Amount of buttercream / fondant on cakes these days

[Ceàrdaman]

Is it me or is the amount of buttercream / fondant on cakes these days, just totally bonkers?

It's like the cake isn't important, but the toppings are the main event now?

Sure they need to look nice, but jeez

I guess IABU if the decorations and fondant are the important bits

And IANBU if the cake should take centre stage

(Images from google)

I don't like icing or buttercream, so YANBU.

I agree with you, but then I've never been a fan of highly decorated and iced cakes. They are made for showing off, not for taste.

Agree, it’s rank.

I’ve just bought a new cookbook called The Plain Cake Appreciation Society. Would recommend it to any proper cake lovers- the cakes aren’t actually that plain but they are lovely delicious cakes, not just an edible base for a fuck ton of buttercream.

Agree. I do like some topping, but too much is cloying.

Fondant is vile but can look pretty. Buttercream is the main event so yes, all the buttercream.

Currently on keto so this is a moot point.

Agree, They look nice but taste rank.

Totally agree, they look great I admit but if I’m given a beautifully decorated cup cake (I wouldn’t buy one) the first thing I do is swipe fondant/buttercream off the top and think, well that’s a waste and I’m left with a small very plain cake

Agree. Sickening amount, even DD scrapes it off.

Agree. The best cake I make regularly is Mary's Victoria sponge.

Simple layer of rasp jam in the middle and a sprinkle of icing sugar on top.

My children prefer it as do I. The sponge is the highlight.

YaNBU.

I agree. I scrape it off.

100% form over substance. They are modern day stunt pineapples (if anybody remembers those).

Totally agree ....I love cake, and I love buttercream, but fancy looking shop bought cupcakes tend not to be proper buttercream! So not only is it far too much it's also never as good as actual proper buttercream.

I used to make a lot of cupcakes and they tasted amazing (if I do say so myself) but never look totally "professional" as I just refused to pile them high with the buttercream!

Agree here, too. I mostly make cakes that don't need icing. My go to birthday cakes are either chocolate Malteser cake or cappuccino cake. I halve the amount of butter icing in the recipes, though, and it's still plenty.
When I was a child cakes had a thin layer of icing on (made with icing sugar and water) or we had fairy cakes (smaller than cupcakes) which had a dab of butter cream to hold the 'wings' on.
If I go out for coffee and cake I'd rather have a toasted tea cake or a decent scone any day.

I made my own wedding cupcakes because all the buttercream out there wasn't BUTTERcream. But real buttercream is great.

The icing’s the best bit. Always holding out for an end slice of a square or rectangular cake here!

Thank goodness you turned up. I was feeling like the bad child in amongst all these Massive Salad enthusiasts.

@MrsTerryPratchett agree. Presence of fondant tells me the cake was made for looking at not eating.

I adore buttercream, but the ratio to cake will depend a bit on the type - Italian meringue buttercream is much lighter and airier, so you can pile much higher.

Celebration cakes and cupcakes are meant to be showy, plain uniced cakes are a bit drab for a celebration, but just for having with a cuppa they’re ok.

Largely agree. But a cake iced with chocolate ganache can be as heavily iced as it likes.

Oh I love buttercream ❤️ I could literally eat it out of the mixing bowl.

My pet hate with cakes etc these days is all the crap they stick on top of brownies etc - can’t do just a really good simple brownie, they shove mars bars or kinder sticks all through it etc. 😡 Just a cheap way of bulking them out and hides the crapness of the brownie. Can’t stand it. Or Jammg Dodgers on blondies. That sort of nonsense.

Clearly I buy cake in the wrong places...where you are finding these please?

Agree the swirly butter icing on cupcakes, looks good, I guess you can wipe a bit off if too much to eat.

It depends on whether the buttercream is flavoured and made with real butter. Not a fan of plain / vanilla buttercream but strawberry or chocolate can be piled as high as it likes.

Fondant can get in the bin. And generally does.

It’s not about being a salad enthusiast it’s a preference for cake not loaded with enough sickly topping to make your teeth crumble in your head. I love a plain cake ( loaf, lemon drizzle ) or something with fresh cream.

Yonks ago you'd get a lovely fairy cake made with butter, with a bit of glacé icing and half a glacé cherry and it was simple but nice.

Now you get a huge claggy, sugary margarine mound, covered with glitter and other crap. I find it really unappetising (and I love cake!).