Post #111: Yes, It IS That Easy Fondant

Since I was introduced to cake decorating a little over a year ago, I have been really interested in working with fondant. Fondant. Oh, the versatile, but not-so-tasty "Play-Doh" for cakes. You can do amazing things with the stuff, but I can not say that it is better tasting than good ole fashioned buttercream icing!  Yet, many people are sold on it, occasion after occasion, because of its ability to be molded and formed into almost anything under the sun.

BUT, look at the cake plates later, and you will see it rolled up and tossed on the far side of the plates.

Fondant is expensive! Buy the smallest box at the store and on a good day you can get it for almost $10. This will cover a small, two-layered 8-9 inch cake,  decorated very simply.

To minimize the cost, what should you do?

Well, you could make it yourself. It will be cheaper. It will seem easy to make and it is, but it will take some elbow grease and if done often, some mandatory "walk-away" time. It can be somewhat difficult to knead and it is SLIGHTLY messy. Is it worth it? Yes, because after it is all said and done, for the same amount of fondant you would buy, it will cost much less to make it, no more than $2- $3.00 usually, and more importantly, it will taste much better!

Here is how we (my daughter and I) did it using Peggy Weaver's recipe from Fondant 101.



I highly recommend this recipe, especially the way Peggy Weaver presents it. She has a way of addressing EVERYTHING you think or may think. It is really cool and well explained.

Homemade marshmallow fondant does taste much better than its store-bought made from gelatin, glucose, glycerin, and the powdered sugar-counterpart, but it still does not hold a candle to buttercream, so still expect the "oh,how cool or pretty" reaction with the same "fondant peeled off and kicked to the curb" plates.