5 lbs of fondant
Available at: DIY. Can make it yourself.
Other brands of rolled fondant/icings:
- Fondarific
- Choco-Pan
- Pettinice
- McCall’s EasyIce
- Carma’s Massa Ticino, Massa Grischuia & Massa Americana (review)
Buy fondant online Canada from:
- Qzina
- Golda’s Kitchen
- McCall’s
- Flour Confections
- Cake Mischief
- For the Love of Cake Decorating Supplies
- Phat Cat Cake Craft (contact via email)
Buy fondant online in the US from:
CakeStories.ca 
Fondarific is one of the better tasting ones. It tends to be more expensive than other options, but makes up for it by rolling out relatively thin. The best tasting fondant I’ve had, though, is a brand that comes from Switzerland. I can’t remember the name of it, though… >.<
Great review! thanks for sharing!
FYI: Duff is the same as Fondarific– as in, I think it’s just select Fondarific colors, rebranded as Duff. I love working with it, and was very excited when I found out that I could get Fondarific (Duff) at the local Michael’s store. Now I go there almost weekly since they send out 40%-off-one-item coupons every week. Now I use it almost exclusively. But Fondarific does have many colors/flavors that aren’t offered as Duff brand.
Thank you Nyx & Alex for the heads up on Fondarific! I’d love to give it a try one day. Now that your mention it – upon closer inspection, the ingredients for Fondarific and Duff really are quite close.
I think I should adjust the post to mention the other brands out there. Has any one tried Choco-pan?
thanks for a great review… i use satin Ice..love the taste & works well for me..my clients like the taste too..although i have a good tasting from scratch fondant, it’s a bit sticky & not as stretchable as SI…anyway, have you used Patisfrance rolled fondant? .. i had the misfortune, sorry to Patisfrance lovers, of using it & it was pain in the *** … it’s wet & very sticky..sticks to every thing it touches….the work area surface, rolling pin, the hand gloves, plunger, cutter, EVERYTHING!….i tried rolling it w/ powdered sugar, cornstarch, & combination of both but to no avail.. This is more of a curiosity than anything, but is there a way around it? to make it work? =)..thanks
im a big fan of your creation.. do you mind i contact you via email ? id like to learn from you and ask some question regarding cake decoration.
By all means – check out the contact page to send me an email: https://rosesen.wordpress.com/contact/
Thank you,
Rose
Thanks so much for this! I am attempting my first fondant-covered cake in a few days and this was very helpful in helping me choose which brand to try. Glad I didn’t buy the easy-to-find Wilton!
FYI, Just talked to the Dawn Foods “Technical Sales Representative” and he said that the recipe for the Decorice has changed. Our experience is that it’s a LOT softer and hard to work with. After 3 years of using this product, we’re out on the edge of what we’re going to do.
cln
Thanks for the link to my blog! I am super honored and a HUGE fan of your work!
Thank you FromScratchSF/Beyond Buttercream. I really do enjoy your blog as well, it is a great read. And the white cake recipe is one of the best white cupcakes recipes I have tested, thank you for sharing it.
-Rose
Please what is the best rolled fondant to use for wedding cakes
Hello zee mama, thank you for your question. Every type of fondant is slightly different, and they all have their pros and cons. It all depends on what you are looking for – are you looking for the best taste/texture, ease-of-use, or white colour?
I have tried different recipes of from the internet and it was very bad. So pls help me with a nice recipe dat will be stretchy and easy to work with. Thanks
Hello Zee Mama,
Thank you for your message. In my opinion, all scratch recipes have limited stretch compared to commercial fondant because they do not contain the same gums. I like this recipe: http://cakecentral.com/a/michele-fosters-updated-fondant . To give your recipe extra stretch and durability, add 1-2 teaspoons of powdered gum tragacanth with the icing sugar. Keep in mind that adding extra gum will change not only the texture of the fondant, but will also add a chemical taste.
Hope that helps,
R
I love the Wilton Fondant. Its not the best tasting, but it works great for me. I use The Mat which gives it awesome moisture giving me time to cover the cake before it dries completely. No cracks and easy smooth finish. The came out with a new Wilton and my friend tried it and absolutely hates it. 😦
I found Fondx fondant to of great taste and easy to handle even in sharp edge shapes. It is also available in 16+ colours. Available online at supplybox.ca and in Ontario at Bestway Cash N Carry, Mississauga