Fun with Fondant!

I have been dying to try fondant for some time now, but was way too intimidated. Rallying from the success of the cake pops, I decided today was the day. For those of you who don't spend hours watching TLC shows, fondant is a dough-like frosting that the professionals use to create cake masterpieces. I think that's partially why I was afraid of trying it- it's not something the average housewife uses to make a birthday cake. Which is just plain silly. This was SO EASY I'm still in shock! Seriously, anyone could make it...I'd say it's even easier to make/use than regular buttercream icing.

We made cupcakes instead of cake since we wanted to start small. Keep in mind that it's so easy, the kids helped with every part of this. That's Micah's "seal" on the top of the tower.

Marshmallow Fondant
* 1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
* 4 tablespoons water
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 pounds confectioners' sugar, divided

I wanted to do different colors, so I divided this all by four and made one batch at a time.

Microwave the marshmallows in a large bowl for 30 seconds at a time until they start to melt. Add in the water, vanilla extract AND the FOOD COLORING you wish to use (yes, you could just knead it in later, but it's really much easier to do it here.) Stir. Here's what it looks like with the color mixed in and no sugar added yet.

Then stir in the sugar a little bit at a time until you have sticky dough. Put some confectioners' sugar on the table and rub your hands with some vegetable oil, crisco or butter. Knead the sticky dough. As you knead, it becomes easier to work with. Put the dough on the table and keep kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch. I had to add in a whole bunch more powdered sugar to get it to that point (probably because I had divided the recipe and didn't do the math correctly or something.)

I loved making this because it didn't dirty hardly any dishes...a bowl, a spoon and a couple measuring cups/spoons. Granted, the table where I kneaded the dough was a mess...but still, so far easy-peasy and the kids could DEFINITELY help with every step!

Next wrap it up in saran wrap and refrigerate overnight or for as long as you want to. It keeps for a LONG time (weeks and weeks).

When you're ready to use it, let it come to room temperature. If you want to, you can microwave it for like 10 seconds to make it softer. This is where the fun part comes. Roll it out, squish it up, make little cut outs. Basically, if you can make it with playdough, you can make it with fondant. Put cornstarch on the table and your rolling pin to prevent sticking.

The kids LOVED this project! They could have played with the fondant all day. It is REALLY easy to work with. To get it to stick to the cupcakes, you're supposed to put a layer of buttercream frosting on first, but we didn't and it still worked fine. To get fondant to stick to fondant, just use your finger to put on a little tiny bit of water.

Liliana stayed in a chair and was occupied for well over an hour...for those of you that know her, you know what a big deal that is! Even if we did have to bathe her afterwards.

Okay, so some quick tips:

•Do NOT buy the premade fondant. It's expensive and tastes gross. This recipe is easy, cheap, and delicious. You CAN do it!

•Also, you don't need any of the fancy fondant tools they have in the craft stores. We used a regular rolling pin, a kitchen scissors, butter knife, cookie cutters and a jar lid for "tools."

•We discovered afterwards when we were playing with the scraps, that you can mix the colored fondant just like paint to make new colors! Next time I make this, I'll be making red, yellow and blue and then mixing to get any other color I need.
You can see here we started off with the pink, yellow/greenish color, and turquoise and then mixed to get all the other colors.

This truly is an easy, cheap, and fun project! Don't get scared off. I had been waiting for a birthday or special occasion to test it out, but I'm so glad we did it today.