Fondant — Recipes

Fondant icing is a sugar paste and a classic choice for decorating cakes because it provides a smooth and professional look. There are three types of fondant: rolled fondant, marshmallow fondant, and poured fondant. They are all used for coating sponges and pastries but will provide slightly different results. We will be focusing on rolled fondant below.

Flavor of Fondant:

Sugary and sweet; can be flavored in the cooking process

Color of Fondant:

White; can be easily colored

Texture of Fondant:

Smooth and marshmallow-like consistency; slightly chewy

Stiffness of Fondant:

Stiff and malleable, can be rolled out into sheets and shaped

Uses of Fondant:

Creates a clean and smooth cover on cakes; molded and cut into shapes for cake decorations

Fondant Recipe Difficulty:

Hard; requires a variety of ingredients, equipment, and physical effort

Ingredients

32 oz powdered sugar (sifted (also called icing sugar, confectionary sugar))
16 oz marshmallows (WinCo, Hy-Top, Aldi, and Campfire brands work best)
20 oz Wilton fondant (Satin Ice fondant will also work)
2 tbsp warm water (For dark colors, use 1 tbsp warm water and 1 tbsp food color gel)
4 oz vegetable shortening (Also called white vegetable fat, trex, copha)

Directions

How to make fondant

Sift the powdered sugar and set aside in a large bowl.

Place vegetable shortening in a stand mixer bowl.

Heat marshmallows for 40 seconds in the microwave on high (or on stove top). Stir with spoon.
Place marshmallows back into microwave and heat for another 30 seconds (or on stove top). Stir with spoon.
Heat marshmallows (last time!) for 30 seconds in the microwave (or on stove top).
Marshmallows should be ooey-gooey at this point and ready to be added to the mixer bowl. Pour your water on top of the marshmallows to get them to release from the sides of the bowl. Pour into bowl with vegetable shortening
Turn stand mixer on lowest setting (setting 1 on Kitchenaid stand mixers) with dough hook attachment
Add in half of your sifted powdered sugar, a measuring cup at a time, and let mix for 2 minutes. It will be really rough looking at first
Don’t stop mixing until it’s sticking to the sides of the bowl and looks smooth. Add in another cup of powdered sugar.
Pull fondant off the dough hook attachment by putting vegetable shortening on your fingers and pulling it off the hook.
Take the soft mixture out of the bowl and put it into the large bowl with the rest of the powdered sugar.
Warm the Wilton fondant in the microwave for 40 seconds and add to the large bowl with the powdered sugar and marshmallow mix.
Knead until powdered sugar, marshmallows and Wilton fondant is mostly incorporated. You may not use all of the powdered sugar depending on your climate and that is completely fine.
Pull fondant like taffy until it is stretchy and smooth. If there are still rough spots or it’s tearing, put everything back in the microwave for 30-40 seconds to make it really hot and pull like taffy with shortening on your hands until it pulls without breaking
Store in a zip-lock bag at room temperature. Fondant will keep for months in a zip-lock bag. To use again, reheat and knead well until stretchy before each use. You can add color as desired but for dark colors, you should add them during the mixing process or you could get a sticky mess.

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