The difference between fondant and molds can be explained by the fact that they are indistinguishable materials or tools used in baking and decorating cakes. However, they have different applications and are made from other material types. Here is a comparison that can help in trying to explain the difference:

1. What is fondant?

Fondant is a type of sugar dough used for cake decoration. It’s smooth, pliable, and can be rolled out into thin sheets. Fondant can be perfectly applied onto a cake, whether one wishes to cover the whole cake or make decorative flowers, figures, or shapes.

Ingredients: The recipe for fondant includes sugar, water, gelatin, and glycerin, with corn syrup added in a small amount.
Uses: It is used to cover cakes for a smooth, polished finish and molded into decorative pieces for cakes and cupcakes.
Fondant and molds: Soft, smooth, with a slightly firm eat; gives a neat, professional look to cakes.
Application: Fondant can be rolled out and draped over cakes, or molded into details such as flowers, bows, or figurines.

2. What is a Mould?

Molds give form or shape to materials to achieve a particular shape or design. In most instances, molds are supported by flexible materials, such as silicone, plastic, and metal, as explained above, for the creation of detailed decorations on cakes and desserts.

Material: Molds are made of silicone, plastic, or metal and come in a wide array of shapes and sizes.
Uses: Molds are used for giving shapes to fondant, chocolate, gum paste, or even sugar paste into a lot of designs, like flowers, intricate patterns, or themed shapes.
Texture: A mold is a hard form used to generate an identical, reproducible shape.
Application Molds are filled with fondant or another soft material, pressed or rolled to fill the mold, and then removed to create the shaped decoration.

Key Differences

Fondant is an edible dough taken for the covering of cakes and can be used for various items as required. Molds are required in our objective to create the shape that we wish to make from fondant, gum paste, or other materials.
Material: Fondant is a soft, elastic sugar dough, while molds are made from resistant materials like silicone and plastic.

Application: Fondant can be applied to cakes or taken and molded manually into shapes, while molds allow for the making of items with consistent details and uniformity that may be hard to reproduce manually.

Conclusion

Fondant can be a versatile sugar dough used to decorate, mold into shapes, and create objects for cakes, whereas molds are tools to help the process of shaping and forming the fondant into more detailed designs. Both are integral in the decoration of cakes and being able to use them together allows the baker to create beautiful, professional-looking cakes and confections.