Archive for the ‘Frosting & Fondant’ Category

I had my first ever experience using fondant the other day. I wanted to make a cake for my husband’s birthday that looked like the logo for the Dharma Initiative (nevermind what that is, unless you are a LOST fan). The point is, I needed fondant. I’d heard horror stories about the yucky taste of the Wilton fondant and how hard it is to work with. I’d also heard that homemade fondant tastes better, but most of the recipes I’d found used ingredients like glucose or glycerin. Being new at this, I was feeling just a bit intimidated.

But then I came across the blog of a friend of mine. She makes cakes and had a recipe posted for a Marshmallow Fondant. I talked to her about it and she mentioned that it was pretty easy and reassured me that I could make this without too much trouble.

So I took the plunge.

Her recipe noted that chocolate (dark, milk, or white) could be added to make a chocolate fondant. That seemed interesting, but I was making a Carrot Cake, so I was wondering if I could add a cream cheese flavoring to the fondant. My google searches came up empty. But I risked it anyway (figuring marshmallows are cheap if I screw up).

So I modified her recipe to include a small amount of cream cheese.

The resulting flavor was very subtle, but it worked well with the cake. The fondant was also a bit stickier, but adding a bit more powdered sugar worked well.

So, first is the original recipe from Camille’s Cakes (slightly reworded). Then, my modification, Cream Cheese Fondant.

Marshmallow Fondant
8 oz. mini marshmallows
1 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 – 1 3/4 c powdered sugar
Crisco

Place marshmallows in a microwave safe bowl and add the water. Microwave in 20 seconds increments until they “puff up.” Go slowly. Stir in with a spoon until it’s all “soupy.” Add the powdered sugar. Knead it with the spoon until it’s all mixed well. Then you can knead it on a lightly greased (with Crisco) surface.

If you want to add color or flavoring to the fondant do so at the “soupy” stage.

Keep covered in an air-tight container so it doesn’t dry out. If it’s too hard to work with, stick it in the microwave for a few seconds (ten or so) and it softens right up, like playdough!

Variations:

Chocolate:
add 1 oz. melted chocolate
1 t. cocoa powder to basic recipe

White Chocolate:
add 1 oz. (maybe 1 1/4 oz.) good quality white chocolate, melted to basic recipe.

And this is my modification:

Cream Cheese Fondant
8 oz. mini marshmallows
1 Tbsp. water
1 oz. cream cheese
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups (approx.) powdered sugar
Crisco

Place marshmallows, vanilla, and cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and add the water. Microwave in 20 seconds increments until they “puff up.” Go slowly. Stir in with a spoon until it’s all “soupy.” Slowly add the powdered sugar. Knead it with the spoon until it’s all mixed well and no longer sticky. Then knead it on a lightly greased (with Crisco) surface until smooth.

*Note: The cream cheese seems to make this recipe a bit more sticky, thus the need for additional powdered sugar.

Store extra fondant in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature, microwaving a few seconds at a time as needed, before use.

Please note, I do not claim to be any type of fondant authority. This is just what worked for me.

On the Carrot Cake I made, I first frosted it with traditional cream cheese frosting, and then covered it with the cream cheese fondant. It taste of the fondant was sweet and a bit sugary and it blended well with the frosting layer beneath it. I don’t think that it would hold up as a cream cheese flavored topping on its own, but it didn’t detract from the carrot cake/cream cheese frosting flavor.

Also note: In the images above I used a chocolate fondant for the decal on the cake. I didn’t like the chocolate flavor with the cream cheese/carrot cake, so we ended up pulling off those pieces when we ate it. In retrospect I think I should have simply colored the cream cheese fondant. Next time.

Last but not least, I imagine at some point in my future I will try other types of fondant recipes just so I have something to compare, but in the meantime I think this is a great recipe worth trying and using. Thanks again Camille.

(I also came across a website with a similar – though slightly more complex – recipe. But they also have some good tips on covering the cake with the finished fondant.)

A few years ago I found a recipe for Carrot Cake that I LOVE! It’s pretty easy to make and very moist and yummy. I think that the addition of crushed pineapple is especially fabulous. The original recipe came from AllRecipies.com (Marc Boyer). I only changed a couple of things to suit my liking… pecans instead of walnuts, use of a different pan size — the cake really doesn’t need modifying. Its super delicious as it is.

Thanks Marc, for the fabulous cake!

My Favorite Carrot Cake

2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup flaked coconut
1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup chopped pecans (original recipe called for walnuts)
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour pan(s) — 9×13 inch or (2) inch pans. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk.

Stir in carrots, coconut, vanilla, and pineapple. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; gently stir into carrot mixture.

Stir in chopped nuts. Spread batter into prepared pan(s).

Bake for 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.

Cool completely before frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter or margarine, cream cheese, vanilla, and confectioners sugar.

Blend until creamy.

Cake can be removed from pan, or frosted while still in the pan as desired.