Fondant recipe for cake?

I recently got into baking and I want to bake a cake for my friends birthday.





I see people on the food network using fondant and I love how smooth it is (i suck at icing) and i want to use that. Can i get a recipe? And maybe an explanation on how to use it?





I would be soo grateful. (:Fondant recipe for cake?
';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.





Lesson two is that no cake decorator creates a perfect cake; the pros just know how to correct the errors and go on. The cake that I’m going to use today is a dense, moist cake that will hold its shape under the weight of what can be a heavy bit of icing and decorations.';





MM (Marshmallow) Fondant Recipe


Marshmallow Fondant ingredients





16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a good quality brand)





2 to 5 tablespoons water





2 pounds icing sugar (please use C%26amp;H Cane Powdered Sugar for the best results)





1/2 cup Crisco shortening (you will be digging into it so place in a very easily accessed bowl)








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 1/2 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 starts sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time and 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.








It is 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 two (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.








Now it’s time to start. Your cake should be baked, and completely cooled. If you have a shaped cake, you can trim it now and then place the cake on a prepared cake board. In other words, you are assembling the cake puzzle on the board. You can also place the cake on the board first and then trim (you must be extra careful not to damage the covered board). I personally find that shaping first is the easiest and then transferring the cake.





Give the top and sides of the cake a nice thick 1/4-inch coating of Buttercream Icing (click on the underlined for buttercream icing recipe). NOTE: At first I was wondering why I needed to bother with this step. Well, there are a couple of reasons: The buttercream icing 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 cornstarch 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 microwaved for 10 to 20 seconds, if necessary. Start off with 10 seconds


(please be careful as 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 Ziploc bags. 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 cornstarch 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 cornstarch 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 cornstarch on the surface of the rolling pin and roll out to the desired size.











I like to roll my icing at least 1/8-inch thick. It’s thick enough for ease of handling and strength integrity. I wouldn’t go any thinner than 1/8-inch 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 cornstarch at this stage, but only use it very sparingly if you have a dark colored icing. I very lightly sprinkle the cornstarch 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 cornstarch on the counter and dip my hands in it as needed. Here is an important tip: Watch out for your fingernails as long nails can mark up your surface quickly and it is very difficult to smooth them 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 cornstarch 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, Fondant recipe for cake?
i think it would be way easier to buy fondant, and use that, but here's a recipe anyway





1 lb. icing sugar (powdered sugar, XXXX sugar)


3 tsp. gum tragacanth or gum arabic - warmed to 97° F (optional)





5 tsp. water


3 tsp. powdered gelatine


Sprinkle gelatine onto water, leave to 'sponge', gently dissolve over hot water





2 tsp. white fat


2 tsp. liquid glucose


melt with the above





1 egg white





Place warmed ingredients into warmed mixer bowl, add liquids and egg white. Using 4 beater, beat until white and stringy. Place into poly bags, then into an airtight container. Store in fridge for at least 12 hours.





For Chocolate rolled Fondant knead 24 oz. sugarpaste with 3 oz. melted chocolate (white or dark) until smooth.











Tip: Rolled fondant is versatile. It can be tinted, flavored, modeled, formed, twisted, imprinted, and shaped into numerous of decorative pieces.





Tip: Before applying fondant, a ';sticky'; surface should be applied to the cake which will help the fondant adhere to it. Many spread a thin layer of buttercream before laying out the fondant.





Tip: When using rolled fondant to make decorations from, roll it to 1/4-inch thick. Either place them flat on greased (use shortening) wax paper or over forms to dry for 24 to 36 hours. Use royal icing to adhere fondant pieces to a rolled fondant iced cake and for the fine decorating commonly used on wedding cakes.





Tip: The cake to be covered with rolled fondant must be cooled completely, preferably 24 hours, covered. This will tighten the crumbs and make the cake more solid.





Tip: How far ahead you cover your cake with fondant will depend on the type of cake, filling, icing, etc. you use. With a basic butter cake, the fondant covering should be done no more than 2 to 3 days in advance of decorating and serving. A cake only remains fresh that long anyway and because fondant is sugar based, it's also how long it can stand without breaking down from the moisture in the cake. If you're using a layer cake and/or perishable fillings or icings, then you need to do everything just a day or two before the event.





Tip: Fondant dries quickly, so while working with it, always keep excess well-wrapped in plastic, as well as the parts on the cake you are not working on.





Tip: Once wrapped, unrolled fondant keeps for 1 to 2 months at room temperature. Do not refrigerate or freeze. If it gets too hard, put it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften; it will be easier to knead.





Tip: To smooth out the fondant once it is put on the cake, use cornstarch on your hands to smooth out the fondant.





Tip: If tiny cracks appear in the surface of the fondant, knead it a little - the warmth from the kneading or pressure from the rolling pin will make it smooth and satiny. Do not use water to smooth out cracks - water dissolves fondant as it is mostly sugar. Instead, use a bit of shortening on your fingertips to repair small tears.








Tip: Cracking can also be caused if your fondant is rolled too thick. Fondant is heavy and if not rolled thin enough (1/4-inch thick is usually best) the excess can pull the fondant from the top of the cake causing it to crack.





Tip: To cover a crack, try rubbing a little of the same Fondant over the crack in a circular motion, then using a smother or your hands to rub it in.





Tip: If fondant pleats at the bottom, gently unpleat and smooth out with the palms of your hands. With the palms of your hands, rub slightly up on sides to form an even top edge.





Tip: Try to work with fondant in a cool room and on a cool surface. A warm room may make the fondant too soft and difficult to work with.





Luster Dust Tips





Tip: Luster dust gives colors a high sheen metallic-like finish. It can be used either alone or mixed with similar colored matte dusts to create a lustrous sheen, without lightening the color. They can also be used on gum paste, royal icing or any frosting recipe that dries hard and is firm to the touch. It is non toxic.





Tip: Luster dusts can be incorporated into buttercreams to add shimmer cake decorations.





Tip: When using luster dust, use an airbrush, blush brush or a small artist paintbrush to apply.





Tip: Because luster dust is not water soluble, never mix them together to make paint colors. Instead use white spirits like vodka, gin, clear vanilla extract or lemon extract - the dust will absorb into these liquids and result in a more intense color. They also dry faster.





How To Use:





Use a bowl, mix a small amount of the dusting powder with a clear spirit.





Luster dust comes in small, 2-gram, tubs. Carefully open the cap and, without breathing, put about 1/4 teaspoon into a very small cup.





Add a few drops of vodka, lemon extract or clear vanilla extract. Use a small clean paintbrush to mix the liquid with the dust. Proceed to paint and decorate.
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