Rolled Vs Poured Fondant: What Difference Does It Make For Cake?

If you've gotten to the point where you are debating the choice between rolled and poured fondant for your cake you are crossing over the threshold to serious baking. Fondant is a relatively polarizing ingredient because of its strong flavor, and it isn't something you would have seen home bakers using for decades, being mostly the purview of professional bakers and wedding cakes. That's because fondant can be tricky to make compared to icing or frosting, and its purpose — making more intricate decorations — is only really useful to dedicated professional-level bakers. But that was before Instagram and cooking shows convinced a lot of people they can and should be turning out stunning-looking cakes in their own kitchen. So we reached out to world-renowned patissier Adriano Zumbo, to get a crash course in the difference between rolled and poured fondant, and how we should be using them.

Both fondants are sugar coatings, but Zumbo says the moisture content, other ingredients, and how they are formed are all different. "Pouring fondant is a sugar syrup cooked to 246 degrees Fahrenheit (115 degrees Celsius) and then moved and agitated as it cools to thicken and turn opaque and white," he says. "Rolled fondant is also a sugar based recipe that has fat, sugar alcohol, thickeners and sometimes starches added to form a dough like mass that is pliable and stretchy and ready to roll." And each form lends itself to different cakes and recipes.

Once both fondants are made they are each applied to cakes or pastries differently. "Pouring fondant is heated slightly to 35 degrees Celsius or 76 degrees Fahrenheit to be at its best working temp and give the best shine," Zumbo says, "it's more of a sticky finish that over time crusts and crystallizes firm." Rolled fondant has more of a matte look and doughy texture, and Zumbo explains that it's "sheeted over cakes to form the outer finish or decorative pieces, its moldable and stretchy and dries out over time to be firm depending on how its been stored and finished."

While there is some crossover between the uses for poured and rolled fondant, each method has its own specific speciality. "The best way to determine what to use is the desired finish you want to achieve and also the product you are making," Zumbo says. "Pouring fondant is mostly used for choux pastry, Mignon petit four cakes, chocolate fillings, tea cakes and baked pastries. Rolled fondant is pretty much only used for finishing decorating and covering special occasion and celebration cakes." He added that rolled fondant also sometimes appears in some old-school confections.

Zumbo also had tips for applying both fondants. "Make sure your cake is well-built, sturdy, and crumb coated," he says. "Your cake needs to not have overly moist fillings or coatings as that will affect the fondant finish." Crumb coating refers to prepping the cake with a thin layer of frosting that helps the fondant adhere. It should also not be overly thick. "[When] rolling fondant use a dusting powder, mat or electric machine to roll out without sticking and get even thickness." Once the fondant is applied it should be smoothed to get rid of air bubbles, and he says, "work fast when using fondant as skins, especially if in an air-conditioned room."

With poured fondant, Zumbo warns not to overheat it or risk crystallization. Instead he says "for it to pour nicely it needs to be a good flowing consistency, not super thick or watery to get the best coating results." Like with rolled fondant, your cake still needs to be well-built, and he says it might also need a crumb coating. Poured fondant is best applied over a rack, and Zumbo advised us to, "chablon the base of the cake with chocolate to give firm platform to access and protect on the glazing rack." Chablon simply refers to spreading melted chocolate. One thing that's not different about rolled and poured fondant: you're going to learn a lot of new baking terms.