How To Make Fondant For Cakes

Back in the old days, those who loved to bake would slave over cakes with butter frosting – and had to make painstaking efforts to store and refrigerate it. Learning how to make fondant for your cakes is not only more practical (you can make it in advance, plus it lasts longer), but it makes for better looking cakes too, and I’m going to show you how easy it is.

Why Make Fondant?

Not only will your family and friends be impressed with how pretty your cake looks, you’ll also be saving a ton of money on something that will be better tasting than most store bought fondant. Because lets face it, most people don’t even like fondant.

What is Fondant Really?

If you want to know how to make fondant, its important to learn the different kinds of fondant out there. Technically, it comes in two forms. Poured fondant is made with water and sugar, cooked into what they call a “soft ball” stage, then cooled and beaten into a creamy consistency. Its usually made as filling for pastries and cakes.

Rolled fondant, meanwhile, is what I’m going to teach you. Its commonly known as “sugar paste”. Its doughy consistency has a smooth finish that gives any cake a clean, professional look. If you know how to make fondant for cakes, it makes decorating your own cake that much more fun.

Here’s a fool-proof recipe I use at home:

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp. gelatin

½ cup corn syrup

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. glycerin (food grade only, best bought from health food stores)

½ cup cold water

Crisco vegetable shortening for greasing

TOOLS:

double boiler

wooden spoon or spatula

measuring cups

tablespoon and teaspoon

mixing bowl

optional cake mixer

PROCEDURE:

1. Let the gelatin set (dissolve) in 1/4 cup cold water. Transfer this to a double boiler until it melts, but don’t let it boil.

2. Add in the glycerin, vanilla extract and corn syrup to your gelatin mix. Save this for later.

3. For a velvety smooth fondant, make sure to sift your confectioner’s sugar well. Use a cupful initially and pour this into a bowl; make a well in the center. Put your gelatin mix in the well and mix with a wooden spoon. (You can also use a cake mixer for less effort)

4. When everything feels a little bit firmer, use the remaining confectioner’s sugar (also sifted) in the mixture. Blend and mix into a sticky consistency. At this point, it should look like dough that’s ready for kneading.

5. Knead your fondant paste by folding it into itself. Don’t forget to use Crisco to grease your hands (and the counter) a little so that it won’t stick to anything. Sprinkle some confectioner’s sugar, a little bit at a time, or, as needed, to make the consistency right. Make sure to knead for at least 5 -8  minutes.

6. Wrap your finished fondant in an airtight food storage bag or wrap. Cling-wrap is fine too. Let it sit in room temp for around half an hour. You can store it for up to 60 days with no freezing or refrigeration. NOTE:Knead your fondant first before before using it for cake decoration.

Wasn’t that as easy as pie?

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