First Time Ever Making Fondant Fancies
8th November 2024 - New Experience Number 28
How hard could it be for my first time ever making fondant fancies? I’ve made a sponge cake before. I’ve made icing before. I have even made marzipan from scratch before, so surely I had all the skills to whip up some decadently sweet squares of deliciousness?
As the Other Half is rather partial to a fondant fancy, I decided I’d have a go at making them for one of my 52 new things in 2024.
Finding A Recipe
Firstly I needed a recipe. Featured in the top online search results were British baking legends, Mary Berry and Prue Leith
I looked over the two recipes. There were a lot of instructions for each of them, however the Mary Berry method involved using a free-standing mixer. I don’t have one of those so I decided to follow the Prue Leith recipe instead.
Making The Different Parts - First Time Ever Making Fondant Fancies
If the idea of making fondant fancies seems a bit intimidating, I found it really useful that the recipe breaks it down into the different parts that needed to be made. Of course different recipes may have variations, but in a nutshell;
- Make the sponge cake.
- Make the buttercream.
- Make the marzipan (or roll it out if you use ready made).
- Make the fondant icing.
There were various elements of assembling along the way, but in terms of making the different components, it was relatively straightforward
Assembly
Of course every recipe will vary, and assembling a fondant fancy will differ depending on which you follow. My fondant fancies were put together in 3 steps.
1. Pipe a rosette of buttercream onto the top of each individual square of cake.
This was trickier than I’d anticipated! There wasn’t a lot of buttercream and it was a bit of a challenge to get it down my piping bag to the nozzle!
2.Add a square of marzipan to the base of each individual cake using apricot jam.
I realised once I’d finished that I’d rolled my marzipan a bit too thinly. They would have benefitted from a thicker base.
3.Pour the fondant icing over each cake for a thick and smooth covering.
The messiest part, and essential to a complete fondant fancy.
The Trickiest Part - First Time Ever Making Fondant Fancies
Without a doubt, the trickiest part of making fondant fancies was the fondant icing.
Well, to be fair, making the icing was fairly straightforward. Getting the consistency right was the bit that let me down.
I considered using ready-made fondant icing. However, due to all of the corners of the cake, I didn’t think I’d be able to apply it very neatly, so decided to make my own.
The icing seemed incredibly thick in the mixing bowl. It looked as though the solid mass would just sit on the top and not pour nicely over the sponge squares. I added a teeny tiny bit more warm water.
That loosened it up, and I didn’t think I had added too much. However, pouring the icing over the cake I realised my error. Yes, it covered the sponge, but a lot of it dripped off. It wasn’t the smooth thick covering that I had hoped for.
Top Tip : Try pouring your icing over one square of cake before you add more liquid. Remember, you can always add more but you can’t remove it once it’s in.
The All Important Taste Test
So, my icing was a little disappointing asthetically, but, the most important part was how these sugary squares tasted.
I’m pleased to report that they were INCREDIBLE and got a massive thumbs up from the Other Half!
What they lacked in looks they more than made up for in flavour. Soft vanilla sponge, creamy buttercream, and icing with a hint of lemon. A perfect cube of indulgence.
What I Deliberately Did Differently
It will depend which recipe you follow, but there are a few things I purposefully deviated on which you might find useful.
- I didn’t finely grate my lemon for the cake. The recipe said to use the finely grated zest of a lemon. The only reason I didn’t do this, is because it’s an absolute pain to clean the grater when I use the small side of it. I thought the sponge might have been a little gritty with larger pieces, but it didn’t impact the texture.
- I used a round cake tin. Both recipes said to use a square tin. I didn’t want to buy one especially, so I used my round tin. Once the cake was cooled, I cut the edges off and made it into a square to then cut out the individual fancies.
- Top Tip – If you use a round tin, keep the curved edge pieces and use them to practice applying the fondant icing.
- I didn’t colour my fondant icing. Both recipes that I looked at added food colouring to the fondant icing. I had toyed with the idea of using pink and blue, but in the end I’m glad I left it white. As my fondant icing ended up being a little on the thin side, I think if I’d added any colour they would have looked messier and less appetising. White icing definitely felt a bit more forgiving!
Would I Make Fondant Fancies Again?
They were fairly time consuming, but I was really impressed by the taste. Whilst they may not have looked quite how I’d hoped, the flavour was like any shop bought fancies I’ve ever tried.
Having now made them for a first time, there are things I would do differently if I make them again and I’d feel more confident on my second attempt!
As the Other Half gave these a firm stamp of approval, I might just make these for him instead of a traditional cake on his next birthday.
Why You Should Try Making Fondant Fancies
- It’s an impressive and delicious make. The result is scrumptiously soft vanilla sponges topped with creamy sweet buttercream and lashings of smooth fondant icing.
- They’re not quite as tricky to make as you might think. However, it is a fairly time consuming process.
- It’s a mindful process. Making fondant fancies is a great way to switch off from the to-do lists and the chatter of the thinking mind as they do need a fair bit of concentration.
- You can get creative – you don’t have to follow the recipe in terms of decoration, or even shape! There are lots of things you could do to make them uniquely yours, whether it’s some more unusual colours, toppings, or flavours.
Want To Try It Yourself?
- To follow the same recipe I used, take a look at Prue Leith’s recipe on the Great British Bake Off website.
- There are lots of recipes available, so why not take a look at a couple and decide which seems like one you would most enjoy following.
Cost Of Experience
- You may already have some of the ingredients in your cupboards for this make. However, if you need to buy everything from scratch, it would cost around £20.
- This may seem expensive for roughly 9 little cakes, however, you’ll have lots left of some of the ingredients left over which you can use in other bakes.
Recommendations
- Give yourself time and space. Fondant fancies are a little more difficult to make. Try and ensure you’re able to give them the time and attention you need so that you can concentrate when you make them.
- Weigh everything out first. It makes it much easier than weighing as you go.
- Pop on an apron. There is a lot of potential for this to be a messy bake!
- Let me know how you get on if you give it a try, I’d love to see your finished creations!
Despite what you say about the icing, these look delicious. I’m not much of a baker but definitely think I’d like to have a god at this.
You’re too kind! :o)
They are a bit trickier than other bakes, but well worth trying. Good luck!
They look great! It’s the kind of thing I’d never think of trying to make.
Thank you. Not sure I’d have given them a go if the Other Half wasn’t such a fan! :o)