It does not have the texture of most icings; rolled fondant is similar to stiff clay, while poured fondant is a thick liquid. It can be unforgiving for beginner cake decorators, but many of the common problems encountered when using rolled fondant can be repaired easily if you know how to do so.
If your fondant layer is thin, it can show existing imperfections on the surface of the cake such as lumps in the icing or uneven layers. This issue has to be fixed before you drape the cake with fondant. You must make sure your cake is very smooth with no holes, protruding edges, or creases. Fondant can be smooth and perfect and then with no warning suddenly develop an unsightly bulge. This can be a result of trapped air between the cake and fondant or fondant that is not adhering properly to the surface of the cake.
There are a couple of ways to fix this issue depending on how freshly iced the cake is and what tools are available. Like wallpaper bubbles, fondant bulges due to trapped air can be deflated if the cake is freshly iced.
You can pick the fondant over the bulge and press gently to flatten. If the bulge is near the bottom of the cake, you can use an offset spatula to lift the fondant away from the bottom, wet the cake with water, and smooth.
If the fondant has hardened before you can fix the bulge, the only viable method of fixing it is to camouflage the area with decoration. Fondant that is rolled too thin or too thick can cause issues such as tearing and cracking.
If the fondant is too damaged to repair, it is best to take it off and use a new piece. The damaged fondant often has bits of icing and cake in it so reusing it can cause further issues.
Don't reuse it. Tears and cracks can be repaired by filling them in with a fresh piece of fondant. Hi Rose, I just made another batch of the fondant tonight and encountered a problem that never came up before. I was using a new bag of confectioners sugar I guess all the previous times the bag was already opened for another project I did your method of pouring it directly into the bowl of melted marshmallows on the scale, so it was too late to take it back and try to sift it or something.
Then when I was kneading it, I kept encountering little lumps of un-worked in confectioners sugar! What a nightmare. I tried to get them all, but I am positive I did not. My question for you is, did you ever have this happen to you? And did it turn out alright in the end I hope, I hope after it rested? While resting could the confectioners sugar sort of "melt" in? Or is this batch no good and I should just start all over again?
Sometimes they will absorb if they're small but sadly, I've had whole batches ruined before when I dumped in a bag without realizing it was lumpy or had crystallized sugar in it. I'm sorry - I know how disheartening that can be!!
I hope it worked out for you. Thanks Rose, it did work out!! Thank G-d :. I did encounter one or two tiny ones, but since it was an unusual shape anyway, and I textured it a bit too, you really couldn't notice. It mostly absorbed in! And yay!
I couldn't believe how well the fondant worked with the purse cake. At first it was hard to knead I never made it over a week in advance before , and then I remembered your microwave idea, and it was fabulous. I also added a dollop of shortening and glycerin per chunk of fondant that I was kneading a tip that I read for store-bought fondant that seemed to work well here too , and it was great.
Thank you!!! I am amazed by your cakes and tutorials. Thank you for your graciousness in teaching so unselfishly. I made the mmf yesterday, colored it and wrapped the balls in Saran Wrap and stuck them in a tupperwear. Today I checked them and they are really, really, really hard.
Is that normal? I need to make my cake tomorrow. I know you said that you can put it in the microwave to soften it, but was wondering if I've done something wrong that caused it to be so hard?
Also if warming it up so much to get it pliable will ruin it when it dries? Hard is good. Well, it's better than super soft. Did you rub it down with shortening before wrapping it? If so, it's all good. Cut it into two or three smaller pieces and microwave it for a few seconds at a time as I mentioned and begin kneading it. It'll soften up and be great!! Be careful not to burn yourself!! If the outside is super hard it'll get that way if you didn't use shortening on the outside OR it's sat for several days and the middle gets soft, DON'T knead the hard into the soft - you'll get bits of hard fondant that you won't be able to knead out.
Just cut it off and toss it, or knead it separately to see if it softens. Thanks so much for replying and for all your great recipes and tutorials! I did rub it with the shortening before wrapping :. So glad to hear that it will be fine. I tried warming up the fondant, but had to keep warming it up every few minutes to make it pliable. Is this normal? I had a really hard time even covering my cake with it. What I was making was fondant ruffles Thanks for your tutorial on that.
So sometimes the ruffles got too hard to apply to the cake. Also is it normal when the ruffles dry to be super hard? As you can tell I don't have much experience, so any thoughts will help.
It seems like on here everyone had the opposite problem where the fondant was too soft Would you have the metric measurements? I could not see any conversions mentioned in any of the comments. I never seem to be very successful when trying to convert recipes! Great post.
When I make red marshmallow fondant, I add a pack of red colored kool-aid. It takes great and comes out the perfect fire engine red. Thank you so much for the step by step directions for this recipe.
I came across it looking for easy "pig cupcakes". This was my second attempt at making fondant, the first time was a horrible sticky mess. This time I added more sugar and was able to get all the sticky out hopefully but I noticed my would just go flat almost immediately after shaping into a ball. What did I do wrong and how can I fix it? I've got it wrapped and stored for now, but need to use it in 2 days for the cupcakes. Thanks so much! Forgot to tell. I added more p sugar and butter.
Me and my sister just started to fall in love in baking, for fun and for family and friends, we cant wait for someone to have a birthday or any occasions so we can give them a cake That is soo selfless of you sharing what you know to everyone, i just happen to pass by your site and you are soo helpful, I read the FAQ and there I find peace and answers to my questions I finally made a batch I left most of it white and made about a quarter of the batch red.
I am so proud I got such a great red because red is such a hard color to get the way you want. I'm sure it was due to the small size, but I got a great red using Americolor's Super Red and Maroon. I love your website. I had a question about the marshmallow fondant. When ever I make my own I use the same recipe as yours mine comes out really sticky, I've tried more sugar and cornstarch but it doesn't really help. What do you recommend? There are so many factors that could change it - humidity, too hot, too much water, etc.
If adding more sugar doesn't help, I'd try less water and see if that helps. Eventually if you add enough sugar, it WILL dry out, but if you're in a really humid environment, it make take more than "normal". I'm planning to make your pancake cake next week for my friend's birthday but I have some questions to ask. I've only ever used a microwave. I suppose you could do it with a double-boiler method!? NEVER refrigerate the fondant!!
It ruins the texture. I let it rest overnight at room temp after making it before using! Is it safe to eat the gum paste with the tylose in it? I thought I read something about that but can't remember.. I've got on so many of these things and people never answer back.. I appreciate the time you take with helping us. Yes, it's perfectly safe, although I'm not sure anybody would want to because it dries really hard.
Hello Rose! God Bless your heart!!!!! Yes, you can use it for that and yes - definitely add the Gum Tex - it'll make it so much easier to handle and get the squares to hold shape! Once you put it on your cake, do you then put it in the fridge? I'm making my sons birthday cake the night before his party. With store bought fondant I would throw it in the fridge I love getting your weekly newsletters. Do you experience condensation when working with fondant and buttercream?
The fondant started to condense pretty quickly after I covered it and I could not work with it for a while. By time, it was a saggy mess and it was awful. You said you live in MS and deal with humidity sometimes. I live in Houston and it's always humid here!
I'm making my niece a cake in two weeks. Was your cake cold or frozen? Or did you refrigerate it after covering? The only time I ever really have that problem is when I cover a frozen cake. And I never refrigerate a cake after it's covered in fondant!
I do like to cover my cakes when they're cold not frozen and if they start to get any condensation, I just put them in front of a fan for half an hour or so and they dry and then I continue on.
Maybe I should have left it on the counter to warm up a little bit before covering it. I'm just a hobby decorator but I'm excited to start making my own Fondant. Should I knead in powdered sugar or typos to increase the elasticity? In its current form it seems like it would rip when covering a cake unless I left it very thick maybe that is the trick with mmf.
Thank you for your quick response and your generosity. I let it rest for a little over 24 hours. You think it wasn't enough powdered sugar or maybe I added a tiny bit too much water in the beginning even though I measured it? I'd hate to pitch it so I wonder if kneading in more sugar, corn starch or some tylose could help. Either is possible - too much water or not enough sugar. It's also possible your marshmallows were expired I had that happen once and it ruined my fondant.
However, before tossing it, I would try warming it up and kneading in more sugar until it starts to firm up. I would not use corn starch or tylose. Thank you so much Rose. I'll try the warm and add sugar method. I know practice makes perfect with homemade items so I appreciate your help with problem solving it so I can keep trying it to get good at it.
I forgot to add the extract to my MMF!!! Its sitting on the counter, double wrapped "resting" skip it? Skip it! It's no biggie at all! I've made hundreds of batches with no extracts Thank you so much! You are a lifesaver and an inspiration! Ok just wondering on the exact amount of mini marshmallows to use because I just grabbed two bags at the store thinking that would make 2 batches.
The Kraft jet-puffed mini marshmallows I have are 10 oz. Bags and now I'm seeing the recipe calls for a 1 lb.. So my question is do I add the extra 6 oz. In your picture you only had 1 bag and said the pics are double and never mentioned adding the extra so now I'm unsure and I didnt want to make it wrong and mess it up.
At my store, the mini marshmallows come in 10 oz and 16 oz bags. I always have to make sure I grab the 16 oz bags. It really wasn't difficult at all and I loved all the mess, it was so much fun.
I'll definetly be making more soon, probably tomorrow just another colour. Thank you so much for the tutorials, I love getting your daily e-mails and checking out all the pictures of your fabulous cakes. I just made the fondant but it was a little sticky and when i rolled into a ball it oozed.
What should i do? Or is it right. I added a little more powdered sugar and the stickyness subsided but it still looses it shape. Rose, I've tried to read all the coments before asking my question.
If you've answered it already my apologies. I made my fondant exactly as described and it is really super soft. Now it is cool and rainy today so that might be some of it. I have it wrapped in plastic right now hoping it sets up over night. I'm afraid to add more powdered sugar It will be soft immediately after making.
I always let mine rest overnight. If it's still soft tomorrow, you may have to knead in more sugar. That is a really good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere.
Short but very accurate information… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article! I Accidentally put mine in the freezer for about 2 hours. They are frozen but de thawing , will the be okay to still use? If you could please get back to me that would be great I can't find anything o line that says yes or no!
I've never frozen it so I don't know. I'm sorry!! All you can do is let it thaw, then knead it and see how the texture is and how it holds up. I have frozen MM fondant for months! I put it in the fridge days before i need to use it and then set it out on the counter still air tight wrapped till I need it. I like doing this method better since it stops excessive condensations and keeps the character of the fondant. I really don't think that would work.
I have had readers say they used butter instead and it worked, buut I haven't tried it myself. I do use Satin Ice for my pieces as it is easier to mold. Wow - I tried several times to add the color to my mmf and it would never get dark enough. Or by the time it did, it was a mess. I'm glad you've got it figured out!! I usually brush on a tiny amount of piping gel and then apply the lace. You can also rub down the surface with shortening. I want maroon red. I have made MMF for a while now and everytime I make it, i end up with little tiny sugar bumps that are hard and make my cakes look horrible.
I don't do it one at a time, but by all means, it's worth trying if you're having trouble. You might also consider sifting the sugar or trying a different brand. For instance, I cannot use Sam's club brand of powdered sugar; it always made my fondant bumpy. Very straight forward directions. Thanks for the pictures, always helpful to insure the product looks like it is intended. Very easy to make and much better tasting than traditional fondant recipes.
Hi Rose, I a made the mistake of using 10oz bag of marshmallows and couldn't get the stretchy consistency it needed. Do you thing I can melt 6oz more mallows ad knead them into so-far prepared dough? I've honestly never tried to knead in extra marshmallows after finishing the fondant.
It seems like it be difficult to do, but if you're able to do it, I imagine it would fix your issues! I'm just curious if anyone's fondant has dried out after it's been applied to the cake. My cake's fondant actually got very dry and hard.
Any suggestions for me? It will eventually crust and get a hard shell, depending on how far ahead you cover your cakes. I'm not sure that can be prevented. OMG I have sat at my computer close to 2 hours just reading this email. Thank you for all the helpful hints and recipes I've picked up along the way. I too make and decorate cakes from home, but I use Betty Crocker cake mixes, But only when they are on super special.
You've made me laugh with your natural no bull explanations. I love it. Thanks again. Hi Vickie! Thanks for stopping by the blog. And let me put my comments with the rest of these! Hopefully they'll be enough left tomorrow to decorate my daughter's cake for her b-day. Thank you so much for sharing and for your detailed post. I love your recipes! I have so many of them pinned! I made this MMF to cover a minions themed 5 for my son's birthday last weekend.
My family is a simple bunch and prefers simple butter cream frosting, but this was still a hit! I'm not the amazing artist or blogger you are, but I put a link to your recipe in my post. Gotta give credit where credit is due! Thank you so much Rose for sharing this recipe. I just made my first batch. I cannot believe how easy and fun it was and it and feels so good. You are an amazing teacher. Many blessings your way.
Question-I don't know if you've ever had this problem but The day after I colored a navy blue my fondant and it turned dry and not pliable. Just breaks apart. Do you know of a way I could save it? I'm thinking of using coconut oil instead of crisco since I'd be ok with a little coconut flavor. Do you think it will work just as well? Thank you for the tutorial and recipe!! Can you direct me to how to handle the fondant once it has sat overnight?
I'm just trying to cover a two layer 8 inch cake. Absolutely nothing fancy. Thanks in advance! I usually unwrap it, microwave it for a few seconds no more than 8 or 10 then knead it until smooth and pliable. Love your site and have used some of your tips. I've been doing cakes for a couple of years and also make my own MMF. I use a bit more marshmallow than you do because I find that it makes the fondant more pliable and it doesn't break as much, especially when needing to make red, black or brown.
Also, I use a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix everything in there until it gets to the needing stage, then I dump it onto the mat for more needing. Seems to make less of a mess and my fondant turns out better.
Thanks for all the tips, especially with the Tappit Cutters. I have three cakes to make in the next few weeks gender reveal, baby shower and my husband's 60th birthday. I'm doing the toilet paper cake for my husband and have only worked with fondant on a small scale. I'm hopeful it turns out well. Thanks so much for the recipe AND the helpful tips. I love your site and made my first fondant this morning!! Made 2 batches and used a scale as you suggested.
My question is.. The first one was a little dry but kneaded out okay. The second one was too soft and I had to add a little extra powdered sugar to be able to wrk with it. Used the same amount of water, vanilla etc. The only thing different is that I lightly greased the bowl before melting the marshmallows.
Is this in anyway unusual. You know - sometimes we have the same problem. We just have to adjust as needed I just discovered your website and I am beyond happy I did! I just wanted to say thank you for putting your talent and help out their to help others! I am a self taught decorator and need more help then I can begin to explain. I have made this fondant before from a different recipe and happen to cross yours on pinterest, lucky me!!
My kids have a school carnival coming up and the school is asking for donated cakes, because I can't do anything simple, I had thought I may have bitten off more than I can chew until I found your site! Thank you! Can i use the fondant the same day that i made it? And it's better to work the fondant with sugar or cornflour when you are going to use it to decorate all kind of figures for cupcakes, cakes, etc?
You can, but it will be a lot softer and possibly harder to handle. I like to let it rest as long as possible. Thank you some much, i am so happy that you answered me.
Thank you so much for all your time for us: It's better to let fondant rest in fridge or room temperature? And how much time do i have to let it rest? Thank you so much for all your help. I have a question, why when i roll the fondant with the rolling pin there are some bubbles in my fondant?
Am i doing something wrong? It happens sometimes for me too - I think it's when it's kneaded too much and air gets trapped. I use tiny needles to poke them bubbles and smooth them out. I am new to cake decorating. What cream filling do you use on a layered cake before you put fondant on the cake or shouldn't you put cream between layers.
I used my kitchen aid and it was very easy to get it smooth, however, my fondant seems the opposite of your point 8 so do I keep adding sugar instead of water? And if not, how about butter?
I live in the U. Where Crisco is quite hard to get hold of and I'm sort of loath to use it even if I could due to the fact it's not particularly good for you. I'm well aware of how daft that sounds when we're talking about smothering a cake in sugar and buttercream! Any ideas?
Thanks Victoria absoloutly love your blog by the way! Hi Victoria - unfortunately neither butter nor oil will work in this recipe. First off. I love LOVE this article! Super easy. Way easier then I ever thought. I dont need it for a few days. But wanted pleantly of time for mess ups. My only concern is, I am afraid its too dry. Right now it seems perfect consistency.
Can i add a small bit of water tomorrow if its still dry? But like i said. Pleantly of time for mess ups. Im making pancake cake for my granddaughter's 3rd bday. I cannot wait to see how it turns out. Even if my MMF won't work out. I added drops of water to my MMF. Got it perfect workable. My granddaughter love it. Everyone at the party was amazed. Too bad I couldnt post a pic. Mighty proud of that, now gone, cake.
I tried to make this recipe tonight for the first time with less than perfect results I know I followed the recipe to the letter so I'm just confused now It sounds like either too much water or not enough powdered sugar.
I've made this fondant hundreds of times so I know the recipe works! That's what my my husband and I were thinking also I refuse to give up and buy the nasty tasting store bought stuff. I want all my products to be homemade.
As a side note I have learned so much by reading your tutorials and seeing your pictures!! Thank you for all that you post on here! Rose, I've always enjoyed your blogs and tutorials. I'd love to try to experiment with it for covering cakes. Thanks so much for the recipe and all the tips. I hope no one has asked this yet, I went through the comments as much as I could and didn't see it. I'm making a bunny cake for Easter and want to make the ears out of fondant so that they actually stand up.
Does MMF dry hard? And, if so, about how far in advance should I make the stuff that I want to dry? MMF will eventually dry hard but it takes a long time, depending on how humid your environment is. I recommend adding tylose to it if you want it to dry faster and act like gum paste. Unfortunately I can't get tylose at this time. It won't be eaten. It's for a topper. I don't live in a very humid area.
Hi there, I want to try making edible aloe plants to go on a cake, and somewhere I saw similar instructions but with white chocolate in the dough instead of powdered sugar. Maybe that's no longer a fondant then I was wondering if the white chocolate made it firmer. Also, do you think that it would work to cut out a bit of the powdered sugar and use arrowroot powder instead? I was just thinking of ways to dial down the sweetness.
I've done a bit more research, and it looks like the recipe I was looking at was a cross between fondant and modelling chocolate. I tried twice and threw it all into the garbage!
Then just broke down and made modelling chocolate, which seems to have worked! Arrowroot powder is made from the root of a tropical plant. It has a similar texture to cornstarch and also acts as a thickener.
It can't be overcooked, doesn't add flavour, and it is really easy to digest think arrowroot cookies for babies. I use it for my custards etc. Because of that slippery texture, I was thinking about trying it for cutting icing sugar but it might do weird things to recipes! Super easy! And tastes great. People actually eat it. Can't be a better endorsement than that.
Made it three times already. Any thoughts or tips? Use a good quality fondant like "Satin Ice". I've made fondant about 7 times now and just about every time but once it has cracked when laying it on the cake. I've tried adding more shortening, more sugar, corn starch, letting the fondant rest before rolling, not letting the fondant rest before rolling, rolling thin, rolling thick It drives me absolutely crazy.
Tip: Work with room temperature frosting - refrigerated frosting is too stiff and may tear delicate cakes during application. Frost the sides of the cake with additional icing, using liberal portions of frosting. This will allow the spatula to glide freely across the cake.
Remove excess frosting from the sides of the cake, leaving the surface smooth. Dummy cakes are created from compacted Styrofoam blocks.
Though the material is compacted to provide a perfectly symmetrical shape, its texture can be coarse enough to leave lumps, ripples or tears in your fondant. This can be prevented by wrapping the Styrofoam cake in a layer of plastic wrap prior to applying the fondant. Tearing: Tearing is often caused by the fondant drying out. When rolling out the fondant, periodically smooth the top of it with the palm of your hand to keep the surface supple. Additionally, many people use cornstarch to roll out fondant.
Cornstarch absorbs moisture and dries the fondant out. Continue kneading until marshamllow fondant forms a firm, smooth elastic ball that will stretch without tearing, about 8 minutes. It's best to allow Marshmallow Fondant to sit, double wrapped, overnight. This helps the fondant stick to the cake better and adds moisture to the fondant, helping to prevent cracks.
Knead 1 or 2 tbsp. This will help prevent the formation of cracks. Spread a thin layer of shortening onto the surface of the fondant after rolling it out and before placing it on the cake.
Why did my fondant tear? I am having issues with my fondant tearing and cracking. I experimented a lot but didn't get the satisfactory results? What could be going wrong? Some possibilities I thought of: Am I using too much
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