Frosting, Fondant and cakes Oh My!

Have you ever wanted to be able to make custom cakes like the ones you see on TV?
It’s really not as hard as you think. Sure, you need patience and the willingness to learn. But if I can do it you can do it.
I am NOT a professional and I do not claim to be. I’m just a girl that found a hobby that kept her busy for a while. I did alot of poking around on the internet and reading tutorials on how to create things using clay. Yep CLAY. I just applied the techniques to fondant instead. It really is alot of fun to “play” with.
I haven’t made a cake like this in a while, but I think I might have to do so soon. Have a few birthdays coming up and I’m feeling pretty creative!

There are many recipes you can use for your cakes. What ever your favorite is, use that one.
Even tho you are using fondant to cover the entire cake, you need something for the fondant to stick to. I am very particular about my icing. My absolute favorite one is …

White Wedding Cake Icing
Makes 4 cups
Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup milk
8 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

Instructions:
Mix shortening, milk, vanilla, almond extract, and half of the powdered sugar with a mixer for 5-10 minutes. (it’s very important to mix this long)
Add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat just enough to mix in.
Add additional milk for desired consistency.

For the fondant – There are many different fondant recipes out there. I prefer to use a marshmallow fondant because it is very user friendly. LOL I don’t particularly care for the taste of any fondant (it is very sweet) but it sure does make your cakes gorgeous.
This is the recipe I use for my cakes:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, divided

Instructions:

• Place the butter in a shallow bowl, and set aside.
• Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. Carefully stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff.
• Rub your hands thoroughly with butter, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

The best way to add color to your fondant is by using Wilson’s cake gel colors. They don’t add any extra moisture.

To cover a cake:
Frost the cooled cake entirely. Roll out your fondant as thin as you can. Be sure to add corn starch to your table or surface area so the fondant doesn’t stick to it. Carefully cover your frosted cake with the sheet of thin fondant. Smooth out any lumps or air bubbles. Then trim the excess. around the base of the cake.

Play with your food! Mold and shape and create anything you would like with fondant. There are some very cool classes you can take in stores and even online on cake decorating and even working with fondant.
I chose to teach myself. Which at times could be very stressful. Since I didn’t know exactly what I was doing I made many mistakes. Like I said I do not claim to be a professional or even a baker for that matter. Just a girl that likes to have fun with food!

Here is a few pictures of the cakes I have done in the past …. Hope you enjoy them! Maybe you can find some inspiration to get started!

If you would like some extra information on any of the cakes, or some suggestions on how I did something, please just shoot me an Email [email protected]
Or you can just comment below and I will get right back to ya!

Hope you all enjoyed seeing some of my amateur work. I had great fun creating each and every one of these cakes/cupcakes. And if one of these cakes were made for YOU please speak up!

Have a wonderful week!
Heather!