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When my daughter was born, I decided that I wanted to learn how to decorate cakes for all her birthdays. I took a bazillion classes and made tons of cakes for family and friends including several wedding cakes. Over the years, I’ve mastered how to make my own homemade fondant. Mostly because I hated the taste of store bought fondant. If you think you don’t like fondant, then give this recipe a try. It really is delicious and totally worth the ten minutes it takes. Besides making your own is a fraction of the cost of store bought. In addition to the recipe, I’m starting to make some videos {thank you Janice for encouraging me}.
Homemade fondant can be used in the same ways as traditional store bought. You can make flowers, cover cakes, decorate cupcakes, and make other decorations for cakes with it. The best part is that it tastes amazing!
Have you ever considered making your own fondant? Not only does it taste better {have I mentioned yet that it tastes better}, it is so much easier to work with. I have bought boxes of fondant that had to be worked for 30-60 minutes before I could use them. I’ve bought boxes of fondant that were rock hard and useless. I know my fondant will be perfect when I need it and if it’s a bit too stiff, I throw it in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds and it loosens right up.
Okay, friends…..this is my first video EVER. I hope you like it, so please give it a thumb’s up and share it with anyone you think would like it. {I promise not to beg for likes every time!} Of course, follow my youtube channel so you don’t miss new videos when I post them. I have several in the works and I don’t want y’all to miss a thing!
How to Make Homemade Fondant (plus a video)
This homemade fondant is a marshmallow fondant that tastes delicious!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces miniature marshmallows (4 cups not packed)
- 1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups), plus extra for dusting
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup shortening
- Food coloring and/or flavored extracts, optional
Instructions
- Place the marshmallows and the water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, until the marshmallows are puffy and expanded. Stir the marshmallows with a rubber spatula until they are melted and smooth. (If some unmelted marshmallow pieces remain, return to the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until the marshmallow mixture is entirely smooth and free of lumps.)
- If you want colored or flavored fondant, you can add several drops of food coloring or 3/4 tsp extract/flavorings at this point and stir until incorporated. If you want to create multiple colors or flavors from one batch of fondant, do not add the colors or flavors now.
- Add the powdered sugar and begin to stir with the spatula. Stir until the sugar begins to incorporate and it becomes difficult to stir. Dust counter or a large cutting board with powdered sugar. Scrape the marshmallow-sugar mixture out onto the prepared work surface. It will be sticky and lumpy, with lots of sugar that has not been incorporated yet (this is normal).
- Dip your hands in shortening and coat well. Begin to knead the fondant mixture like bread dough, working the sugar into the marshmallow with your hands. Continue to knead the fondant until it smoothes out and is no longer sticky. Add more sugar if necessary, but stop adding sugar once it is smooth--too much sugar will make it stiff and difficult to work with.
- Once the fondant is a smooth ball, it is ready to be used. You can now roll it out, shape it, or wrap it in plastic wrap to use later. Well-wrapped fondant should be placed in a ziptop baggie and stored in a cool room or in the refrigerator. It will need to be kneaded until supple before later use.
- If you want to add several colors or flavors to your fondant, flatten it into round discs; one for each color you plan to use. (Note: you might want to wear gloves to avoid getting food coloring on your hands) Add your desired amount of coloring or flavoring to the center of the disc, and fold the disc over on itself so that the color or flavor is enclosed in the center of the fondant ball. Begin to knead the ball of fondant just like you did before. As you work it, you will see streaks of color coming through from the center. Continue to knead until the streaks are gone and the fondant is a uniform color. Your fondant is now ready to be used or stored.
- Watch the Video
- © Around My Family Table
I tried another recipe first and the fondant was so dry and wouldn’t come together, then I tried your recipe and it turned out great! I didn’t use all of the sugar but just added it gradually like you recommended in the video! Thank you!
So glad to hear that you liked the recipe. Homemade fondant is so much better than store bought. w-
Hello, I might have missed it if it was already asked. I am making a mermaid cake that is covered in fondant circle cutouts. I know they will take a longtime to cutout. How far in advance can I make this fondant, and cutouts and best was to keep them before putting them on the cake without them cracking or looking messing up? This will be my first fondant cake and I have been reading trying to find the best way to do this.
How long will I have to wait for the fondant to harden?
Hi Eva, It really depends on what you are doing and the conditions in your house. A warm, dry house will harden faster than a cool, moist/humid house. If it’s just covering a cake in a thin layer it will harden faster than making a thick teddy bear statue. Also, it’s not going to harden as hard as something like gumpaste. I’ve had fondant take 2 weeks to harden when making a character. Hope this helps a little. w-
Can I make cupcake flowers with it and freeze them until the day of my party?
Hi! I’ve never frozen MMF and I’m not sure it would work. Your best bet would be to make and freeze the cupcakes individually (up to a month), make the buttercream frosting and store in the fridge (a week early), make the fondant a few days early and store (tripled bagged with air removed), then assemble the thawed cupcakes the night before you need them (or the day of). w-
Can you use tge marshmellow cream instead of marshmallows? Im trying to avoid the gelatin in it.
Thank you!
Hi Lara, I haven’t tried that and I’m not sure that it would work. There are vegan marshmallows you could try as well, but again I haven’t tried it. Let me know if you do try one of those and if they work. w-
Hi Wendy, Thanks for posting this video.My daughters 10th Birthday is coming up and she asked me to bake her a cake.We love to bake cupcakes:) Anyway, I just wrote down the list and watched your great video and I now know how to make a yummy fondant, thanks to you.Keep making these great vids and hope your following keeps being successful!
Ohhh…thank you so much! I’m so glad the video was helpful! w-
If you want to use different colors what do you do?
You would add a couple drops of gel coloring and mix it in by hand as you would any other fondant. If you need multiple colors, just separate the fondant into sections and mix each one separately.
Sorry, this is my first time making fondant so I didnt know
Totally fine! 🙂 I hope that helps. w-
I have always made some pretty elaborate cakes but have never used fondant bc it tastes terrible and is so expensive so getting the cakes just right has always been sooo difficult and time consuming. My daughters birthday is 2 days before Christmas and of course she absolutely loves My Little Pony and wants to have a pony cake. Is the fondant strong enough to shape balloons and ponies?? I’ve always used melted starburst but you probably know that it is extremely easy to get burned very badly on melted taffy.
Hi! It should hold up for the decorations. As you know, it can take a week or two for decorations to harden and need support while hardening. Honestly, I would cover my cake with MMF, but use a store bought fondant for any decorations that need to be shaped and hardened…no one is going to eat them, so I’d just use the cheap stuff for those. Then make fresh MMF when it’s time to cover the cake. w-
Hi, I end up not being able to fit all of the sugar in, what am doing wrong
Hi Darlene, if it’s just a little left that’s totally okay. It could be the humidity in the air, the brand of sugar, anything. As long as you get most of it worked in then you’re good. w-
Hi Darlene,
That’s because 4 cups of sugar is equal to 2 pounds not 1 pound. I use 4 cups for a 16 ounce bag of marshmallows.
I tried this and it came out very beautifully, thank you for sharing.
So glad you loved it Anna. 🙂 w-
How long will the stored fondant last in the refrigerator? I want toknow how long in advance I can make it. This will be my first time trying to make a mini hat and would like to use some of it for a try out.
I’d say it will last a week or so. Wrap it in plastic wrap very tightly and then place in a zip top baggie before putting in the fridge. Bring it back up to room temp and work it for a while to soften it back up. w-
This is awesome! Instead of kneading by hand do you get same results using a dough hook on a stand mixer?
I bet it would work to an extent Kati. However, at some point you will just need to get your hands dirty and knead it by hand. 🙂
I just wanted to say that I used the recipe to make a smash cake for my daughters one year old photos tomorrow and it was amazing! so much cheaper and better tasting then store bought fondant. Thank you so much! Will be using this recipe in the future. It was so easy!
So glad to hear that Erienne. This my favorite recipe. :). Happy birthday to your little one.
if you don’t have shortening can you still make it substitute it with something else? please message me asap I need help its for my daughters grad cake for this weekend for her party thanks
Oh yes, Leen…the shortening is just to keep it from sticking to your hands when you work the fondant. Try spraying your hands with non-stick cooking spray…it will work too!
I am definitely trying this for my sisters birthday cake! One question…if I make your recipe as is, how big of a cake will it cover? I’m just trying to determine if I need to make more than one batch!
Andi…the recipe will make enough to cover a 2-layer 8 inch cake, plus you will leftovers for decorations.
How long can the fondant be stored? Do you know if I use it to make cupcake decorations if I could store those already made? Thank You for your help, I am a fondant beginner!
Made it today and it turned out great! I had to add the crisco to the fondant to get it to stop sticking, but once I did that it worked out perfectly! Thanks Wendy!! 🙂 xoxo
Yeah Shawn! So glad you liked it..can’t wait to see your creation!
This is absolutely freakin amazing! I had heard that you could make your own but you make it look so easy with your super-fab video! Pinned so I can come back and watch you do it all again 🙂
Haha….thanks Trish! 😉
Thank you so much!! I have never used fondant, but I am making my youngest daughters 1st birthday cake this week, and I might just do this!! Very excited!
You are so welcome! This fondant is so easy and super easy to work with. Tag me on facebook, instagram, or twitter with your photo if you make it…I’d love to see what you do!
I’m so glad I watched! I’ve wanted to make my own fondant, but been kind of intimidated with it. You make it looks so easy!
It really is THAT easy Brandie! 🙂
I’m going to be making my son’s birthday cake this year and I can’t believe how easy it is to make fondant! Thanks so much for posting this and including a video, it really helped! (I’m a visual learner) (:
I’m so glad the video helps Aly. Good luck on your son’s cake!
Mmmmm. Tasty I have to try!
Thanks Brenda!
I love love LOVE making my own homemade fondant! It tastes amazing and it’s the only way to go! My recipe is really similar to yours and I’ll be sharing it on my blog in a few weeks too 🙂
Oh…I can’t wait to see your recipe Nicole!
I love your video. I have always wanted to learn to make fondant because you are right there are so many out there that taste AWFUL. Can’t wait to try this.
Ashley….this one is so good! Promise! 😉
This looks great. Will have to try this soon so I know what I am doing before hubbies birthday. Thank you for sharing.
Oh yes…you will impress hubby if you made this for his bday cake! 🙂
OMG! I cannot WAIT to try this!! I have always hated the taste of fondant and can’t believe how its used on such elegant cakes. Thank you, thank you!!!
You are so very welcome! It’s super duper easy!