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Rolled Fondant is a soft playdough-like cooked
sugar mass that is rolled out with a rolling pin, just like pie crust. It then
is draped over a cake, smoothed while pressing into place and trimmed. It gives
a smooth, soft matte and a porcelain-like finish, making it a popular choice to
cover wedding cakes with.
It is appealing as a cake
cover because it can be
decorated
on with royal or buttercream icing for the special event!
Many don't like its bland taste and leathery
texture, for some, takes some getting used to.
| See some
exquisitely covered Fondant covered and decorated cakes from famed designer,
Colette Peters
or others. |
Rolled fondant is made from a cooked candy recipe; the
mixture is cooked to the soft- ball stage, and after cooling, it is beaten and
kneaded until extremely pliable. It can be rolled right away, but it seems to
benefit by resting for several hours, preferably for 24 to 48 hours. Because it
dries out quickly, wrap tightly in plastic wrap (saran wrap brand) and place in
a well-sealed container to rest. If rested Fondant seems very stiff to roll out,
a few seconds in the microwave will soften it before using.
Rolled Fondant is versatile.
It can be tinted, flavored, modeled, formed,
twisted, imprinted, and cut out to form eyelet lace or other shapes to be placed
on a Fondant-covered cake. It can also can be topped with an additional layer
royal icing
or very white buttercream
frosting.
When used to cover a cake with, rolled fondant
is heavy and is best used on firm-textured ones, such as a
Fruitcake,
Buttercake or
Pound cake or any other with close-grained
texture, so they won't collapse under its weight. (I do
not suggest using an angel food or a
sponge cake, however,
when softer cakes are used, roll the Fondant a bit thinner.) You
can even make a cake from a mix and cover it with Fondant, as long as it, too is
firmly textured. Two favorites of mine are Duncan Hines or Pillsbury brand
mixes.
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Rolled Fondant is not as sweet as other
cake coverings, such as royal
icing, but has a lot of benefits over it: royal icing dries up solid
hard like rock candy and often chips during transportation of the cake while
Rolled Fondant does not. It can also
be a popular choice over a
Buttercream covered
cake, which tends to get smudgy and risks melting, especially in warm
weather, while Rolled Fondant does not. |
Before applying Fondant, a "sticky" surface must
be applied to the cake which will help the Fondant adhere to it.
With the covering underneath, guests can peel away
the Fondant if they don't care for it and still have glaze or icing to go with
the cake.
After the Rolled Fondant has been
applied and dried, it can be left as is or used as an
exquisite base for a variety of
decorations,
most commonly with wedding cakes. They
include impressions, airbrushing, crimping or even have a chocolate ribbon tied
around. It can be as simple as a 3-dot design with rose petals and buds to as
elaborate as the one with Gumpaste
flowers, lace and a fancy cake stand. Fondant can also be decorated with
ribbons and ruffles.
| When using
rolled fondant to make decorations from, roll it to 1/4- thick. Either place
them flat on greased (use shortening) wax paper or over forms to dry for 24
to 36 hours. Use
Royal Icing to adhere
fondant pieces to a rolled fondant iced cake and for the fine decorating
commonly used on wedding cakes. |
It is easier
to use Rolled Fondant on cakes that are 12-inches in diameter or smaller, that
are lower in height. Cakes baked in
contour pans,
or those with rounded edges, look best. If you are making a multi-tiered
wedding cake, cover each tier with
Fondant before stacking them on top of one another. For best results, stack just
before serving. Handled gently, the tiers, on a sturdy cardboard cake round, can
just be picked up and stacked — the Fondant won't smudge or smear.
Thanks for some great tips for
covering large cakes with fondant!
The most outstanding one was to roll out fondant for a huge cake
on 20-guage vinyl. I was surprised and relieved that the fondant
actually stuck to the vinyl when we turned it upside down over the cake,
so I was able to center it carefully before peeling it off the vinyl. (I
had a third person hold their hands out over the cake just in case the
fondant fell off - but it didn't.) What a joy! No excess
stretching or breaking! The huge cake turned out beautifully: smooth and
delicious, and was a big hit. Thanks again. Jacqui F. via email
Rolling large-size fondant on a shower curtain!
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| If the
cake to be covered with rolled fondant is homemade, it must be cooled
thoroughly. I like to give my cake layers a night's stay in the freezer,
which tightens the crumb. Make sure you defrost them in their wrappers
(plastic wrap and then aluminum foil) before applying the Fondant; the
wrappers will absorb the moisture from the cake during its defrosting. |
How far ahead you cover your cake with
Fondant depends on what type of cake, filling, icing, etc you use.
With a basic butter cake, I recommend covering it
no more than two to three days in advance of decorating and serving. That's
because a cake will only stay fresh that long and because Fondant is sugar
based, it's also how it can stand without breaking down from the moisture in the
cake. If you're using fruitcake, it's
probably been cured with alcohol, and it'd be fine to cover and decorate it well
in advance with no problem. If it is a fruit cake it must have marzipan first
and this should set for a day or two before putting on the Fondant. If you're
using a layer cake and/or perishable fillings or icings, then you need to do
everything just a day or two before the event, such as a wedding.
 Besides
Rolled Fondant, there is also
Rolled Buttercream that looks like same,
but has the delicious taste of
Buttercream. Some say one is
easier than the other, but its all a matter of preference. |
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Don't be tempted to substitute butter for the solid white shortening in a
Fondant Recipe.
The shortening actually blends better (without streaking) than the butter. |
Fondant dries quickly, so while working with it,
always keep excess well-wrapped in plastic, as well as the parts on the cake you
are not working on. (Saran wrap brand is the best to use because it is the only
non-permeable plastic wrap on the market).
Once wrapped, unrolled Fondant keeps for one to
two months at room temperature.
Do not refrigerate or freeze. If it gets too
hard, put it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften; it will be easier to
knead.
What's in a ROLLED Fondant Recipe? (Posted by
auzzi on Ask Sarah)
Wilton's Rolled fondant is a commercial formulation. The
ingredients and their balance ratios result in a product that is shelf-stable,
stores over time and achieves its commercial purpose.
Wilton™ Enterprises Pure White Rolled Fondant ingredients are sugar,
Glucose syrup, hydrogenated vegetable oil, Water, Glycerine, Corn starch, Gum
Tragacanth, carboxymethycellulose, Artificial vanilla flavor, Sodium acetate
acidic acid.
* LIQUID GLUCOSE [CORN SYRUP is a glucose syrup] helps prevent crystallization,
improves the texture and helps keep the product soft.
* HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL is a lubricant
* GLYCERINE helps prevent crystallization, retain moisture and prevent excessive
hardening
* CORNSTARCH natural gelling agent that creates a smooth or pulpy texture;
develops a soft or crisp coating
* GUM TRAGACANTH, CAROXYMETHYCELLULOSE [natural/synthetic food gums]
strengthens, hardens, dries the cake covering [GUM TEX is a trade-marked name]
* ACID: conditioners that strengthen the icing, sets the icing and speeds up the
drying process
What's in a Marshmallow Fondant Recipe? (Posted by
auzzi on Ask Sarah)
Marshmallow Fondant is a quick and easy approximation of the feel and
look of Rolled Fondant.
Marshmallow Fondant contains marshmallows [gelatin, granulated sugar,
water], powdered sugar, and water
Gelatin dissolved in water forms a gel that thickens, retains moisture,
binds and stabilizes a mixture to make a good texture formulation.
Sugar provides sweetness, strength and texture.
{Melting marshmallows, then adding water and sugar forms a sugar dough that can
be used in the same way as Rolled Fondant.}
 Q:
What happens if my stored Rolled
Fondant gets hard ? A:
You can fix it by processing it in a food processor or microwaving a few
seconds at a time. With my food processor, I fit mine with a
steel blade, break up the Fondant into chunks (if I can) and pulse it. I add
a few drops of hot water at a time. At first the Fondant will separate and
eventually it will come back together and soften. If it gets sticky, just
add a little confectioners' sugar, a little at a time and pulse the machine.
Then knead it by hand, and it should be soft and pliable again.
Be careful - too much microwaving to soften also breaks it
down. |
Rolled Fondant Problems with
Solutions:
When put on the cake, make sure the Fondant is smooth and has no bumps or
valleys. Use cornstarch or your hands to smooth the Fondant with.
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Fondant can be hard to work with at first; it's takes a lot of practice
getting it on the cake without tearing.
I have often taught
classes where I had my students practice rolling out Fondant and covering
the back of a cake pan to practice. Doing it this way, the rolled Fondant
can be gathered up, kneaded and re-rolled several times without being full
of crumbs. You may want to do this before attempting a real one. |
However, don't be alarmed if tiny cracks appear
in the surface of the Fondant; the warmth from the kneading or pressure from the
rolling pin will make it smooth and satiny. Water
dissolves Fondant, which is mostly sugar. Instead, use a bit of shortening on
your fingertips to repair small tears.
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Q:
My Fondant cracks. HELP !! A: Fondant
often cracks when applied to a cake and it happens for a number of reasons:
1.
The Fondant is too old and is starting to dry out.
You may have to soften it a bit
or start anew. Try kneading in some shortening to soften it;
2. When the Fondant hasn't been kneaded
well enough. After kneading, pinch a bit of fondant between your thumb and
forefinger and look and what squishes out. If you see cracks there, it needs
more kneading. If it's smooth, you're ready to cover your cake.
3. Cracking can be
caused if your fondant is rolled too thick. Fondant is heavy and if not
rolled thin enough (1/4" thick is best) the excess can pulled the fondant
from the top of the cake causing it to crack.
To cover a crack, try rubbing a little of the same Fondant
over the crack in a circular motion, then using a smother or your hands to
rub it in. |
If making chocolate Fondant, and the cocoa is
lumpy, process it in a food processor for a few seconds until powdery. If lumpy
cocoa is used it might not incorporated evenly into the Fondant, causing
problems.
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Q:
When putting the Fondant on my cake, it wrinkled. What should I do ?
A: Next time, make sure you trim off a little of
the excess on the bottom of the cake before smoothing it, and take your
time. If
your Fondant is too thick it will also tend to wrinkle.
To fix it, sometimes you may have to stretch
or compress the fondant to get it to lay properly. Gently unpleat an extra
pleats and smooth out with the palms of your hands. If you have a few seams
left that you can't get out, place them where they can be covered with a
border.
If Fondant pleats at the bottom, gently
unpleat and smooth out with the palms of your hands. With the palms of your
hands, rub slightly up on sides to form an even top edge.
When I did my first cake, it was rather tall
and I felt like my fondant was being stubborn! It took a little while of
gently smoothing and stretching with my hands, but eventually, the fondant
behaved. Just be patient. |
For valleys, make a
design of piped buttercream
over it or frost it with icing to cover; you won't see it.
If air bubbles form when applying the Fondant,
pierce them with a pin and smooth out.
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