How to Make Fondant

We are all familiar with traditional wedding cakes and how they become the centerpiece in that glorious occasion. Many are often awestruck as they observe the subtle flawlessness of the icing on that layered cake. The icing you see on the cake is known as fondant. This layer of icing gives any cake that distinct flavor and texture. It also furnishes the cake with a professional appeal. Fondant recipes are a bit difficult to follow and the icing itself can prove to be quite a challenge to perfect.

Challenging Pastry Chefs

Even if you have fondant recipes right in front of you, correctly making one will still prove to be quite a challenge to anyone’s culinary skills. Correctly heating the sugar mixture will be the key to the success in making a perfect fondant. You see, if you overheat the sugar it will tend to be quite gritty and dull.

Using the Right Amount of Heat

However, if you heat the sugar mixture just right then you will get the well anticipated results. Small sugar crystals will then be formed. These small crystalline sugars will give your fondant that typical silky appearance. This task is so difficult that even some pastry chefs would opt to just buy pre-made mixtures instead of following the steps detailed in a fondant recipe.

Keeping the Consistency

Another issue a chef has to cope with is keeping the consistency of certain ingredients in a fondant recipe. For example, you have to strictly follow the specified amount and ratio of cream of tartar or glucose whenever you have to make them. Adding too much of these said ingredients would make the fondant too stiff and almost impossible to work with. However, if you use too little you won’t get that dough like consistency and frosting.

Fondant Recipes

If you are brave enough and persistent enough, you may be able to master the process of making fondant. Of course, there is more than one recipe to make fondant. As mentioned earlier, in order to get better results be sure to follow the instructions in the recipe to the letter. Be strict when it comes to measuring how much of each ingredient to use. Examples of the recipes you might want to practice on are Marshmallow Fondant, Uncooked Fondant, Fondant Cake, Rolled Fondant, and Fondant Cake Using Gum Paste.

Materials and Ingredients

The materials and ingredients you will need will depend on the recipe you are using. You will basically need some confectioner’s sugar, water, shortening, food coloring, marshmallows (depending on the recipe), gelatin, and glucose. Take note that some ingredients will be unique to certain recipes.

Tips

Here are a few things you should keep in mind while following the instructions laid out in a fondant recipe. Our first tip is to make sure that everything is at room temperature. If things get too hot or too cold it will not work too well with the dough. Next, remember that it’s better to have a little too much icing than having too little fondant. Our last tip is that you should always work on a smooth surface. Be sure to remove all your jewelry and roll up your sleeves if they’re too fluffy.