DIY Marshmallow Fondant

Annie's Eats

My hope is to inspire you to be fearless in the kitchen, to try new things, to take the time to make things the homemade way and most importantly, to have fun doing it!

DIY Marshmallow Fondant

35 comments

posted in: How To

02.02

2012

Alright, here’s the deal with fondant: if you’ve tasted it before you know, it doesn’t taste that great. This is definitely a case where it’s more about appearances than flavor. Most of the time I’m not willing to make that sacrifice and consequently, I don’t use fondant very frequently. However, it can be a wonderful tool for making some very creative desserts, whether you use it for a full cake covering or just to add decorative accents. While it certainly isn’t something I’ll ever crave, homemade fondant does taste significantly better than the store-bought variety. If you still really don’t like it, you can easily peel it right off and enjoy the cake and frosting underneath.

I know many people are intimidated by fondant. It looks so professional that you think you can’t do it. I’m here to tell you, if you can play with play-doh, you can work with fondant. If you’re going to make the effort to decorate with fondant, go ahead and make your own. It only takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare…really! Many, many readers have been requesting this recipe so I hope you find it useful.

I did a post a long time ago about how to work with fondant and not much has changed in my general technique, so I’ll just refer you there for the basics. One additional method I have picked up is thanks to the retro Apple logo groom’s cake I did for a reader’s wedding. (Isn’t it such a fun cake?!) To ensure the appropriate sizing of the different fondant pieces in relation to each other, I traced out a template, taped it to the counter, and covered it with lightly greased wax paper. Then I laid each color of fondant over the template and cut out the corresponding piece. Easy peasy! The sky is the limit with fondant designs. I highly recommend getting those creative juices flowing and seeing what you can do with it. It is such fun!

Update: I’ve had a few questions about how I get the deep colors of fondant. First, patience is important. Second, use Americolor gels. They are hugely better than that other widely available brand that typically give far less vibrant results. I also added one more fondant cake I did last year. How could I forget this one?!

*The cakes pictured above are:
A three-tiered red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting for a wedding
A triple chocolate groom’s cake for a wedding
Sesame Street cake and cupcakes for my son’s third birthday
A two-tiered cake (yellow cake with chocolate fudge filling and cinnamon swirl with cinnamon cream cheese filling) covered in vanilla buttercream with fondant accents for a first birthday party
A two-tiered cake (red velvet with cream cheese frosting and lemon cake with raspberry filling) decorated for a space-themed first birthday party

Marshmallow Fondant

Yield: about 3 lbs.

Ingredients

Shortening, for greasing dishes and utensils
15 oz. miniature marshmallows
2 tbsp. water
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. clear vanilla extract
½ tsp. lemon or almond extract
½ tsp. salt
7-8 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Grease the inside of a microwave-safe bowl and stand mixer bowl with a thin but thorough layer of shortening. Also grease a silicone spatula or two, as well as the hook attachment for the mixer.
In the microwave safe bowl, combine the marshmallows and water. Microwave the mixture in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the mixture is melted and somewhat soupy. When the mixture is melted, remove from the microwave and stir in the lemon juice, corn syrup, extracts, and salt.
Place about 6 cups of confectioners’ sugar in the stand mixer bowl and form a well in the center. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the well and knead on low speed with the dough hook until the sugar is mostly incorporated. When the mixture begins to stick to the bowl, add an additional 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and continue kneading.
At this point additional sugar may or may not be needed. (Consistency will vary due to environmental humidity and how light or heavy you scoop your sugar.) The final consistency of the fondant should be totally smooth, but quite thick, similar to modeling clay.* If the mixture becomes too much for the stand mixer, transfer the fondant to a greased work surface and continue to knead with greased hands until the desired consistency is achieved.

*I personally think it is useful to work with store-bought fondant at least once, mainly so you know the consistency you are aiming for.
Form the fondant into a smooth ball, coat lightly with shortening, and wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Place in an airtight bag, press out all excess air, and seal. Let rest at least 3-4 hours or overnight before using.**

**I know you’ll want to know how long this lasts. I don’t have an exact answer but I can tell you that I typically make fondant about 4-7 days before I plan to use it (for the sake of breaking up an involved cake) and it is always fine when I use it.

Source

adapted from Cake Central

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar

Annie this is beautiful! I need to make my own fondant! It’s a must!
Anonymous

This is definitely something I want to tackle in the future when I’m less intimated in the kitchen by challenging baked goods! *laughing*
Dana Christoher

Wow, your cakes look beautiful! I agree that the marshmallow fondant is way better than store-bought. Thanks for the informative post! The recipe I use is slightly different, but I’ll be trying yours next time.
Jessen

Impressive! Wish I had the patience and skill to bake. . .
Tanniedatwyler

How do you get the colors so bright?? My “red” is always pink….
Browniebaby95

Very beautiful! Do you move the cake onto the board or do you decorated it on that board. And, what cake board is that, like where did you get it? It looks nice and big which is what i need. Thank you!
Roxana GreenGirl

i’m always amazed how beautiful fondant covered cakes look!
yours are stunning Annie!
Anonymous

If you’re referring to the board under the Apple cake, I just cut out a piece of cardboard that was the size I needed and covered it with foil. I did decorate the cake directly on the board.
Anonymous

Americolor gels. They are amazing!
http://www.facebook.com/rachel.m.mitchell Rachel Mitchell

you have perfect timing! I’m planning my son’s 1st birthday party and want to make fondant decorations for a cream cheese frosting covered cake. Can you put such a finished cake in the fridge or will it ruin the fondant? I’ve heard that fondant can get condensation on it if refrigerated.
Anonymous

I have heard that too, but I always refrigerate my fondant cakes and have never had a problem with that.
Anonymous

I don’t really know why you would need to freeze it, particularly the Wilton kind since it is shelf stable and lasts for probably years. It keeps fine at room temperature but the only issue is the potential for drying out.
http://www.bakedbyrachel.com/ Rachel

Your cakes are so beautiful! I’ve always wanted to try making my own fondant but wasn’t really sure how easy it would be. Will have to give this a try when I have time! :)
Anonymous

Hi Liz,
I updated the post to include the type of coloring I use. I haven’t had any problems with it changing consistency. Please refer to the original post (linked above) for tips on when to add the color. I hope that helps!
http://cakebatterandbowl.com/ Kerstin

They all look amazing! I’m so impressed, could make a cake for me? :)

Another idea I had is to use sugar cookie dough to decorate with (without eggs) – you can color it and roll it out and make fun decorations. The lines aren’t quite as pretty as with fondant, but it’s much tastier!

I did the animals on this cake with it :)
http://cakebatterandbowl.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-turtle-cheesecake.html
LollysSweetTreats

I’ve made this fondant before and I love it! Thanks for the tips :) Your cakes are so beautiful.
Claire

Thank you for sharing this! All of the cakes look so happy. :) I am sure you must have so many fun ideas in mind for your sweet baby girl’s birthday cake!
http://www.pink-parsley.com/ Josie

I really love that apple cake, Annie! And the space cake might be my favorite one that you’ve ever done!
Anonymous

I just mixed in a few different colors to get it to that shade. I believe royal blue, purple, and black, but I’m not 100% certain. It’s been almost a year since I made that one. I only put pearl dust under the little star clusters to mimic galaxies. You can’t see that detail so well in this pic.
http://atthepatisserie.wordpress.com/ Ann P.

You are a regular professional, no doubt about it! Your cakes are GORGEOUS and I know they taste amazing too :) You have very lucky readers that live so close to you! I wish I could order a cake too. Could you deliver it to San Diego!? ;)
Cookies4kids

Your site is the favorite of my sister and myself who are both avid bakers and cooks. I do most of your recipes for the handicapped children out at Camp Friendshp. Your fondant recipe is the one I always use and it never fails me. Thanks for all the great posts. If we do one of your recipes, we report to the other one on how we liked it. Gives us something to look forward to each week.
Mallory

have you ever tried rolled buttercream? it is more delicate than regular fondant, but if you can get it right it looks the same, and tastes WAY better. i took a cake decorating class a couple years ago and we did not do fondant, but we did rolled buttercream. the only downside is you have to coat your hands in corn starch, and the texture of that is AWFUL.
Belladonnas

You are so inspiring! Your directions for making this homemade fondant and the “how to work with fondant” tutorial are so clear and super easy to follow. I’m making a Valentine’s cake now for my husband – no excuses! Love your bread recipes too. Thanks for the fun…
http://www.thethreelittlepiglets.com/2012/02/cookies-and-cream-cupcakes/ Jen

What a great post!! I’ve never tried making my own cause I don’t like the way store bought tastes – makes sense that homemade would be better…
Amy

Thank you! One more question- what is the flag made of? I think the moon with the flag made of? I remember making a castle cake and trying to put flags on it, and it was a disaster! Do you know how you made it?
Anonymous

It’s a toothpick and paper (not edible).
Anonymous

Payal, I don’t have any special suggestions other than just being very, very careful. I typically lay it flat over the top with the excess draped around the sides. Then I press down on the sides, working from the top down, until it is flat all the way around. It seems kind of magical how it is eventually totally smooth. I wish I had better advice for you!
Amanda E. Garrison

I love these cakes! I really like the outer space cake. Amazing! I have a question about fondant. Do you know if there is a recipe for fondant without corn syrup? Thanks!
Anonymous

They certainly exist, but I prefer this one. Is there a reason you don’t want to use it?
Amanda E. Garrison

I try to avoid corn syrup for health reasons. Your recipe looks great and I wanted to try it, but I was curious if I could use a substitute for the corn syrup. Thanks!
Anonymous

Well corn syrup (used here) and high fructose corn syrup, which many people avoid for health reasons, are not the same thing. Plus, this is still marshmallow-powdered sugar paste, so it’s not exactly health food either way. Good luck!
Anonymous

A batch of fondant is way more than you would need to cover an 8 inch cake. I generally look for online charts that give a weight of fondant to use depending on the size of the cake, and also to help me know how large the diameter should be when I roll it out.
Dolcimaterieprime

Wonderful cakes!
sasha

is there a reason you don’t use sugar pate or ready to roll icing, it tastes amazing an gives almost exactly the same results :) im from the uk so i’m not sure if you call it something different or even have it at all, by the wy i am in love with this blog :D
Anonymous

I think the premade kind tastes horrible, so I make my own.