Well, this was my very 1st EVERYTHING with fondant: My first time handling it, my first time making it and my first time tasting it. Yes, I admit it. I've NEVER tasted fondant before. I come from a world of whip cream fantasies and buttercream dreams. Even my wedding cake was made of buttercream. I was completely turned off by the idea of having Play-doh on a cake. I mean, that's what EVERYONE always said it tasted like. So, experimenting here and there with baking, in general and what not got me to thinking about the fact that if I want to become a professional cake decorator then I have to learn how to work with fondant. What better time than the present ,right?
Here's the recipe I used:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rolled-Fondant/Detail.aspx
Here is a tweaked, slightly cheaper version of the original w/ step by step photo's of course:
Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup corn syrup (Caro Syrup)
1 tablespoon glycerin
2 tablespoons shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Combine gelatin and cold water; let stand until thick.
Place gelatin mixture in top of double boiler and heat until dissolved.
Add glucose and glycerin, mix well.Stir in shortening and just before completely melted.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Mixture should cool until lukewarm. Place 4 cups confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in the lukewarm gelatin mixture.
Mix in sugar and add more a little at a time, until stickiness disappears.
Knead in remaining sugar.
Knead until the fondant is smooth, pliable and does not stick to your hands. If fondant is too soft, add more sugar; if too stiff, add water (a drop at a time). Use fondant immediately or store in airtight container in fridge. When ready to use, bring to room temperature and knead again until soft.
Whew.....okay, now that we've done that it's time to roll out this sucker and lay it on the cake.
The frosted cake
The fondant rolled out
The fondant on the cake (before trim)
The fondant on the cake (after trim)
Color being added to the leftover fondant
Colored fondant being cut into shapes
At some point, my hands became far too sticky so the step-by-step photo's had to cease for the better benefit of my camera, lol. Okay, don't laugh but....here's the finished product:
Well, needless to say, I've got ALOT of practice work ahead of me. Tomorrow I will post about my errors, mishaps, opinions of fondant and ways to possibly improve. In the meantime, I'm going to go finish celebrating my 2nd anniversary with my hubby!
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