Duff Goldman Admits: He Hates Fondant

By Elina Shatkin Mon., Feb. 20 2012 at 8:00 AM

Food Network

Duff Goldman (left) of Ace of Cakes

Duff Goldman, owner of Charm City Cakes (now in L.A.) and star of Food Network's Ace of Cakes, made a shocking admission on Saturday's episode of Good Food. The reality star told host Evan Kleiman: He hates fondant.

The man who built an empire on the stuff flat-out says, "I hate fondant. I don't like eating it." Apparently, neither should you. It's not meant to be eaten. It's meant to be peeled off the cake, according to Goldman.

An octopus cake from Charm City Cakes

"Like banana peels, they look nice. They don't taste good. Same thing with fondant. It's there to look pretty," Goldman says.

What is fondant? Powdered sugar, cornstarch and agar agar (a thickener derived from seaweed). It's the same stuff that goes into marshmallows but in different ratios, explains Goldman, who goes through 400 pounds of the stuff each week.

"It just makes really pretty, blemishless cakes," Goldman says. "It makes perfect cakes. Those are the cakes you see on the covers of magazines."

Right. But they also taste like garbage. Goldman's admission is only shocking if you've never tried fondant. If you have, you've probably wondered how something that looks so wonderful can taste so atrocious.

The first time we tried fondant, we were at a wedding where the gorgeous cake, from a respected bakery in San Francisco, looked like a set of vintage luggage adorned with travel stickers from around the globe. We nearly spit out our first bite. It was that awful.

Goldman claims that fondant seals in a cake's moisture and that 2-day-old cake tastes better than fresh cake. Given that his business is built on creating cakes that look amazing and probably taste awful, that makes sense. Goldman's claim is belied by every fondant-covered cake we have EVER eaten. Regardless of their flavor, they all taste the same: dry, stale and dull, like baked goods that have been left out for days -- which they have.

If you're willing to sacrifice function for form, taste for appearance, fondant's the ticket. It allows Goldman and his crew to build and decorate amazing, elaborate concoctions that ought to be featured in Architectural Digest. But when it comes to something we actually want to eat? A fondant-covered cake is a hot slice of nothing.

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Tags:

Ace of Cakes, Cake, Charm City Cakes, Dessert, Duff Goldman, Evan Kleiman, Fondant, Frosting, Good Food, KCRW

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Cathyjwiese

A friend of mine ordered a beautiful cake with fondant for her Wedding anniversary party When we went to eat it with the fondant, it was gross. I felt embarrassed when I peeled off the fondant to eat it. Glad Duff admits what I felt was true myslef. However, part of what makes cake great is the FROSTING so no one who wants something good to eat for thier guests should buy it.

dex

"Regardless of their flavor, they all taste the same: dry, stale and dull, like baked goods that have been left out for days -- which they have."

There's a good chance this is also because they were made for sturdiness and not for taste: dense, dry cake is much more structurally stable than moist, delicate ones.

Angie Moore

Finally! As the owner of a bakery, I am so tired of the people who come in wanting fondant covered cakes, which I refuse to do on principle. Fondant is an artistic medium, not an item that enhances the taste of the cake. I have also never had a fondant covered cake that tasted good. Most of them are dry because they won't last structurally if they aren't. Also, no one who orders a fondant covered cake ever thinks about the length of time the cake sits out, uncovered, in a commercial environment, with all kinds of stuff flying through the air and staff members sneezing, etc. You cannot ever cover the fondant or store it in refrigeration. It is for photo shoots. If you really want a fondant covered cake for a showpiece, you might as well have it made with a styrofoam base and then use it just for display. Buy sheetcakes from your baker and have them served at your event while everyone has the fondant cake by which to be impressed.

LauraT

So true. I avoided fondant for my wedding cake and went with a guy who would do real whipped cream. Whipped cream cakes. Sigh. The bavarian cream and fresh raspberry filling was awesome. Left overs made a great breakfast. I still have very fond memories of that cake. Never mind the fancy architecture. I love Duff but give me great tasting vs great looking any time.

Brenda Kay

Yeah, so Duff Goldman makes impressive cakes, but the severe lack of hygiene at his bakery has always been a reason why I wouldn't buy a cookie from his shop. And who honestly didn't know that fondant tastes nasty and is simply the latest gimmick used by bakeries to sell beautiful looking stale cakes at ridiculous prices.

MTkill_a_manJaro

When watching ace of cakes, i never really saw his cakes and thought "delicious!" I almost always thought, "amazing!" like if someone just built a replica of westminster abbey using popsicle sticks.

Because of cake shows i see fondant now as just a building tool instead of a delicious confection. Id hate it, too, if i was elbow deep in the stuff all day and had to ritualistically pick it out from under my fingernails everyday. I also wouldnt want to eat it again if i just had to cover a 5 foot replica of the eiffel tower with it.As for eating fondant, i find it hit or miss depending on where its from/who the baker is. I taste just a tiny bit of it at first to see if its edible or if its tough and tasteless like already chewed gum. maybe i just eat mediocre cakes from mediocre bakers because i find about 60% of the time, I peel it off like a scab. Maybe i dont like cake fondant. If i want it, i'll go to a bakery and have just fondant sans cake.

Evan Kleiman

Fondant tastes awful. If the baker is talented the cake inside tastes delicious. Duff and his crew are awesomely talented. I'm glad he's given us permission to peel off the fondant before eating the cake.

Bookseller

Neither fondant nor marshmallows contain cornstarch (though cornstarch may be used to help roll the fondant or keep marshmallows from sticking to one another). Trendy vegetarian recipes may involve agar, but traditional recipes call for gelatin, which provides a very different consistency.

Finally, I'm guessing that the writer has either never eaten fondant, or never eaten fondant that was not a commercial product. If it's flavored (typically with citrus and/or almond), and chewy, it can be not only delicious but also a really nice textural contrast to the cake.

Mitch

Does he hate rice krispie treats, too? If so, he could officially admit he hates his cakes period.

Parkite2

The article says that fondant contains just three ingredients. Maybe if you are making it yourself. But commercial fondant has other inedible ingredients. I have made fondant for a few cakes that I have made. To me the taste of the cake of the utmost. Apparently many "professional" cake bakers don't think so.