More than half of the cakes I do for clients are covered with fondant. It is gorgeous, sleek and can be simple or ornate. Over the years I’ve tried just about every product out there and have loved some and loathed others. Some are easy to use but have no taste feel like chewing gum in your mouth. Others are melt in your mouth and have a pleasant flavor, but are nearly impossible to work with unless the conditions are just right. Not to mention the cost. For those of you who have worked with it you know it is very spendy, as we say here in MN. So make your own and get the flavor, the texture and the price you like. It is very easy, albeit a tad messy, but most of all fun!
A few years ago I fell in love with Margaret Braun’s book Cakewalk
Sugar Paste (Rolled Fondant) recipe from Cakewalk: Adventures In Sugar With Margaret Braun
2 pounds confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons Glycerin
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract(If you want a PURE white fondant than use the clear vanilla, I used pure vanilla and you can see that my fondant is very white.) You can add other flavors as well but I would stick to those with an alcohol base and not an oil extract. You don’t want to add any fat to the recipe.
Sift 1 1/2 pounds of the confectioner’s sugar into a large standing mixer bowl, set aside.
In a small bowl, stir the water into the gelatin.
Dissolve over a double boiler with simmering water until clear.
Remove from the heat and stir in the corn syrup, Glycerin, and vanilla.
With the standing mixer turning on low speed, slowly pour the gelatin mixture into the bowl of confectioner’s sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Continue beating on medium speed until well combined and very sticky.
Scrape the sticky fondant onto a clean silicon Pastry Mat
Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 pound of sugar on the dough a little at a time.
Knead the sugar into the dough with the palm of your hand, then fold it over and continue adding sugar. I wished I’d had a pair of Gloves for this, but of course I’d run out!
Use your plastic Bowl Scraper to help you fold the dough over while adding more sugar.
Keep repeating these steps until all of the sugar is added and you have a nice smooth and uniform ball of dough.
Wrap the ball in plastic twice and let rest for at least 12 hours. DO NOT REFRIGERATE!!!! It will get tacky and impossible to work with if it is refrigerated. WRAP IT WELL! Store it for up to 2 weeks in a dry cool spot.
When ready to work with the dough unwrap it and knead it to make it smooth and pliable. Add your color and decorate as I did for Claudia’s birthday cake. I will be using it for my blog-iversary cake next week. I’ll also be giving away a T-shirt that my husband/webmaster/designer made for me!
Thanks to all of you on Twitter who keep me inspired and sane!
Another fondant cake I made for a client with a mini!
Hi zoe,
My fondant was nice…i was a ble to role it properly …..thanks for ur help…:)
Hey Zoe,
I tried a recipe identical to the one above except it called for 4 tablespoons of water instead of 3. I let it sit afterwards wrapped in plastic for over twelve hours (I think it was like 14 hours), and it was hard as a rock, and then when I broke it open to roll it, it crumbled everywhere. Do you know what would have caused this? Thanks and I absolutely love your car above!!!
hey!!!!
Ur a Star…..yah its really humid here…raining all day….thank u zoe…
🙂
meettu
Hi Meettu,
The fondant may have needed more if it is particularly humid. As long as it was not too dry and crumbly then I bet it is just fine.
The reason to let it sit is to let all of the ingredients absorb into one another and become more homogenized. If you try to roll it out before letting it sit, it will not have any elasticity. It is like when you let a pie crust rest after making it, but this requires more time.
Enjoy! Zoë
hiii zoe,
Great recipee….U have mentioed 2 pounds of sugar..but i had to use about 2.5 pounds since the fondant was sticky…..would it spoil my fondant????
Why do they say we have to leave the fondant for 8-12 hrs???
would the texture of the fondant change then????
Hi! I just found this. I remember asking a cake decorator I met “what’s that stuff that’s like vinyl siding on cakes?” a few years ago. I’ve always wanted to try it and now I can!
Hi Marcy,
Fondant is wonderful for getting stuff done ahead of time. just store it in an airtight container. You just don’t want them getting sticky if it is humid. In the summer I also separate them with wax paper.
Have fun! Zoë
Hi Nini,
Oh boy, I’ve never used vegetable glycerin, but I would imagine that it will behave in much the same way. Best to start with a small batch.
Please report back when you try it.
Thanks, Zoë
I want to make stars and other things out of fondant to decorate the cake that I will also cover w/fondant. Can I make these seveal days in advance? If so, how do I store them?
Hi!! I have a question about the Glycerine, can I use Vegetable Glycerine???
Hi Amy,
It depends what kind of cake is inside the fondant. If it is something that will survive well without refrigeration, then leave it in a cool spot, covered with plastic wrap. If it has whipped cream or mousse or something that will need to be refrigerated then store it, wrapped in the refrigerator. Once a refrigerated cake comes out it may become tacky, especially if it is humid. that should go away once it comes to room temperature.
Have fun! Zoë
Hi Zoe – I’m working with fondant for the first time and would like to know how to store it once it’s on the cake. I’d like to serve it Thursday mid-morning, but need to decorate the cake on Wednesday. What do you recommend?
Hi Lyndsey,
Adding more cornsyrup may have made it too sticky. You may want to try to incorporate more powdered sugar into it if it isn’t smooth after it rests. If it feels too “dry” when you try to roll it, sometimes heating it on a very low heat in the microwave for just 15-30 seconds at a time can help make the fondant feel more cohesive.
If when you are adding more corn syrup and powdered sugar, if you add too much you may mess with the proportions of the gelatin. One way to fix this is to make another batch and knead it all together.
I hope this is helpful! Your cake sounds gorgeous!
Zoë
Hello. I took on a huge project of making a wedding cake which I’m going to cover in fondant and use a vine-design rolling mat. I’m making my own. I tried this recipe last week and it seemed too dry, so I added more corn syrup, let rest a bit more and tried to roll it. It still felt too dry but also sticky. It was odd. I went over the 2 pounds of sugar at first because it still felt so sticky. Should it feel a bit sticky before it rests? I don’t know what else it could have been! Thank you!
Hi Amy,
You can make as big a batch as your mixer will handle. My 5 1/2 quart mixer would probably do a double, but not a triple batch.
Have fun and let me know what you make! Zoë
Thank-you for the wonderful tutorial and recipe. Is it possible to double or treble the recipe, or should I make two or three separate batches for doing a large cake?
Thanks!
love your page…thank you for the pictures of the step by step instructions
Hi Bertie,
Do you mean dogeared pages? If so I would lay several layers of the fondant on top of each other like pages and just fold up the top layer to look folded over.
Is that what you had in mind?
Thanks and I hope you will send me pictures!
Zoë
I’m making a fondant covered open book, how do i make the top pages appear rolled up on the corners?
Hi zoe,
I used cold water. I’m thinking maybe my gelatin is very concentrated. 1 small pack (around 3 tbsp.) needs 1 liter of water.
Hi Tiffiny,
That is a great question. I think you may be better off with one of the products that has more gum in it, to give it the elasticity you will need. This recipe will work, but may require more finesse! One way to do it is to warm the fondant in the microwave for just a VERY short time. It gives it more flexibility!
Let me know how it goes! Zoë
Can you use this recipe to make drapes? Thanks! Love the cake!
Hi Venz,
I have a thought. This has happened to me when I have tried to bloom the gelatin with hot/warm water. Is it possible that your water wasn’t cold?
Zoë
Hi Zoe,
Thanks for the quick reply. The gelatin starts to harden even before I heat it.
Hi Venz and Stacy,
Did you heat the gelatin over a double boiler? The heat under it should be very gentle so the gelatin dissolves slowly and without taking on any color.
Let me know if that sounds like it might be the issue!
Thanks, Zoë