My friends and I tried to make fondant for a cake. We made two batches, neither of which turned out. The first one was too dry and cracked when we tried putting it on the cake. The other batch did not thicken/harden even enough for us to roll out. Granted, none of us have any experience at all and just tried to use a recipe from the internet that possibly was not very clear.
Any pointers or secrets to making it? Or where can you buy the premade fondant and is it fool-proof? Thanks in advance for any help!
As far as I can remember fondant, true fondant is the stuff that is made and has to mellow a while in a sealed jar, it is then warmed, coloured, and poured over small cakes like petite fours etc, a bit tricky at first. It has a slight shine to it when dry. Yes you can purchase rolled fondant , easy to use, but it wants to be rolled quite thin. And then there is the rolled fondant that you can make at home, I have made it several times for several wedding cakes, the one I use has Gelatine, Glycerine, etc, confectioners sugar ,which is better if you can buy one with out added cornstarch, but this recipe requires a LOT of kneading to get the last of the sugar into it, It does GO in the end but one thinks it never will, it ends up a nice smooth white ball. My recipe is Australian, have been using same one for about 35 years. Applying any rolled one to a cake is not as easy as it looks, that is if you want it to look good, you have things like air bubbles underneath, you may have corners where you have to loose excess icing, etc
"Samantha" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com...
Like anything, you have to use some discression when making fonadant. If it is too dry, then you need to add some water, etc. I use the recipe from the Cake Bible which I will post below.
1 tablespoon gelatin
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup glucose
1 tablespoon glycerin
2 tablespoons white shortening (Crisco)
8 cups (2 lbs.) powdered sugar
Note - You can substitute 1/2 cup of corn syrup (Karo) for the glucose. Reduce the water to 3 tablespoons. The results are the same with either formula
Sprinkle gelatin over water in a 2 cup heat-proof measure and let sit for 5 minutes. Set into a small pot of simmering water and stir until dissolved. You can also do this in the microwave by heating for a few seconds on high power. Blend in the glucose or corn syrup. Add the shortening and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
Place the sugar in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the gelatin mixture and stir with a lightly greased wooden spoon until blended. Mix with lightly greased hands and knead vigorously in the bowl until most of the sugar is incorporated. Turn out onto a smooth, lightly greased surface such as Formica and knead until smooth and satiny. If the fondant seems dry, add several drops of water and knead well. If it seems too sticky, knead in more powdered sugar. The fondant will resemble a smooth, well shaped stone. When dropped, it should spread very slightly but retain its shape. It should be malleable like clay, soft but not sticky.
Rolled fondant may be used at once but seems to work more easily when allowed to rest for several hours. It is important to cover the fondant to prevent it from drying. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. It will firm slightly on standing.
When ready to roll out, spray the work surface and rolling pin with nonstick vegetable spray.
If stored fondant seems very stiff, a few seconds in the microwave before kneading it makes it pliable.
Use nonstick vegetable spray (PAM) to grease the counter, rolling pin, cutters, and hands. Stores 1 month at room temperature or indefinitely frozen.
To flavor fondant, replace some of the water with clear extracts or rose water.
To color fondant, add some paste food coloring to the finished fondant and blend in the food processor. It will separate into little pieces, but when it comes together to form a smooth ball the color is evenly dispersed. You may have to let the fondant rest for a while to allow it to cool. If the fondant is too dark, put it back into the processor with some white fondant and process again.
You can purchase ready made fondant from cake supply stores or from
You probably need to add a little white shortening if it is too dry, not water. Water will make it sticky. If you add a tablespoon or so of white shortening and knead it in well, it will make all the difference in rolling out and also in putting it on the cake.
Do you roll your fondant out on a piece of clear plastic(heavy like for upholstry). If you roll it out between 2 pieces of plastic with a little cornstarch on each of them, you simply remove the top sheet, pick up the lower sheet and lower the fondant on to the cake, carefully removing it from the plastic, and then work out the bubbles and pleats and cut off the extra.
InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.