Marshmallow Fondant

Marshmallow Fondant

I decided to be very ambitious and make a two tiered cake covered with fondant for my daughters first birthday.  There are a few things to point out here. One, I have never made a tiered cake. Two, this would be my first experience with using fondant on a full cake.  To start the whole cake process, I decided my first step would be to make the fondant, especially since that can be stored for months. It is very easy, with some small variations depending on who you talk to. This is my version.

What you will need:

Bag of mini marshmallows

Two cups of powdered sugar

¼ C water

1/2 C butter or shortening (this is used to keep hands and surfaces greased and fondant moist)

Food coloring (optional)

Some versions also call for corn starch to be used in the rolling out stage. I find this helpful as well.

Step 1: Grease the inside of a large microwave safe bowl and fill with marshmallows

Step 2: Heat marshmallow for 1 minute, if it is not fully melted continue heating in 15-20 second increments.

Step 3: In bowl mix half of sugar and a tablespoon of the water in with marshmallow using a greased spoon.

Step 4: Grease work surface and place remaining sugar on surface in a mound. Place marshmallow mixture on this and begin kneading remaining sugar in to marshmallow. Be sure to keep hands well greased as this part is very sticky. *something I learned the hard way...Sift the flour first to remove lumps, this will make it easier to knead completely

Step 5: Continue kneading until the fondant is the consistency of a soft clay. If the fondant seems too dry, add a little bit of water and continue kneading.

Step 6: This is where you will add the food coloring.  Knead the fondant until the color is completely incorporated.

To store fondant wrap it in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator.

When you take out the fondant to use, it may be a little firm and dry. This will resolve itself by kneading the fondant, with butter or shortening on your hands, for a couple of minutes. You can also microwave it for about 20 seconds to get things started.

**A couple of things to keep in mind: 1. After step 2, the marshmallow is hot, so use caution. 2. When deciding whether to use shortening or butter, bear in mind that butter will give the fondant a faint off-white color as opposed to the crisp white of the shortening. If you are adding color, this will not be an issue 3. I use a gel coloring so it does not affect the consistency of the fondant, liquid color may mean that you need to add a touch more sugar to offset the added liquid.