I’ve never been a huge fan of fondant icing. It’s probably more of a texture thing than anything, but I prefer cake icings to be rich and creamy, and generally more smooth than fondant.

However, when it comes to decorating cakes, fondant can go to so many more places than regular icing, which is why I sought out a fondant recipe a little over a year ago, when I wanted to make a fondant box of crayons spill out onto the surface of a chalkboard cake.

I found this recipe, and was amazed at how easy it was to make!

The original recipe called for an entire bag of powdered sugar. That was way more fondant than I will ever need at one time, and so I’ve scaled it back appropriately. In fact, I’m including four columns of ingredient proportions, depending on how much fondant you think you’ll need.

If you only plan to make a little for decoration purposes (this is what I did for each color in my crayons) you would be wise to get this set of measuring spoons first, or something equivalent. These allow for precise measuring of very small amounts. A dash is 1/8 tsp, a pinch is 1/16 tsp, and a smidgen is 1/32 tsp.

Once again, this recipe contains shortening. I don’t like shortening as I don’t like hydrogenated fats, but I decided it was worth it for a once-in-a-great-while recipe. Maybe someday I’ll find a healthier substitute. If you know of one, please share!

One last note, if you’re making smaller amounts of several different colors, make each batch separately. It’s much harder to make the color uniform if you try to add color after the fondant has turned into dough.

Homemade Fondant
This recipe contains soy.

Ingredients

Directions

In a bowl, stir together the corn syrup, shortening, and coloring until smooth and uniform.

Mix in the salt and vanilla.

Gradually add the powdered sugar until you have a stiff dough.

Once the dough begins to clean itself from the sides of the bowl, transfer to a counter and knead in remaining sugar (or use the dough hook attachment if you have a stand mixer.) If the dough remains sticky, add more powdered sugar until it is smooth and no longer sticks.

 

Roll out the fondant between two layers of waxed paper until approximately 1/8 inch thick.

 

 

 

This was a “Large deco” sized batch

Cut into shapes, if desired, and then chill in the fridge (still between waxed paper) until ready to use.

This batch was actually halfway between “8-9″ round” and “Large deco.” And it still frosted a 9″ round just fine, although I rolled it pretty thin

Fondant must be chilled to hold its shape–small shapes, in particular, will tear if you try to move and shape them at room temperature.

You MUST have a layer of regular frosting on the cake for the fondant to stick. Just use your favorite, whether homemade or from a jar.

Remove fondant from the fridge and carefully remove the top layer of waxed paper. Gently lift entire sheet of fondant from under the waxed paper and flip it over onto the frosted cake.

Smooth from the middle and down the sides, trimming and overlapping where necessary. Don’t be afraid to patch any tears with pieces of trimmed fondant.

Remove embellishments from the fridge and carefully place on the cake in desired positions.

Store any excess in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.

Enjoy your cake! Fondant can be used to make all sorts of fun frosting shapes!

I originally found this recipe here.

Linking up at Allergy Free Wednesdays and Gluten Free Fridays

What sort of frosting do you prefer on cakes?