Monday, October 20, 2008

My Latest Creation


Here is a little cake I made for my sister Katie's birthday this past weekend. I left it at her house to surprise her when she got home from Florida.


It took me half the afternoon to make the leaves out of marshmallow fondant. Megan woke up from her nap earlier than expected and the cake was sitting on the kitchen table. Before I realized it, Megan had scarfed down half the leaves on the cake. With some creative rearranging, I was able to fix it. (There are no leaves on the back of the cake!) Good thing this wasn't for a party or I would have flipped the heck out.


Want my recipe for marshmallow fondant? It is a dough that tastes sooooo good. Once you make it, you can color it using food color gels (cake section of Joann's or Michaels.) You can use cookie cutters or mold shapes yourself. It is just like delicious play dough. Yum! You can make some for the kids to play with without worrying about them eating it.

Lisa's Marshmallow Fondant Recipe


16 oz. bag of mini marshmallows
2 lb. bag of powdered sugar
1/2 cup water
Shortening

1. Empty bag of marshmallows in microwave safe bowl.
2. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring the mixture in between, until melted.

3. Pour 1/2 the bag of sugar on top of the melted marshmallows.

4. Generously spread shortening directly on your counter to prevent the mixture from sticking.

5. Dump mixture, sugar side down, on your counter.

6. Rub shortening all over your hands.

7. Knead the dough. It is super, super sticky at first. It gets better the longer you kneed it.

8. Slowly knead in the rest of the powdered sugar, adding water about a teaspoon at a time. (You may or may not use all the water.)

9. Keep kneading and kneading, adding sugar, and kneading.

10. Fondant is ready when you have a smooth, elastic ball.

Now you can add the color if you want. Taste it . . . it is sooooo good.

To roll it out, just cover your counter with corn starch to prevent sticking. Rub corn starch on your rolling pin too. Now you can use a cookie cutter to cut fun shapes.

To cover a cake with fondant, ice your cake first with a smooth layer of buttercream icing. Then roll out your fondant. For a 2 layer 6 inch cake (assuming each layer is 2 inches high) you'll need to roll out your fondant 14 inches . . . 6 for the cake and 4 for each of the two sides. 6+4+4=14

Carefully use your rolling pin to lift the fondant onto the cake. Gently lift and smooth down the sides of the fondant on the cake. Use a sharp knife to cut off the excess from the bottom.

(To store it, rub the outside with shortening and double wrap tightly in plastic wrap.)

Let me know if you have any questions. I love to talk cakes. (I'm a self-taught cake guru.) I want to take lessons someday.

Other Fun Stuff I've Made From Fondant:



And that is your cake lesson for today.

11 comments:

The Ertel Triplets said...

Awesome, awesome, awesome! You have got skills, girl. I love them all, but I think because the hilarious faces on the little swimmers made me crack up, it's my favorite. :) I know your sister told you this, but you really should go into business!

Sue said...

I have to try this. I have heard that the fondant you buy doesn't taste very good. I can never get my cakes to look smooth after I frost them so I am definitely going to try this. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

Susan

P.S. Your cakes are beautiful!!!

Kristina P. said...

You seriously made those? Those are AMAZING!! I've heard that marshamallow fondant is actually very good, because the regular stuff tastes like crap.

Kate said...

It was so good! Thanks for the cake! I ate another piece yesterday :)

love ya

Anonymous said...

I just found your site through Pulsipher - love your cakes, very impressive! How did you learn to make those?

Erin said...

Wow. You have talents that I could only dream about!

my stay-at-home-momma drama said...

I taught myself how to make cakes. The Wilton Yearbook helped me with the basics - how to cut and layer cakes, how to stack them, etc. I go to cakecentral.com for recipes, etc. I also use youtube.com a lot for technique tips. Sometimes it is much easier to watch someone do things.

Rae Ann said...

Your cakes leave mine in the dust! But the give me lots of good ideas!

Cassie said...

These cakes are amazing! And thanks for the recipe, I have been wanting to try to make my own fondant for awhile.

Trail In Progress said...

Hi! I have a question about your cakes. Do you have any issues with gross food-coloring tastes?? I have enjoyed making cakes in the past, but hate the putrid, bitter taste that comes from using food coloring in the frosting.

any suggestions? Or are the cute cakes mostly for show? Thanks:)

my stay-at-home-momma drama said...

I use the food color gels you can get at Michael's or JoAnn's in the cake decorating section. They don't add any bad taste. (except for the red- you have to buy "no taste red")