Faux Fondant

On my last foodie bus trip, a co-foodie shared a recipe for faux fondant that she learned in a class she took.  I love the look of a fondant cake but do not like the pricey bland tasting traditional fondant.  She said to try this faux fondant by using marshmallows of all things.   I thought I would share it with Halloween coming in case you are brave enough to give it a try and take on the challenge of a simple cake like this one.

Here is her recipe:

1 16 oz. bag on miniature marshmallows

2 lb. powdered sugar

2 tbs. gum paste mix

1 tbs. clear extract or flavoring of your choice (you can use almond to give a more traditional taste if you like)

Crisco shortening (to coat your hands when mixing).

Place marshmallows in a microwave safe bowl.  Heat them for 1 minute.  Stir and add your extract or flavoring. If not completely melted, heat at 20 second intervals until you can stir it and it is very smooth. Do not overheat, the marshmallows will blow up. They will swell up and double in size so make sure your bowl is large enough.

Pour powdered sugar in a large bowl. Mix in the gum paste mix. Create a well in the center. You want to make sure that when you pour the marshmallow mixture into the bowl, it does not touch the sides.  It should sit in the bottom of the well.

Pour the marshmallow mixture into the sugar bowl. Coat your hands with shortening. Begin to bring the sides of the sugar into the marshmallow mixture. Slowly add the sugar into the mixture. Eventually you will have a dough. If too sticky, you can add more powdered sugar.

Continue to knead the dough until it is a fondant texture. If you are not going to be using it right away, store it in Saran Wrap or a Ziploc bag. Make sure you create an airtight seal. It should last about 2 - 4 weeks.

To create colored fondant, just add some food gel color into center of fondant. Knead the fondant until all the fondant is the color you desire.

Now, you're ready to roll it out and decorate!

You may decorate cookies, cakes or what ever your heart desires with this. To decorate a cookie, use the same cookie cutter that you made your cook with and cut out the fondant.  Brush some water on the cookie before placing the fondant and it acts like glue.

In decorating a cake, you may also cut out the shapes with a cookie cutter to decorate your cake or you can, using a ruler or yard stick, cut out strips to stripe your cake or make ribbons like this simple ribbon cake.  You can also place real flowers or real ribbon on the cake and remove it when you are ready to cut it.

Start simple and work your way up.  The balls are made with a piped butter cream frosting.

You can play with your food no matter what your mama told you.  Be happy and may God bless you and yours.