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Fondant Icing 101 - Marshmallow Fondant
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To many folks, even the pros, covering a cake in fondant is scary and avoided at all costs. It has a beautiful satin like finish that is desired by many Brides, but it is extremely difficult to make the traditional Fondant. So much so, that there are a few companies that are willing to sell you their product for $6 per pound and up. That will cover an 8-inch two-layer cake. If you do the numbers, you will quickly realize that a three-tier cake is going to be a big headache and costly. The worst thing about this problematic and expensive cake icing is the fondant doesn’t taste good and is usually peeled off the slice of cake, like an orange rind, and left on the plate. So………you have got to ask "Why bother." Well, the recipe I’ll share with you is easy to make, tasty, and great to work with - beautiful on the cake. That’s why you should bother. You will amaze the bride, guests, and family with your skills in the kitchen. This recipe uses a commercial product as the base, so that is why it is a dream to make compared to the traditional recipe.
Advice from Peggy:
"One of the first things
that I learned in cake decorating is to
relax and have fun.
Try to remember
that you are working in a medium that is meant to be eaten. It won’t
be around 50 years from now. The memories and pictures might be
around, but I can promise you that the important part of all of this
is that you went to the effort and everyone was delighted.
MM
(Marshmallow) Fondant Recipe
16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a good quality
brand)
NOTE: Please be careful, this first stage can get hot. Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 ½ minutes total. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.
Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY - palms, backs and in between fingers, then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle. (By the way, this recipe is also good for your hands. When I’m done, they are baby soft.) Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands. If you have children in the room they will either laugh at you or look at you with a questioning expression. You might even hear a muttered, “What are you doing?”
Keep kneading, this stuff is sticky at this stage! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant is sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about ½ tablespoon at a time then knead it in). It usually takes me about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.
Its best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar). If you do see them, you will need to knead and maybe add a few more drops of water. Prepare the fondant for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic- type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible.
MM Fondant will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks. If I know that I have a cake to decorate, I usually make 2 batches on a free night during the week so it is ready when I need it. Take advantage of the fact that this fondant can be prepared well in advance. |
Back to: Peggy's Baking Corner Home Page Check out some of Peggy Weaver's many Cake Decorating Articles, Tutorials, and Q&A pages below.
Fondant Icing/Covering:
Bubbles in the
Fondant Buttercream Icing/Covering: Buttercream Icing 101 (Recipe and Tutorial on making & using buttercream icing)
Wedding Cakes: Assembling Cakes/Wedding Cakes
Cake Fillings Other Cake Baking and Decoration Topics: (The idea page has photos only and no detailed decorating instructions.)
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Give the top and sides of the cake a nice thick ¼” coating of Buttercream Icing (click on the underlined for buttercream icing). NOTE: At first I was wondering why I needed to bother with this step. Well, there are a couple of reasons: The buttercream helps the fondant to “stick” to the cake and this cushion of undercoating icing helps to give you the beautiful smooth nearly perfect finish that you are looking for. When you are ready to use the rested fondant, the first thing you need to do is decide what size you will need to roll your icing to.
Next, you need to sprinkle a bit of corn starch on your counter to help prevent sticking (rub it in. Give the fondant a little kneading to incorporate the Crisco coating. It will be pretty stiff when you try to knead it again, but it can be micro-waved for 10 to 20 seconds ,if necessary. Start off with 10 seconds and be please be careful. Items that have high sugar contents can get hot in the microwave very quickly. The fondant will soften right up and be perfect for rolling out and playing with. You want the temperature to be close to your body temperature. Now is the best time to add your food coloring. I prefer to store my fondant in it’s natural color of white. Some colors can change the consistency of the icing. If you do need to store colored fondant, wrap each color very well in plastic wrap or Saran Wrap. Colors like red and burgundy are notorious for “bleeding” into other colors and ruining them. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Bag everything in the Ziploc bag. Remember that food coloring can also stain your hands and nails. I have food grade plastic gloves that I keep around. Add your food coloring, a little at a time, and knead it in. You can always go darker but it is difficult to go lighter. Red has a tendency to get darker as it sits and “ages”.
Pre-shape your icing into approximately the shape of your cake. For a round cake, make a disk shape. For a rectangular make a log shape. Ok, here is a point of controversy about the next step. Some instructors tell you to only sprinkle corn starch on your counter before you put the fondant down, sprinkle with more corn starch, and then roll fondant out to desired shape. Some teachers advise that you grease the counter, put the fondant down, and lightly grease the top of the fondant as need to prevent sticking. I prefer the corn starch myself, but during very dry atmospheric conditions, I have been known to use the shortening method. The grease will help to hold in the moisture and keeps the fondant pliable. If necessary, add drops of water and knead it in thoroughly before proceeding. You will need to try out both ways in the future and decide what you like the most. A third alternative is a large sized Roulpat Mat (31 x 23 inches). It really does work well and it can also help you with moving a large piece of rolled out fondant. I’ve never done it, but I was told that you just gently bend the mat edges downward with the icing still on it. Place the edge of mat and the icing next to the edge of the butter-creamed cake and flip the fondant over the cake. What was the top of the fondant that you rolled out, is now touching the buttercream and what was the bottom side is now the topside that you see. Most folks do not have a nonstick rolling pin, but if you do, now is the time to use it. If not, lightly rub corn starch on the surface of the rolling pin and roll out to the desired size.
I like to roll my icing at least 1/8” thick. It’s thick enough for ease of handling and strength integrity. I wouldn’t go any thinner than 1/8” for the cake covering. When I’m making decorations with the fondant, I will sometimes roll it thinner. The MM Fondant is very forgiving and rarely tears but everything has it limits. The technique that I use is to gently roll the icing on the rolling pin like a piece of fabric. DO NOT FOLD! An edge will be hanging down.
Quickly place the fondant at one bottom edge of the cake and unroll the rolling pin, holding it about 2 inches over the cake. Your fondant will then “fall” into place. You should also have a bit of overhang over the edges. You might need a little corn starch at this stage, but only use it very sparingly if you have a dark colored icing. I very lightly sprinkle the starch over the surface and use a buffing motion with my hand to move it around and to level the surface. This motion seals the fondant to the buttercream, works out the bumps in the icing below the surface, and removes flaws from the joined areas in the cakes surface below. Please use a VERY gentle pressure to rub the surface of the icing. I often have a little pile of the starch on the counter and dip my hands in it as needed. Here is an important tip: Watch out for your fingernails! Long nails can mark up your surface quickly and it is very difficult to smooth back out. If you notice a bubble in the surface, take a thin sharp needle and poke a tiny hole, at an angle, in the bubble. If you poke straight down, you can almost always see the hole even after the most careful smoothing. The angled hole lets the air out of the bubble, and with a tiny bit of rubbing you can reseal the hole. I keep a clean, soft pastry brush, close by, to move the starch around. Do this lightly or you can leave brush marks on the surface that are almost impossible to remove. A number of companies make fondant smoothers for around $10. I have one but I’ve used it only once and I’ve used my hands ever since. For me, it is easier and quicker. If you don’t handle the smoother correctly, you can damage the fondant’s finish. Gently, with the side of your hand, push the fondant into the sides of the cake against the cake board.
To trim the excess fondant, you can use a sharp knife. I find that the easiest and neatest way is to use a Pizza Cutter. Hold it at a 45 degree angle from the cake board and the side of the cake. Go slow and follow the shape of the cake. If you hold the cutter at the correct angle, you will have an almost perfect bottom edge. Gently, with your finger tips, push any little leftovers in against the cake for the neatest appearance. If the edge isn’t as nice as you want, you can always add a fondant rope or pearls. Buttercream shells, stars, or flowers look wonderful also. If your cake needs a bit of shaping, do it now. I used the outside edge of my hand to make the indents to define certain areas of the cake.
Well, you have finished the covering of your cake. Many Professional decorators feel that a fondant covered cake will hold the moisture in the cake for 3 to 5 days, depending on your atmosphere. I personally don’t want to go beyond 3 days. I like the cake to have a fresh taste.
Do not refrigerate your covered cake! When you take the
cake out of the refrigerator, moisture will condense and
destroy your beautiful surface. Your best option is to
store the cake in a sealed bakery box. The cardboard sides
of a box will keep the dust in the air off the cake, but allows
the Fondant to breath.
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