Cake decorators...can I get your favorite

[5LittleMonkeys]

recipe for fondant and buttercream icing?

 

Dd11 made a vanilla buttercream from scratch the other day and it was...interesting. I don't know if it was her or the recipe.:tongue_smilie: I thought if we try a different recipe we might have better luck. Also, the fondant we have been buying in the store is "yuck". I would like something that we can actually eat.

 

Thanks!

[Alenee]

I agree, YUCK, to store-bought fondant. I only use it if I absolutely have no other choice. Here is the recipe for fondant that I got from cakecentral.com. Just used it the other day and again, it was awesome! Buttercream recipe follows the fondant recipe at bottom.

 

T’s Marshmallow fondant

 

Ingredients

 

 

 

• 1/4 cup or less of crisco
  16 oz mini marshmallows (Kraft)
  1 tsp clear vanilla
  1 tsp butter flavor (extract) (I never put this in)
  2 tbsp water
  2lb bag of powdered sugar (sifted)
  

 

Instructions

 

1. Grease inside of microwaveable safe bowl with Crisco

 

2. Put marshmallows, flavorings, and water into bowl.

 

3. Microwave on high for 60 seconds. If not completely melted, stir and microwave at 30 sec intervals.

 

4. Put powdered sugar into large mixer bowl. (Fit stand mixer with dough hook) I use a wooden spoon. I don’t like how my kitchen aide mixer does.

 

5. Mix until well incorporated.

 

6. Prepare work surface with sifted powdered sugar.

 

7. Turn fondant out onto work surface. Knead fondant into loaf. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap for at least 1 hour before using.

 

8. To store fondant: Wrap in plastic wrap, and then put into resealable plastic bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. Fondant will keep very well in fridge for weeks.

 

I just covered my first cake with my marshmallow fondant, for a woman who has had fondant covered cakes before. And she just called me and told me how WONDERFUL my fondant was. She said it was the BEST she has ever eaten. And she will definitely be ordering from me again and again. I hope everyone loves it as much as I have. it works very very well for fondant figures as well. TFL!

 

Buttercream Frosting: NOT for DECORATING, Just icing a cake!

 

1 LB. Powdered Sugar (4 cups)

1 C. Butter

1 Tbsp. Honey

1 tsp. Clear Vanilla

1 Tbsp. Meringue Powder

Dash of salt

At least 6 Tbsp. water...more if you need it...depends on humidity.

 

Make sure to beat this for at least two or three minutes. You don't want it to be gritty.

 

To make this chocolate, add 3/4 C. cocoa powder and at least 2 more Tbsp. water. You can also add a little but more honey.

To make this for decorator's icing, switch the butter to Crisco and take out the honey. Start with 2 Tbsp. water, then add more to get the icing consistency necessary for the particular job.

Edited January 5, 2011 by Alenee

[Swirl]

Buttercream (My version)

 

2lb bag powdered sugar

1 stick real butter (salted)

3/4 - 1 C. Shortening (Crisco tastes best)

1 1/2 - 2 tsp. real vanilla

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. Wilton Butter Flavoring

4-6 T. Whipping Cream (You can use whole milk, but whipping cream has a better taste. That's my secret. :)) You can add more or less depending on how stiff you need it.

 

(Sorry about the approx. measurements. I make so much of this, I really don't measure that stuff out anymore.)

 

Mix powdered sugar, butter, and Crisco shortening. Add flavorings and whipping cream to desired consistancy. Be sure your Crisco is fresh and butter and vanilla are the real stuff. You can decorate with this icing and it will crust. Works well with the paper towel method too.

Edited January 5, 2011 by Swirl

[5LittleMonkeys]

Thank you all for your recipes! Dd can't wait to try out the ones with marshmallow!

 

The fondant we buy is the Wilton. It's fine for practicing with but we can't eat it. She even tried flavoring it and it was still gross.

 

The buttercream she made called for egg whites and sugar. She had to stir this mixture over a pot of boiling water until the sugar was dissolved then had to whip it into a meringue. Then she folded in the butter and vanilla. When she did that it was very runny. She put it in the fridge for about an hour and then re-mixed it and it did firm up but it just had a very strange texture...almost slimy.

 

(Carli) When you say you use your fondant for figures, do you mean that you use this fondant for modeling little shapes\animals\people, etc. DD said that she needed gum paste or modeling chocolate for these types of designs. (Can you tell we are both just learning about this?) Can you set me straight on what each type of product is generally used for?

 

Also, could you or anyone else suggest a favorite book you could recommend for her. She is leaning toward making this a career choice (she's talked about becoming a pastry chef, or getting a business degree so she could start her own business) so I would like to start her off learning how to do these things right. Thank you!