Marshmallow Fondant

[Tracyfish]

Ok, so I think I am going to try and make L.J.'s birthday cake this year. I made a small batch of fondant and colored it to see if I could even do it. It turned out ok.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks for working with it...rolling it out...coloring it...etc.? Any advice would be appreciated.

[nikkiARNGwife]

Get a fondant rolling mat...it is SO sticky..the first time I didn't use one and nearly went crazy b/c every time I rolled it out it would stick so bad to the countertop and then I'd add powdered sugar which made it dry out too much..so I bought one of those mats and the second time it was much easier...

Buy Crisco in a can and literally rub it over your hands like lotion and on the rolling mat..this helps with the stickyness too..keep it close by to re-apply and also smear it over the rolling pin

I color my marshmallows before I add the sugar...it is SO much easier..just remember to color a little darker than you intend b/c once you add the sugar it's going to lighten some

ETA: if your fondant gets too hard to work with pop it in the microwave about 5-10 seconds..this will soften it up but also be careful b/c it can have "hot spots" and you can burn yourself.

[Tracyfish]

I never thought about coloring the marshmallows...that has got to be easier than kneading it in. Thanks!

[nikkiARNGwife]

It is soo much easier and I owe that idea to my Mama..she was watching me work with it one day and said.."you know it would be easier to stir the color into the marshmallows first"...and I was like "lightbulb" (sorry..dispicable me runs non-stop in this house lol)

[MamaBee]

second the mat! That was by the far the best recommendation Nikki gave when I asked this question!

oh - and work fast when stirring the marshmallows... hee hee... I didn't realize that stuff could be used as a back up to cement!

[becca1976]

I've also read that powder forms of food coloring are better than liquid or gel when it comes to fondant. I've only tried the gel coloring, but I'm sure the powder would make it a lot easier. Especially when you have to do a dark color and use a lot of the gel - it just adds moisture to your fondant.

[Milmomma]

Trial and error. I would make cupcakes and small cakes to practice. It seemed the more I did the easier it got. It can be loads of fun though!

[Tracyfish]

One more question on this. How far in advance can I cover the cake with fondant? Refrigerate before the party or not?

[brooke22]

Dont refrigerate it, you will end up with condensation.
You can cover the cake a good 2 - 3 days before the party if needed, provided there is no fillings in it that can spoil.

Definitely use crisco for rolling it out as opposed to powdered sugar, the powdered sugar gets into all the little creases and it can be hard to get out, looks a little tacky on dark colours especially.

Also depending on what you need to do, colour can be painted onto the fondant. Thin the gel colour with some vodka (dries quicker) and paint it on the fondant. This is what I did to achieve a wood look.

[Tracyfish]

Originally Posted by brooke22

Dont refrigerate it, you will end up with condensation.
You can cover the cake a good 2 - 3 days before the party if needed, provided there is no fillings in it that can spoil.

Ok that was my thought on the refrigeration, but I wanted to make sure. I plan to make the cakes on Thursday, do the decorating on Friday and the party is Saturday so I think I'll be ok.

[scrapperjade]

That will be totally fine Tracy! The nice thing about fondant is that it will help seal in the moisture of your cake, so even if it's a few days old, it will still be nice & fresh when you cut it!

[Victoria Feemster]

I've always wanted to try this but haven't ever been that ambitious yet lol I helped a friend once make a dinosaur but she already had it made so I just helped cut and cover.

Hope it come out ok and I can't wait to see pics!