How easy is fondant to work with?

[Rhonda in TX]

I'm planning a party for DS's 13th birthday. I plan on doing cupcakes and putting them in the shape of 1 and 3. Each cupcake will be iced, then decorated with Mario characters/themes made out of fondant. They will be flat, not 3-dimensional.

 

I've made and decorated many cakes, but have never worked with fondant. Am I biting off more than I can chew? Will I be able to pull this off?

 

Also, how far in advance can I make the decorations?

[jujsky]

It can be a bit tricky to work with at first if you're covering a cake with it. If you're just making little figures like you mentioned, it's easy. It dries out, so you have to work fairly quickly and keep the portion you're not working with wrapped.

[Melissa in St Louis]

I use fondant all the time, and I highly reccommend you make your own. It is easier to work with, infinately cheaper, and tastes like circus peanuts candy.

 

Yes, you can make your items ahead of time, but keep them in ziplocks or something or they will dry out. It is completely fine for them to harden, but if you want soft-n-squishy, you have to keep them airtight.

 

 

 

Marshmallow Fondant:

 

1 large bag of mini marshmallows

1lb confectioners sugar

water

 

Spray microwave-safe dish with nonstick spray, fill with marshmallows

Put a tiny bit of water on top....like a few tablespoons

Microwave for 2 minutes (watch it! 'mallows puff up when heated!)

Remove from microwavewhen completely melted/puffy and stir (this is where I add gel food coloring)

Gradually add confectioners sugar until you can no longer stir the crumbly mixture

At this point add JUST A BIT more water -- your goal is to completely incorporate all that sugar into the marshmallows

At some point, you have to just cover your hands in crisco and dig in and squish it and mix it by hand

When it is all homogenous, form it into a ball and store in a ziplock indefinately :D

 

When rolling it out, I have found these two items worth gold:

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat3254&PRODID=prd29683

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat3253&PRODID=prd50277

 

Sprinkle some cornstarch on the mat before rolling out to prevent stickage.

 

I think you'll be fine! :D Feel free to PM me if you need specific help.

[mommy2be]

Fondant is somewhat like working with clay or playdough. The marshmellow fondant is really easy, and tastes ok. It's very sweet!

 

I made a batch of marshmellow fondant and then seperated it into balls so that I could make several colors. I flattened it out somewhat and then squeezed a few drops of regular food coloring onto it, used my finger to spread it around, and then worked the ball until the color was worked in evenly.

 

You can also use a poured fondant to cover the cupcakes.

 

Check out this page for probably all the info you need about fondant.

 

Good luck! We'd love to see pics when you get done!

[TraceyS/FL]

we just did this on Sunday.... made marshmallow fondant, except we had big marshmallows instead of mini. Used the same weight, but i think that really caused a problem.

 

I'm not thinking it was overly easy, but i also think that ours was stiffer than it should have been too.

 

But the cake turned out cute!

[bamagirl]

It's easy to work with and fun! I would definitely make your own as opposed to buying the kind in the box...it doesn't taste very good and it's pretty hard to start with and you have to work it to make more pliable.

The marshmallow recipe that pp gave is very good...it's my favorite fondant! If you are making flowers or any other decorations that you want to harden, it's good to make at least a week or so in advance and put in a plastic container in a dry place.

[Rhonda in TX]

I always know I can get good help and advice on this board. :)

 

We have been watching the cake decorating episodes of Food Network's Challenge show and DS has been asking for a cake covered with fondant. LOL I think this is a good compromise for a first-timer. He'll be thrilled!

 

I'll be sure to post pictures.