Fond of Fondant

      If you're like me, you dream in Cake Boss episodes, your greatest fear is giving an artificially flavored cupcake to the judges of Cupcake Wars, and you frequently mourn the loss of Ace of Cakes. Okay, so you're probably not like me, but do still "ooo" and "ahh" at amazingly smooth and beautiful cakes. The otherwise impossible feat of making cakes perfectly smooth is made possible through a little magic called rolled fondant. I've visited the store a million times and saw buckets of rolled fondant , contemplated the difficulty level, and run as fast as possible in the other direction. Then, I discovered it could be made with a few simple ingredients. Hmm. Light bulb moment. No one would have to know.

Recipe:
13.5 oz mini marshmallows
2 tbsp water
almond extract
4-8 cups powdered sugar (up to 2lbs)

(Mini Marshmallows come in bags of 10 oz. What's up with that? This being my first time making this fondant, I just bought two bags and used 1 full bag and 1/3 of the second bag. My guess is that you could use just one bag and a little less water.)

1. Put the marshmallows in a large microwavable bowl, pour the water over top, and place in the microwave for 1 min 20 sec.

2. Mix in the almond extract. Be careful how much you use. I suggest one cap full (I used two and it was too much).

3. Use shortening to coat your mixer's bowl. You can either take the time to do this or take the time to soak it later. I chose the second option, and it wasn't too bad.

4. Pour your marshmallow mixture into the mixer, which needs to be fixed with a dough hook. One by one, add the first four cups of powdered sugar, allowing each cup to incorporate into the marshmallow mixture.

5. Add the remaining powdered sugar until the mixture begins to form a ball that separates from the hook. When you touch it, it should not stick to your hands at all.

6. Rub that shortening on your hands and the surface you're using to knead the fondant. Knead the mixture until it is an even consistency.

kneading the fondant                         plastic wrap for storage  

  

knead in color with glove                     after about 5 minutes 

(3 drops red for baseball size)  

Roll out to 1/4 in thickness                heart cookie cutter set ($2)

 

  alphabet cutters- Michael's ($17)

let the cutouts harden on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper

 Rolled out to cover mini heart cake. 

Maybe 1/8 in thickness

I still have over half of this recipe left. Don't let fondant intimidate you one second longer! This was easy and relatively quick. I can now say, I am rather fond of fondant.
xoxo,
Alexis