Making and decorating your own cake desserts gives you the ability to present beauty with flavor. If you're a naturally creative person in the kitchen, making homemade fondant for your cakes shouldn't be a hassle, and it's a cost-friendly alternative to buying pre-made cake fondant. Homemade fondant cakes can be presented during any occasion whether formal or casual and the flavor, texture and color variations lie entirely in your hands.
Instructions
1. Place prepared cakes of any shape in your fridge so they can chill. For this recipe, you can use a single large rectangle cake or two 9-by-9-inch layers of any shape.
2. Fill the bottom reservoir of the double boiler with water. Place the top reservoir into the top of the boiler, allowing it to rest above the water level.
3. Add the marshmallows, either large or small, to the boiler. Add the water and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Cover the pan with a lid and turn it on a simmering low heat. Let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. This turns the marshmallow, sugar and water into a fluffy marshmallow cream.
4. Sprinkle a cup of powdered sugar over a clean work surface such as a cutting board or counter top. Coat your hands liberally with shortening. This ensures that the fondant won't stick to your hands.
5. Pour the contents of the double boiler into a heap on the powdered sugar-covered surface. Immediately start turning the warm mixture with your hands, folding it and kneading it like dough into the sugar surface. As the warm fondant picks up sugar from the surface, it stiffens into a clay-like consistency.
6. Roll the mound of stiffened fondant into a flat layer about 1/8 inch thick. If necessary, sprinkle little amounts of powdered sugar over the surface as you roll it to keep it in place and from sticking to your rolling pin.
7. Remove the cake or cake layers from your fridge and layer the sheet of fondant over a cake layer. Center the layer evenly so that an equal amount of fondant overhangs on all sides. Press the fondant down around the cake's edges, fully concealing the cake with the stiff, sweet confection. Use sharp kitchen scissors to snip away the excess fondant that rests on the counter top.
8. Roll the fondant out into a sheet again, measuring around 1/8 inch thick, and cover another layer of cake with it if you're using one. If using two layers, stack them on top of one another after covering each one with fondant in this manner.
Tags: your hands, powdered sugar, cake with, double boiler, fondant into, inch thick