The Case for Fondant-Free Weddings

Happy 4th everyone!  We'd like to point out this holiday is a bit pointless, as we technically signed the Declaration of Independence on July 2 (they didn't have twitter back then, so communication was a bit delayed), but we'll go along with the masses and celebrate our freedom from England on this day with the rest of yinz.  After all, fireworks are the best!

Before we eat ourselves into a hot dog coma later today, we figured we'd continue with another "The Case for" post.  If you've missed any of our previous ones, they'll be listed at the end of this entry.

Today, we're tackling the non-traditional idea of going fondant-free for your wedding cake.  For many of you, the idea may seem sacrilegious.  No fondant on a wedding cake??  Who would dream of such a thing?

A lot of people, actually.  It's becoming quite a popular anti-trend, and you'll see them pop up with a little more frequency if you're in the midst of wedding season too.  A lot of couples are starting to think outside the creative box for their weddings, and their end result is a non-traditional cake.

So why should you consider whether going fondant-free is the right choice for you??  Here are 3 reasons why it might be a better decision for your wedding than you ever dreamed it could be:

1. Fondant-free cakes give you more aesthetic texturing options.

If you're one of those people who likes to live their life in a textured world, fondant-free cakes give you a range of options that traditional wedding cakes cannot.  Fondant covers up the cake, smoothing out and hiding any wrinkles or imperfections that might exist.  For some, this is exactly what they want.  But if you like to see texture, and design that is different, and unique (and maybe, in some aspects, not cookie-cutter perfect), giving up fondant is a way to achieve this look.  Look at the cakes below, none of which have fondant covering them:

All three are designs that are unique in their ability to capture more than just color and beauty: they capture texture too.

2. People hate fondant

Poll 100 people about their love for fondant, and 75% of them will tell you they hate the taste.  Hate it.  Why would you have a cake for others to view/and eat covered with fondant if it's something people routinely hate?  Granted, many reception halls will give you the option to remove the fondant from the cake before they serve it, but it's another step between cutting the cake and guests eating the cake that must be completed.  We don't know about you, but once the cake is cut, we want some!  No, really, waiting is the worst!

3. You can be creative with your design

Some couples like a simple cut-and-dry approach to their wedding.  They want everything to be simple, and planned and taken care of for them, especially little details they're not interested in, like the cake, or the flowers.  We get that, and there's nothing wrong if you realize you're that kind of person.  But on the other hand, some like to have fun with those little wedding details, make them unique and personalized.  And if that's more how you see your wedding unfolding, then a fondant-free wedding cake may give you a bigger range of creativity options with your design.

Don't get us wrong: if you want your wedding cake to be an exact scale model of the Death Star (please invite us to your wedding if this is the case!), fondant will give you the creative look and professional finish you're looking for.  Themed cakes like that almost require you to use fondant.  But this cake below, from this wedding blog, shows how two book worms can use their love of reading in their cake for a one-of-a-kind look that doesn't require fondant:

How beautiful is that?  Who wouldn't want to eat a cake covered in their favorite poem, or chapter from their favorite book??  It's a beautiful cake, and something as simple and as elegant as this can be achieved without fondant!  Crazy!

The bottom line, as always, is we encourage you to really think about what you want from your cake before you commit to what you think your wedding cake has to look like.  There are no rules when it comes to cake.  Except that you must eat it.  For some of you, fondant may not be the direction you want to go in, and that's perfectly ok.  Explore your options.  Don't be afraid to bake outside the box.  Take a small step towards crazy once in awhile and the results may be magnificent.

Oh, and if you've missed any of our other The Case For posts, catch up on some reading now before the fireworks!

The Case for Fake Cake Tiers
The Case for Gluten-Free
The Case for Buttermilk

Enjoy the beautiful weekend, everyone!!