08 Feb Marshmallow Fondant
I have been avoiding fondant for a long time. It’s so pretty and can make a cake look super classy BUT it tastes weird and always seemed really hard to make. Thus, avoidance.
Recently I decided to revisit the idea of mastering the so-called art of fondant. I found this AllRecipes.com recipe for marshmallow fondant which sounds much more appetizing that the traditional stuff – and they even have a video tutorial for those of us who need to see the technique. Overall, my efforts were successful, though I made a HUGE mess along the way.
Note: The AllRecipes.com method requires that you have a stand mixer w/paddle attachment, which I do not. If you do, I would definitely recommend following the video tutorial, as the paddle attachment looks to make for a much tidier experience.
Marshmallow Fondant:
1 16oz bag mini-marshmallows
1/4 c water
1 tsp vanilla (substitute any desired flavor extract or omit for pure white fondant)
2 lbs confectioners sugar
1/2 stick butter, softened
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1. Pour marshmallows into a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, or until marshmallows begin to melt.
2. Add water and vanilla to hot marshmallows and stir with spatula until smooth. I added my food coloring to the mixture during this step, however most recipes advise adding after the kneading step is complete. Your mixture should look like this:
3. Making sure you have plenty of counter space, spread powdered sugar onto clean surface. Coat your hands liberally in butter to prevent marshmallow mixture from sticking.
4. Add powdered sugar to marshmallow (still in bowl) in 1 cup increments and begin mixing with your hands. As the fondant becomes thicker transfer to surface dusted with powdered sugar and begin kneading, working remaining sugar into the dough.
5. Continue to knead fondant for 5-10 minutes, until smooth and no longer sticky. I had to re-coat my hands with butter once during this process.
6. Once fondant is smooth, add food coloring if desired. Squeeze/drop coloring onto fondant, fold over and continue to knead (color will look streaky at first) until color is incorporated evenly.
If you’re messy like me, your counter will look like this:
Taa-daaa! You have now made fondant! Your fondant can be rolled out with a rolling pin for immediate use (I did this on a sheet of wax paper, sprayed lightly with Pam), or stored in plastic wrap in the refrigerator.
I used my fondant to make Longhorn cupcakes. To make the white circles I rolled the fondant and used the lid to a Pam cooking spray container to cut out circles.
Then, I used a sharp knife to cut letters and football shapes out of burnt orange fondant. For the polka dots, I used piping tips. Get creative with what you use to cut out shapes – fancy (and costly) cookie cutters are not necessary!
Just to be extra fancy, I dusted the fondant with pearl powder and sprinkled on burnt orange disco dust for a little sparkle.
I piped icing into my cupcakes, then used the left over to add detail to my fondant footballs. Here is the final product!
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