Homemade Fondant / Sugarpaste Recipe

I know, I know, this has been a long awaited post. I apologize.

Ever since I posted my video on how to cover a cake with fondant I have received countless emails asking me for my fondant recipe.

I have sent it to a few resulting in a lot of questions - how to? and what to do?....
that is why I decided; not to just give you the recipe but show you how I do it.
I have tried to be very elaborate and tell you in detail every thing about my fondant, so read this post and the notes below carefully.

Now, I'd definitely  like to advertise my recipe but don't want to mislead you either.
I know that in my video it looks as if this fondant is more easy to work with.
It does have more elasticity then store bought fondant but you will still need practice at working with it.

Big Advantage: One good thing about this fondant is that because it has good elasticity you can roll it out really thin there by using a nice thin layer of fondant. I personally don't like a thick layer so it's a big plus for me. Also when you place it on your cake it doesn't break easily but stretches instead.

Why did I come up with this recipe?
When you live in a place where the weather in summer is really hot and humid, the luxury of coating the outside of your cake with lots of buttercream is almost impossible. (especially because I use an all butter buttercream).

As such, I had to find a way to ensure my fondant is as good as my buttercream and that people could eat it rather than peel it away.

I started experimenting with the regular homemade fondant recipe that is made with water. I started off initially just by replacing milk for water then replaced the milk with cream and so on and so forth. I know there are a couple of fondant recipes that use cream but due to the heat and humidity in Israel, it just freaked out  and was almost impossible to roll especially in summer.

Over time with some additions and subtractions I have finally reached this formula that works best for me, both in summer and winter.

Less sweet? I can't say that this recipe is less sweet, after all it's sugar paste but it uses less powdered sugar compared to the standard recipe.  If you read the ingredients you will see that the quantity of butter is high, making it a lot more tastier. The meringue powder besides adding firmness also adds to the flavor of the fondant. I'd had customers who comment that they find it tastier than other fondants.  But, I"ll let you be the judge of that.

Note: If you need a white fondant then use a white gelatin, and veg shortening instead of butter.
If you want to make this Parve - use non-dairy liquid creamer and Veg shortening instead of butter.


Recipe Ingredients
This recipe makes about 1 Kg plus/minu Fondant. (depending on the amount of powder sugar)

1/4 cup fresh whipping cream (or non-dairy liquid creamer)
1 1/2 tbsp gelatin
1/2 tsp meringue powder
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 tbsp butter or Veg shortening.
1 1/2 tbsp glycerin
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp Vanilla or other flavoring.
Approximately 900 grams to 1 kg powdered sugar. (450 grams makes 1 Pound)

Method:
Have all your ingredients ready.

Place about 700 grams of powder sugar in a bowl.

Add the cream to the gelatin in a microwave safe bowl and let sit for about 2 minutes until it blooms like so.
Place in the microwave on high for one minute, stir well to ensure it's dissolved.
If necessary place back in the microwave for a further 20 to 30 secs. The mixture will be very cloudy.

 Next, stir in the corn syrup and mix well.

Next, add in the butter.
The heat in the gelatin mixture should be enough to melt the butter if not place back for about 10 secs more.
Its not necessary that the butter has to be completely dissolved, a few small pieces are fine.
If the mixture is hot it will melt the sugar and you will end up using excess sugar resulting in a dry fondant.

 Now, add in your glycerin, salt, meringue powder & Vanilla. Mix well.

If you already know what color you want for your fondant you can go ahead and add your gel color at this point.
Make a well in your powdered sugar and start mixing from the center out wards.

Make sure you get all the sugar mixed well.This looks dry but it not, there are still wet pockets and the meringue powder is still blooming in the sugar, So make sure you knead well and do not add more sugar.

Once you have a dough formed, transfer to a flat surface and knead. If you feel the mixture is dry add a tbsp of butter or Vegetable shortening to your hands and knead.

I suggest you do not add any more powdered sugar at this point even if the mixture appears a big sticky (not too sticky). Knead it well though.

Wrap in plastic or cling wrap and leave in the fridge overnight to rest.

When ready to use. Remove from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
Once at room temperature, knead well until soft but not sticky. At this point you can add  more powder sugar if needed. (see notes below)

Here is my video on how to cover a  cake with fondant.Check out how thin my layer of fondant is, and not tearing or breaking.

This is a picture from my car cake video tutorial..!You can watch how thin I roll my fondant in this video too.

Notes:

1. I usually use only 700 grams of powder sugar and let the dough rest overnight. Once the gelatine and meringue powder sets you will have a better understanding of weather you need more sugar. 
2. In summer I usually might need about 100 to200 grams more sugar but
   In winter its almost always just enough sugar. The above recipe is made now in winter as you can see its just right. 
3. If you need to make different colors for your fondant, work in batches by dividing the mixture and the powder sugar. For example I just made a green and orange yesterday. So divided the sugar into two approximately and the mixture into two and then worked with them separately. Once you get a hang of it the dough is quite forgiving. 
4. If the fondant is hard and difficult to knead, use some veg shortening on your hands and add a tsp of glycerin. It usually works well. 
5. If  the fondant is still too soft, then add more powder sugar.
6. Once you've put fondant on your cake, I rub a small dab of veg shortening on my cake and spread it around lightly, then take a damp (not wet) paper hand towel rub it on the fondant gently.
   It works to give a nice smooth finish as well as prevents any cracking.
   Let the fondant dry before you start decorating. 

Storage: 
Regular Fondant can last for months if kept properly. The high quantity of powder sugar works as a preservative. This fondant at room temperature for about a month on the counter. I usually portion mine into 1 kg / 2 pound bags.
Having said that, in the interest of safety If you are not using your fondant it's best to keep it in the fridge rather than on the counter especially in summer months.

You can place them in the fridge for up to 3 month. If you need to keep it longer store it in the freezer. Just take it out a couple of hours or the night before you need it so it can come to room temperature.

Being a cake decorator my fondant doesn't usually stay long. I make a couple of batches in one month. So if you do any information to share please put a comment at the bottom of this post so it will help the other users.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, Please feel free to give me feedback. Please do give me the credit I deserve should you share my recipes with others.

< Please Note: This blog is free of any obligations. If you would like me to continue making more tutorials for free please contribute showing you value my time and efforst. You are free to use all tutorials for personal use. Please do not re-produce or re-distribute the same without permission.

Until next time, happy cake decorating

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