Whipped cream vs buttercream vs fondant: which cake icing should you choose?

Whipped cream icing is cream beaten with sugar until light and fluffy. It tastes less sweet than the others and is the default "budget" finish for many Ghanaian bakers, which is why listings often say "whipped cream" next to the price. It's popular with fruit, drip and simple piped designs.

The catch is heat. Clemson University's extension service notes that whipped cream tends to soak in and melt at high temperatures. A whipped cream cake needs to stay in a fridge or cooler until shortly before it's served, and it's a poor choice for an afternoon outdoor party in Accra.

Buttercream is butter beaten with sugar, sometimes with egg whites (Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream) or cream cheese. It's richer and firmer than whipped cream, which lets bakers pipe flowers, write messages and get sharp, smooth sides.

Plain buttercream has a lot of butter, so it can soften in high temperatures. Swiss meringue buttercream, which some Ghanaian bakers list as "SMBC", is smoother and less sweet, and it's a popular choice for wedding cakes. Expect buttercream to cost more than whipped cream for the same size, because the ingredients cost more and the finish takes longer.

Cream cheese frosting is the classic partner for red velvet and carrot cake.

Fondant is a sugar paste rolled out like dough and draped over the cake, usually on top of a thin layer of buttercream or ganache. It gives a perfectly smooth surface and can be shaped into figures, flowers, bows and characters, which is why most kids' character cakes and many wedding cakes use it.

It holds up better in heat than buttercream, so it suits outdoor events. The downsides are price and taste: fondant work is slow and skilled, so it's usually the most expensive finish, and many people find it too sweet and leave it on the plate.

• Price: whipped cream is usually cheapest, buttercream costs more, fondant costs most. Size and design still matter more than icing alone.
• Heat: fondant copes best, then a stable buttercream, and whipped cream least.
• Taste: whipped cream is light, buttercream is rich, fondant is very sweet and chewy.
• Designs: whipped cream for simple piping and fruit, buttercream for flowers, writing and sharp edges, fondant for figures, characters and sculpted shapes.
• Storage: keep whipped cream cakes chilled. Buttercream and fondant cakes are happier somewhere cool and out of the sun. Fondant can sweat if it goes from a cold fridge straight into humid heat.

• Small birthday at home or in an air-conditioned room: whipped cream is fine and saves money.
• Office or outdoor party: buttercream, kept in the shade, or fondant.
• Kids' character cake: fondant, for the figures and characters, or a buttercream cake with fondant toppers to keep the cost down.
• Wedding: fondant or Swiss meringue buttercream, especially if the cake will stand out for hours.

When you ask for quotes, say which icing you want. A quote for a "6 inch cake" can be whipped cream from one baker and buttercream from another, so compare like with like. Our price index shows the icing where the baker states it.