Basic Fondant

Fondant is made by supersaturating water with sucrose (sugar). At room temperature, water can only hold so much sugar. When heated to its boiling point, however, it can hold over twice as much. The best fondant is made by boiling water and sugar together until it forms a soft ball. Cream of tartar is sometimes added for extra stability. Once it’s ready, you can then thin it out more with corn syrup to make poured fondant. Or you can roll into sheets to produce rolled fondant for decorating cakes, etc. Rolled fondant is often used to make flowers and other cake decorations. You can also paint fondant and write on it with edible ink markers.

There are different types of fondant, including rolled fondant, poured fondant (for pouring into molds), chocolate fondant, sculpting fondant, marshmallow fondant and gumpaste fondant. Marshmallow fondant is by far the easiest fondant recipe to make at home and requires only three ingredients — marshmallows, water and powdered sugar!

The Three Main Types of Fondant

Rolled Fondant is malleable, and with practice, fairly easy to manipulate. It is primarily used to cover cakes. After applying to a cake, it firms up slightly, but is still very much sliceable. It rolls out very smooth, and creates a beautiful appearance on the outside of a cake (not to mention, it’s the perfect edible canvas for other decorations). It can be cut, molded, and formed in tons of ways to create decorations for cakes. It’s flavor is mild—basically just sweet. Assuming you don’t mind the way it tastes, it generally “goes” with just about any cake flavor you like. There’s an easy-to-make homemade version known as marshmallow fondant. It mimics the commercially made stuff using ingredients like marshmallows, confectioners’ sugar, shortening, corn syrup, and water. I actually think marshmallow fondant even tastes a little bit better, but it also isn’t as shelf stable as commercially made rolled fondant. It can also take a bit of practice to get the right consistency to make it as easy to handle.

Peppermint patties and buckeyes are made with Confectionary fondant. Confectionary fondant can be made by cooking sugar and manipulating it to encourage crystallization, which gives it the signature creamy texture. But there’s also an easy-to-make, totally uncooked confectionary fondant that’s made by combining fat (like butter or shortening) with a high ratio of confectioners’ sugar. You’ve likely encountered confectionary fondant when you see anything marked “cream” or “buttercream” in your favorite box of chocolates. Also, cordials, chocolate-covered cherries, and other candies with liquid centers are made by coating another filling or piece of fruit in a cooked fondant. At first, it sets firm enough for the candy to be easily dipped. Then, once coated, the fondant breaks down to form a soft, liquid center. It’s a universal filling that can be easily flavored in a variety of ways.

Poured fondant is a glorious, fairly easy icing everyone should know about. For one, you’ve likely already eaten it. It’s the perfect, just-set icing on top of pastries, cookies, and cakes at your favorite bakeries—perhaps most identified as the all-over glaze atop petit fours. It’s fairly simple to make, requiring just confectioner’s’ sugar [not granulate sugar], corn syrup, and water. The ingredients are heated over a double boiler until fluid; if the temperature is kept below 100°F, the fondant will set with a lovely shine, though overheating it can make it a bit more dull, but doesn’t make it unusable or taste unpleasant in any way. When working with poured fondant, the baked goods are placed on a rack over a baking sheet, and the icing is poured over baked goods. Leftover icing can be reheated and reused. It sets beautifully—lightly shiny but dry to the touch and easy to handle.

Tips for Making Fondant

• Do not make fondant if it is humid. Fondant will absorb moisture from the air resulting in a soft and sticky candy.
• When making the sugar syrup, stir constantly over medium heat until all sugar crystals are completely dissolved. If sugar crystals remain in the syrup, they will encourage other sugar crystals to form causing your final candy to have a grainy, gritty texture. Once all sugar is dissolved, the syrup can be brought to a boil.
• Once all sugar has dissolved and the syrup has been brought to a boil, you should no longer stir or agitate the syrup.
• Do not insert the candy thermometer into the syrup until all of the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is boiling. This prevents undissolved sugar crystals from clinging to the thermometer and recrystallizing the syrup.
• If sugar crystals start to form on the sides of the pan, brush down with water or cover the pot so condensation can wash down the side of the pots and dissolve the crystals.
• Last safeguard against crystallization. Interfering agents are added during cooking to prevent the formation sugar crystals. The most common agents are lemon juice, vinegar, cream of tartar, and corn syrup.
• When pouring out the syrup, do not scrape the pot.
• The syrup needs to cool to 120F before you start to stir it, otherwise large sugar crystals could form giving the fondant a grainy texture.

Ripening Fondant

If you want to make flavored fondant candies, it is best to “ripen” your fondant for at least 12 hours to obtain the best flavor and texture. To ripen the fondant, place it in an airtight plastic container, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the fondant, and seal the lid on tightly. Ripen the fondant at room temperature, or if it is hot, in the refrigerator. After ripening, the fondant can be flavored, rolled, and shaped in whatever manner you wish.

Adding Coloring and Flavoring to Fondant

If you want to ripen the fondant prior to adding coloring and flavoring, see note above. If you need to use the fondant immediately, flatten it and place it back on a baking sheet in a warm (250 F) oven very briefly, just until the baking sheet feels warm. Knead the fondant and spread it out again and warm it briefly. Repeat until the fondant is warmed through and soft, but still holds its shape. You can now continue on to coloring and flavoring your fondant.

Dust your workstation with powdered sugar, and lightly press your fondant flat. Cut several slits in the fondant, and pour the flavorings (like extracts, melted and cooled chocolate, or fruit purees) and food coloring in the slits.

Dust your hands with powdered sugar and knead the fondant as you did before until the coloring and flavoring are evenly distributed throughout the fondant. It can now be used.