Why does everyone hate fondant?

We recently uploaded these two pictures onto our Facebook page, asking if people preferred fondant or buttercream - as these cakes demonstrate how they are both totally great in different ways.

We got a lot of comments from people saying that they didn't like the taste of fondant, or that it's nasty to eat. We also hear this a lot in our wedding consultations - people have baaaad memories of peeling thick, synthetic blankets of fondant from marzipan covered cakes and just leaving it on the plate.

On the contrary, those who have tasted our fondant finished cakes go around clearing up the excess fondant and white chocolate ganache from party guests' plates and eating it themselves. No names mentioned...

We thought it was time you discovered the joys of fondant when done the Three Little Birds way. Because just as many of you have discovered that our buttercreams are on a new plane of delight compared to the traditional stuff, the same is true for our fondant cakes.

First, as we just mentioned, we don't use buttercream or marzipan under our fondant. We use a delicious Belgian chocolate ganache. This nails the double purpose of tasting insanely delicious and also setting in a very neat, clean finish to enable us to get that stunning sharp edged look that we achieve with our fondant cakes.

Second, you simply can't create the whiteness and neatness of a fondant finished cake with buttercream. Of course, for some designs this works really well - the texture of buttercream lends itself superbly to some settings - but for a modern, elegant wedding cake or celebration cake, fondant is queen.

Third, our fondant is Italian and delicious. It can be rolled to 1-2mm thick due to its elasticity. This means you get only a thin layer of fondant which is pleasant rather than cloying and disgusting to eat - always a bonus. The quality of this fondant - Massa Ticino - means it is really expensive per kilo, but the fact you need far less than the cheap stuff balances this out.

Fourth, fondant doesn't melt and neither does ganache (unless you heat it to 40 plus degrees). It's very sturdy and much easier to travel with securely. In the summer, it's a much easier option to leave out at a wedding or party for several hours without worrying about it going soft, sliding or collapsing. It doesn't need to be kept in the fridge - in fact, it CAN'T be kept in the fridge as it'll go sticky - which is far preferable in terms of space and logistics for transportation.

So there you have it. Four reasons to love fondant. As with buttercream, macarons and everything else we make, we want you to fall in love with the real deal - not a cheap imitation. And at Three Little Birds everything is the real deal. So next time you want to order a cake - why not consider fondant? Let us know what you think!

For beautiful cakes that actually get eaten, visit www.threelittlebirdsbakery.com