Homemade Fondant

• It tastes GREAT unlike most pre-made fondant found in stores
• You can flavor it with any extract or emulsion that you want & match the type of cake you’re covering
• Save money!  The ingredients don’t cost much at all!
• Make custom colors you couldn’t find in stores.
• It feels like a great accomplishment when you get it right!  It’s a skill I plan to use a lot, so it’s worth the trouble!

• It takes some equipment you probably don’t have, unless you bake or cook a lot.  I think you need to use a stand mixer if you want to save time, energy & elbow grease.  If you don’t want to buy any new equipment, just buy your fondant!
• It takes time & practice to get the right consistency.  It gets really stressful if all you have is your own homemade fondant, and you’re trying to decorate a cake & it keeps sticking to your work surface!
• Since I’m not an expert on homemade fondant, I think it’s only best for smaller cakes.  Consistency is key for properly covering a large cake & that’s the toughest part about making your own.  Pre-made fondant shouldn’t give you much trouble, then again, I have never really made a cake with pre-made fondant.

• 1 (16 oz.) pack of mini marshmallows (I like Kraft brand)
• 2 pound bag of SIFTED Powdered Sugar (I like C&H brand, it’s already pre-measured in a 2-lb size)
• White vegetable shortening (I like plain Crisco, don’t use butter flavor or it will color your fondant yellow)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon extract or flavor emulsion like vanilla, butter, or almond
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• gel food coloring of your choice

• I suggest working with store-bought fondant for your first time to understand the consistency of good fondant.
• Make the fondant the day before you plan on putting on the cake to prevent the fondant from drying out.  I have also found that it’s more pliable when it’s fresh!
• Use a stand mixer! If not, don’t bother trying to make it on your own just kneading it; it will take FOREVER!
• Sift you powdered sugar! Don’t be a lazy bone!
• Use brand name, not generic, marshmallows & powdered sugar.  If you go cheap, you’ll have fondant that dries out easily!  I learned the hard way!
• Color the marshmallows before you add the powdered sugar if you only have one color you want to use.
• Let the mixer do the majority of the work for you!  It take about 30-45 minutes for me to get the right consistency.
• Gradually add the powdered sugar & watch for the proper consistency; you may or may Not need all the powdered sugar.
• I like to use cornstarch for dusting the work surface instead of powdered sugar.  Just use it sparingly so you don’t dry out your fondant.
• After mixing & it looks doughy & not sticky like fondant, take it out the mixer & knead it until it has a perfect, soft, pliable & NOT STICKY.  Store it tightly wrapped with Saran Wrap so no air gets into it & put it in the fridge.  It needs to be at room temperature when you’re ready to use it.
• If you have a big cake, to me thats bigger than a 9″X13″ cake (i.e. bigger than the #1 cake I made below), just buy pre-made fondant.  For me, it’s difficult to make a giant single piece of fondant to cover the cake that doesn’t rip.  I would only use homemade fondant for small cakes.