Shark Bait - Homemade Marshmallow Fondant

About 2 weeks ago I was telling you all that I had been asked to help with a friend's graduation cake. We did homemade cakes and even made the fondant for it. I've made fondant before and many people are surprised and have this idea that it's really complicated.

Well let me just say now that it's not....it really really is not hard. 

So i put together a little tutorial on how I make it to show you how easy it can be.

And how fun it is to play around with.

 I like marshmallow fondant a lot better than regular store bought fondant. It has a few drawbacks but it tastes sooooooo much better. 

Homemade Marshmallow Fondant
My instructions are for making the fondant mostly in a Kitchen Aid mixer. You can do it all on the counter with your own hands (i've done it many times) but it makes a much bigger mess....but it's a fun mess.
Also, marshmallow fondant is best made the day before you'll be using it. 

 You'll need: some crisco (to grease your table or countertop) 
                     16 oz bag of mini marshmallows (i like Jet Puffed the best)
                     1 tsp vanilla
                     2 lb bag of powdered sugar

 Put your powdered sugar in a bowl and wisk it to get rid of any clumps. You can use a sifter of course....if you have one...that's one of those kitchen tools I keep meaning to get and keep forgetting about until I need it.

 Have a bowl with some room temp water and a 1/4 c measuring cup.

 Grease the inside of your mixer really well...don't forget the kneading hook...it needs grease as well.

 

Grease your countertop or table top (this is my table...i like that it's a little lower and easier to work on)

 

 Put about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar in the bottom of your mixer. This will help the fondant come together a little better and the marshmallow mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the mixer so bad.

 Put your marshmallows, 1 tsp vanilla and 1/4 c water in a bowl. Then microwave it for 1 min 30 sec. What you're going for here is to get your marshmallows totally melted but you don't want to overheat them or they will harden. I have found that 1m 30s works well. If you're concerned you can stop at 1m and mix it....if the marshmallows don't completely melt stick it back in for another 15s or so.

 This is what it will look like coming out of the microwave. See how the marshmallows are mostly just puffed up. They will melt the rest of the way as you stir it. 

 This is what you want it to look like....smooth...no clumps of marshmallow. 
If the whole recipe of fondant will be the same color you can add the food coloring now (i recommend the wilton color pastes). If not, i'll show you where to add it later.

 Pour that lovely mixture into your mixture and slowly add you powdered sugar. Make sure to mix on a low speed or you'll end up with a powdered kitchen (not fun to clean up by the way)

It will look crumbly for the first few minutes but don't worry it will get smooth...just be patient.

It's ready to come out when it's got a nice smooth finish. Remember though, it will still be warm and soft...be careful when pulling it out of the mixer.

 Plop that blog of yumminess on the greased surface and knead for a minute or to. Your really don't have to knead much because you're mixer will have done most of this but it's a good way to see if there are any clumps that need to be smoothed out.

Plus, it's kinda fun....it's like edible play-do for grownup.

 At this point you can color it before wrapping it up. The color will intesify some as it sits overnight and it's a little easier to do now then the next day.

 You'll wrap that yummy ball well in plastic wrap...you don't want any air to hit it or it will dry out....and dried out fondant is no fun.

Place it in a ziploc bag for extra security and let it sit in your fridge until the next day. Fondant that has sat for a day is just easier to roll out and work with. 

The next day.....have some fun. You'll need to lightly dust the surface you're rolling on with powdered sugar (or cornstarch). Not too much or it'll make your fondant dusty looking. Also, if it's a warm day leave what you're not working with in the fridge. It will start to get tacky as it warms up when you're working with it and will be more likely to stick and break (and make you very very angry).

 This was the finished cake for her graduation party. We used sugar sheet on the middle layer (it was kind of a pain...another story for another day)
I was really happy with how it turned out.

And this is the bitter sweet moment when the beauty is eaten...at least it tastes good.
 
Now go and play with your own homemade marshmallow fondant.... if you do, let me know how it goes!