Fondant is a sugar icing which is very elastic and pliable. It is used in pastry making to decorate cookies, cakes or cupcakes. It is handled like clay. You can make endless shapes and figures with fondant, you just have to use your imagination. The word 'fondant' comes from French and means 'to melt', for its flexibility and versatility. The fondant can be bought in any shop specialized in baking items or you can make it yourself. There are several ways to make fondant at home but one of the simplest and most economical is to use marshmallows as the main ingredient. So in this OneHowTo article we show how to make fondant using marshmallows.
The first step to make fondant out of marshmallows at home is obviously to melt the marshmallows. If you want, you can make them yourself or buy them (they usually come in packs of 200g or 7.05 oz). Put the marshmallows in a bowl or microwavable container. So that they do not stick to the bowl you can rub some butter on the surface beforehand. Add a tablespoon of water and put the bowl in the microwave for 3 minutes (always watching it to prevent burning). It is advisable that the marshmallows be white so you can later alter the fondants color to a color of your choice. Remember you can also make your own marshmallows at home too.
When you take out the bowl from the microwave move the marshmallows with a spatula or spoon to make them melt completely. If they have not melted completely put them back in the microwave for one more minute so they are ready.
Once the marshmallows are ready, you can start to add the icing sugar. Add the icing sugar gradually so to make a better fondant texture. Start to mix the marshmallows and sugar with a spoon or spatula, and once it begins to take a solid form take it out of the bowl and work it with your hands to give shape to the homemade fondant. To stop the fondant from sticking, put your hands in icing sugar and sprinkle some on the working area.
When you've added all the icing sugar and the fondant dough is no longer sticking to your hands, make a ball and cover it with cling film. You can pre-coat the film with butter and powdered sugar so that the dough does not stick. Put the ball of fondant with its film into the fridge and leave it to rest for a full day.
After a day of rest, remove the dough from the refrigerator and knead it again. If you notice it is a bit hard put it in the microwave for a few seconds, this will soften it a little. All ready! You have your homemade marshmallow fondant ready to decorate whatever you want: cookies, cupcakes, cake... Just make sure you keep your fondant moist and it doesn't dry out.
If you want to use colour fondant just add the dye colour you want after step 2, when the marshmallows are in a melted state. I recommend you use a dye gel because liquid dye will make your mix more fluid and so you will have to add a little more icing sugar. This is a very simple recipe that you can use any time you want to make your own fondant with marshmallows. If you want to give your fondant some flavor, why not make white chocolate fondant?
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- The marshmallows must not be sugar coated.
- It is recommended that you use icing sugar, normal sugar will give the fondant a sandy texture.