Learn How to Make Cake Fondant at Home and Give your Cakes a Professional Look: 6 Fondant Recipes, Tips and More (2019)

Learn How to Make Cake Fondant at Home and Give your Cakes a Professional Look: 6 Fondant Recipes, Tips and More (2019)

Planning on baking a cake at home and worried about not getting that 'professional' look? Fondant is tricky to work with if you don't know what to watch out for. Find out how to work with fondant to get excellent results. We are also here to the rescue with some super-easy and delicious cake fondant recipes which will add that spark to your cake.

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Cake Fondant Explained

Before you scratch your head to find the answer of how to make cake fondant, you should better understand the complete concept of using fondant and how exactly is it prepared.

Buttercream is known as the most common icing option in cakes. It is smooth and fluffy in texture and tastes absolutely delicious but if you are a buttercream fan than you would be slightly disappointed to know that fondant is completely opposite of buttercream.

The structure of fondant is quite like that of the play-dough. It is basically a sugar paste which can be rolled out on the cake to be used as a form of icing. Fondant is majorly used in professional cakes and can be utilized to create sculptures for cake decorations too. Thanks to the constantly changing food culture, now you can prepare fondant at home too.

You should also know that you need perfection in preparing the fondant. But when you cover your cakes with fondant instead of traditional buttercream, they can last for days in the fridge without getting spoilt at all. In this section, you are going to discover types, recipes and a lot more about the cake fondant.

Types of Cake Fondant

Rolled Fondant

The first type of fondant is the rolled fondant which is also the most common type of fondant used for cakes. The rolled fondant recipe is easy to create which is basically rolling out a sugar dough prepared along with other ingredients to give stretchy and smooth texture to the fondant. Make sure to use the rolled fondant when it is soft as it becomes dry with time.

Pourable Fondant

Pourable fondant is completely different from the rolled one having a glaze like consistency. As the name suggests, it is poured over the cake and after a while it sets on the cake and becomes a bit firm but gives a really nice and smooth surface. You can use the pour-able fondant on cookies and cupcakes too.

Sculpting Fondant

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Sculpting fondant is the next type which is also known as the decorating fondant. If you want to learn how to make fondant icing decorations, then this is the kind of fondant you will be dealing with. It is thicker and heavier than other types of fondant having stiffer consistency. This is the reason that it can be sculpted into desired shapes easily.

Ready to Use Fondant

If you are a complete newbie at learning how to make cake fondants, then you would want to start with mixing ready to use fondant with the homemade one. This is simply a store bought fondant which removes the need of making one at home. You just need to microwave it a bit and it will be ready to use. You can roll it on the surface to use it like a rolled fondant.

6 Must Try Fondant Recipes

Simple Fondant Recipe Without Gelatin

The most basic recipe of fondant usually includes gelatin. However, if you want to learn how to make fondant without gelatin then this recipe is for you. The recipe uses marshmallows which gives a really nice taste and smell to the fondant and makes it sticky and stretchy too. You can learn more through the recipe given below.

What You Need:

  • 900gms powdered sugar sifted
  • 450gms marshmallows
  • 560gms of ready to use store bought fondant
  • 2tbsp warm water
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening

How to Make It:

  • Place the vegetable shortening into a stand mixer bowl.
  • Now, heat marshmallows for 40 seconds in microwave and stir and then heat for another 30 seconds and stir and then repeat it for another 30 seconds too.
  • The marshmallows should be ooey-gooey at this point. Now, add water into the marshmallow bowl.
  • Pour this mix into the mixing bowl with the vegetable shortening.
  • Now, mix half of the amount of sugar one cup at a time and mix this on lowest setting until the mixture starts sticking to the sides.
  • Add the remaining amount of sugar and transfer this mix into a large bowl.
  • Microwave the ready to use fondant for 40 seconds and add with the homemade fondant and knead this mix until it becomes stretchy and smooth.
  • You can store it in a zip-lock bag for months. Just microwave it before the use and you are good to go.

Fondant Recipe with Gelatin

If you are someone who wants to go with the very basic and traditional recipe of fondant creation then you are going to love this gelatin based fondant recipe here. It is easy to make, affordable and perfect for home cooking experience. And not to forget, it also tastes good!

What You Need:

  • 1/4 cup of fresh whipping cream
  • 1 ½ cup of gelatin and 900gms powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp meringue powder and 2tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup or glucose syrup
  • 3tbsp unsalted butter or vegetable shortening
  • 1 ½ tbsp glycerin and ½ tsp salt

How to Make It:

  • Take a bowl and mix powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt in it.
  • Take another microwave safe bowl and add the cream in it. Now add gelatin and let it bloom for 2 minutes.
  • Microwave it for 30 seconds at high setting until the gelatin dissolves.
  • Now add corn syrup, glycerin and vanilla into the above mix and stir well.
  • Now, make a hollow in the center of the powdered sugar and add the liquid ingredients into it.
  • Start mixing it from center to outwards and finally add veg shortening or butter into it.
  • Knead it well to form a dough. Seal in zip lock bag for future use.

Pourable Fondant Icing Recipe

As we have already talked about the various types of fondant icing, you should know that pourable fondant is completely different from that of the rolled fondant. And if you want to learn that how to make cake fondant of various types then you should master this recipe also. You can also use the pourable fondant on cookies too.

What You Need:

  • 3 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 tbsp light corn syrup
  • 4 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp clear vanilla extract

How to Make It:

  • Take a medium saucepan and mix sugar, corn syrup and water into it.
  • Place this saucepan on medium-low heat and keep on stirring until the icing reaches the temperature of 100 F.
  • Remove the saucepan from the heat and mix vanilla extract in it.
  • Once this mixture cools down a bit (not completely), you can pour it over cakes and cookies and it will set with time.

Decorating and Sculpting Fondant Recipe

So, we have talked about the fondant recipes which are generally used as icing for cakes. However, this one here is a recipe for sculpting or decorating fondant which is different in texture from the traditional fondant icing. You can use this type of fondant to create various shapes and styles to decorate your cake in whichever way you want.

What You Need:

  • 1 tbsp gelatin
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1 pinch cream of tartar and food coloring (both optional)

How to Make It:

  • Take water in a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle gelatin on it.
  • Heat it for 30 seconds so the gelatin get dissolved completely.
  • Now, take a large bowl and combine sugar, cornstarch and optional cream of tartar in it. Make a well in the center of this mixture.
  • Add the gelatin water into this well and mix it with wooden spoon.
  • Now, start kneading with your hands. You may grease your hands to avoid the stickiness of the dough.
  • Your sculpting fondant is ready to use now.

Simple Buttercream Fondant Recipe

This is actually really difficult to make homemade fondant which is good in taste. Generally, they have this really sweet yet not so pleasant taste which can spoil your entire cake. So, if you are looking for a replacement then this buttercream fondant recipe is going to come handy for you. It tastes quite like the traditional buttercream and the rolled fondant gives great professional look to the cake at the same time.

What You Need:

  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 900gms confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
  • 1 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1/2 tsp salt

How to Make It:

  • Take a large bowl and stir the corn syrup and vegetable shortening together in it.
  • Now, add the salt and vanilla extract into it and then start mixing the confectioner’s sugar slowly into it.
  • Make sure to use dough hook attachment and mix until it becomes a stiff dough. You can also knead with hands if you want.
  • The buttercream fondant is ready. You can roll it out on a flat surface to make a icing for your cake.
  • This fondant can also be used to create simple shapes and decorations too.

Chocolate Fondant Recipe

Who doesn’t like anything with chocolate flavor? So, we brought a chocolate recipe for you which is literally game changing for all the bakers. It is super easy to make and you have the option to create it with dark, milk and white chocolate too. You will definitely need a lot of patience while creating it for the first time but you will love it for sure.

What You Need:

  • 450gms marshmallows
  • 2 tbsp water and ½ cup veg shortening
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped chocolate and 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt and 2 tbsp light corn syrup
  • 900gms powdered sugar

How to Make It:

  • Combine the marshmallow and water in a greased microwave safe bowl.
  • Heat it for 1 minute and then stir well. Make sure to use 30 seconds intervals for it.
  • Now, take another bowl and combine cocoa powder, chocolate, salt and corn syrup into it. Microwave it for 1 minute in 30 seconds interval until the mixture becomes smooth.
  • Add veg shortening to chocolate mix and stir well.
  • Add this mix into marshmallow mix and stir until the mixture becomes uniform in consistency.
  • Add half of the powdered sugar and mix well.
  • Pour the remaining sugar and knead it with hands.
  • You can grease your hands to avoid sticking the mixture. Your dough will be ready after kneading for a while.

Essential Tools for Making Fondant

Cutters

Cutters always come in handy when you want to create numerous shapes on your sculpting fondant. For this, any clay shape cutter or cookies cutter will work. You can buy this set of 15 shape cutter on www.flipkart.com for Rs.195

Drying Moulds

Source www.amazon.in

Now you know how to make cake fondant, you should also learn about molding and shaping it. Once you have created various decorative pieces out of the fondant like flowers, you can use the molds for drying them. Buy this set of 6 fondant drying molds on www.amazon.in for Rs. 350

Fondant Smoother

Source www.amazon.in

A fondant smoother is essential for adjusting the fondant over the cake seamlessly. In fact, a cake turntable is equally important to bear the weight of cake and fondant . So, you can buy this combo of cake turntable and fondant smoother on www.amazon.in for Rs.378

Sculpting Tools

Sculpting the fondant with fingers is quite impossible as you cannot shape all the designs with them. This is why you need sculpting tools to give various designs to the fondant. For this you can buy this set of 8 sculpting tools on www.bakewala.com for Rs.210

Tips for Working with the Fondant

So you have learned how to make cake fondant but for a beginner, there are some tips to follow. Fondant is difficult to deal with as compared to normal icing and hence these tips are going to come handy for you.

The Working Surface Must be Clean

The working surface for kneading and rolling the dough must be clean. Even a tiny bit of dirt can spoil the smoothness of the fondant making it look scaled and withered. So, make sure to wipe the surface with clean cloth before rolling the fondant on it.

Do not Roll Larger Fondant than Required

Always roll the fondant according to the size of the cake. Rolling extra large fondant will make it more complex to work with and it might also break down from the middle while transferring on the cake.

Never Transfer the Fondant Using your Fingers

Always use a rolling pin to transfer the fondant on the cake. Your fingers can leave marks on the fondant and can also cause cracks on it. You can use both your arms for the support.

Always Color the Fondant Early

We would recommend you to color your fondant a day or two ahead of time. This will help the food coloring to deepen in the fondant and the color will come out evenly on all spots.

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From our editorial team

Add that X-Factor to your Homemade Cake With these Amazing Fondant Recipes

There you have it. All the pre-requisites which you need to add that spark to your cake! Put on your baking gloves and make your cake stand out from the rest by these must-try fondant recipes.