Best Base for Fondant Cakes

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Best tasting, easiest to work with cake for fondant cake recipes. My most used recipe for the base of a cake decorated with fondant.

Cake for fondant recipe

This is my standard, most used, best recipe for the base of a cake decorated with fondant icing.

I tried a lot of them when I started working with fondant and there was always something not quite to my liking: the cakes were either too dry or too sweet, they would crumble too much, they would not be sturdy enough and so on.

That until I discovered this particular cake for fondant decorating. It is so easy and quick to make, absolutely no trouble, it tastes great and will leave you with enough patience and energy to deal with the really complicated part of the process: the actual fondant decorating of the cake.

Best cake to use under fondant

The taste of this fondant suitable cake is very good but pretty neutral, meaning that you can fill it with just about anything you like, without worrying that the flavors won’t go well together.

Can I change the flavor?

• Yes, you can, the main ingredients remain the same, but you can easily use different products to change the flavor.
• The basic ingredients for this base are eggs, sugar, oil, and flour.
• What you will also need is yogurt or buttermilk. As you already see, using yogurt or buttermilk is a matter of choice, I might go for buttermilk most of the times, but I have baked this recipe plenty of times with yogurt as well. Whatever I happen to have in the fridge.
• You can also replace the yogurt or buttermilk with egg liquor, something like Advocaat. This is a very popular version in Germany, egg liquor cakes are always welcomed.
• And if egg liquor is not your thing, Bailey’s can be used instead.

Can I turn this into a chocolate cake?

• Yes, you can!
• If you prefer a chocolate cake for a change,  you can add 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons more liquid to the batter.
• The result will be a light chocolate cake, not a super strong chocolate cake like this chocolate gateau, but a mild and suitable for any filling chocolate cake.
• These versions are really worth trying too, you will love the result.

How to make?

What size of pan do I need?

• The standard size in Germany is 26 cm/ 10 inches diameter. However, when decorating cakes with fondant, you will often need different sized cakes.
• To make a cake of 30 cm/ 12 inches increase the quantities of the ingredients to 1 1/2.
• To make a smaller one of about 18 cm/ 7 inches, halve the quantities.

Fondant cake recipe step by step:

• Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit. It is important that your oven is hot when the batter is ready.
• Butter your springform (26 cm/ 10 inches diameter) and sprinkle it with some plain flour. Shake the form well to coat it with the flour, then pat the form over the sink to remove the excess flour.
• Break the eggs into a large bowl, add the sugar and beat with a handheld mixer until light and frothy.
• Add half of the yogurt/buttermilk/liquor, mix well, then add half of the oil. Mix again and repeat with the rest of the yogurt and oil.

• Mix together the flour and baking soda. If you wish to make a chocolate cake, add the cocoa powder now, and don’t forget to add the 2 extra tablespoons of liquid to the wet ingredients.
• Sieve the flour mixture over the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared springform and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, depending on the size.
• Remove from the oven and let stand for about 15 minutes.
• Take out of the form, place on a wire rack, and leave to cool completely.
• When completely cooled, cut and fill.

Can I bake it in advance? Can I freeze it?

• Definitely, I always do, at least one day in advance. This way you will not have too much stress on the decorating day, the cake will have enough time to cool completely and it will be easier (fewer crumbs) to slice a cake that was baked one day in advance.
• So, bake one or two days in advance, let cool completely and wrap it well in aluminum foil or cling film to prevent it from drying out. Keep at room temperature.
• You can also freeze the cooled and well-wrapped cake.

What to do with leftovers?

• Leftovers can be frozen, use them for cake pops or desserts similar to this Apricot Dessert or other trifles.

Fillings

What kind of filling?

• Many people think that only buttercream is suitable for fondant cakes. And because most people I know are not keen on buttercream (especially the pure icing sugar-butter buttercream), they prefer not to eat any fondant cakes.
• However, buttercream is not the only filling that you can use for fondant cakes. It is the most appropriate filling when making a tiered cake, which needs more stability, but if you are making a single-tiered or a small two-tiered cake, you can use whatever fillings you like. 
• You just have to remember that any other kind of filling (other than pure buttercream and ganache) should not be allowed to touch the fondant. All other fillings are too wet for the fondant and will ruin it. But if you separate the filling from the fondant, everything will be perfect.

How to separate the filling from the fondant?

The simplest method is to make a batch of pure buttercream and pipe it around the edge of the cake. Pour the filling inside the buttercream inclosure and voila: no ruined fondant! This method is particularly suitable for cakes where the filling layer is not very high.

Another method, more suited for higher filling layers, is to separate the filling from the fondant with cake strips, which you have baked on a baking tray. I use this same recipe to make that flat baking tray cake. Here you will find detailed instructions on how to fill a fondant covered cake.

See in the picture below how the fondant is separated from the filling through another cake layer.

Cake fillings ideas:

Chocolate Cream Filling

Orange Cream Filling

Strawberry Cheesecake Filling

Cappuccino Filling

Decorating the cake with fondant:

Before covering the cake with fondant, you have to cover it completely with buttercream.