How to Make Fondant Icing

Tap to Read ➤ Girija Shinde

Making a cake fondant is not at all a big task, provided you know the right recipe and the right way to present it. Read on to know how to make fondant icing.

Fondant icing creates a shiny smooth surface on your cake, that makes it easy to create intricate decorations on it. In fact, if you practice a lot of times, you can even create cake decorations like flowers and cartoons with the help of this icing itself! You do get this icing at stores, but the homemade fondant icing is way better than the commercial ones, and then you also save money!

Recipes for Fondant Icing

Recipe #1

Ingredients Cold water, ¼ cup Glucose or white corn syrup, ½ cup Gelatin, 1 tbsp. (unflavored) Glycerin, 1½ tbsp. Confectioner's sugar, 32 oz. (sifted) Desired flavoring (vanilla will give the fondant an off-white color), 1 tbsp.

Procedure Take a big bowl and sift sugar in it. After sifting, make some space in between, like a well, and keep aside. Pour water in a saucepan, sprinkle gelatin on top to soften, for about 5 minutes. Start heating; heat until the gelatin dissolves and the water becomes clear again.

Now, turn off the heat and add glycerin and glucose; blend well, then add flavoring. Stir well and then pour the mixture in the well which was created in the sugar bowl. Start mixing, knead with hands until the icing becomes stiff, if it's too sticky, add confectioner's sugar.

Wrap the mixture tightly in a plastic wrap and put in an airtight container; do not refrigerate. Let it be at room temperature for about 8 hours.

Recipe #2

Ingredients Sugar, 2 cups Water, ⅔ Glucose, 1 tbsp. (no substitutions)

Procedure First sprinkle a heavy, smooth-surfaced baking sheet with cold water. Now, take a heavy saucepan and put water, sugar and glucose in it. Heat over medium heat, stirring gently until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar dissolves, increase the heat and bring to a boil, then cover the pan and boil for about 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes, place a candy thermometer inside the pan and continue boiling until the temperature reaches to 240°F. Then, remove from heat and dip the bottom of the pan into cold water immediately.

Next, pour this syrup into the prepared baking sheet, let it cool. After it is slightly cooled, lift the edges of the syrup with a spatula or metal scraper and fold it in middle. Continue with the same procedure until the mixture turns glossy or pale yellow.

Once this happens, take a wooden spoon and work the mixture into continuous figure for about 5-10 minutes. When the mixture turns white, moisten your hands and knead the fondant for about 5-10 minutes, into a ball. Cover this ball and leave it for 12 hours, in a cool place.

How to Make Fondant Icing Decorations

The first thing is to place the cake on a plate so that it does not move. You can use a spoonful of frosting for it. Once the cake is fixed, take butter-cream icing and spread over the cake, for hiding the uneven surfaces and refrigerate until the butter-cream hardens.

Meanwhile, start kneading the fondant. Roll it with a rolling pin to about ¼ inch thickness and then apply it to the cake; flip it before applying. Take a spatula and start smoothing the fondant from the center towards the edge. If any extra is left, cut it down from fondant. The basic thing is over. Now start decorating it with fondant paint or stencils.

It is a bit a complex, but the cliché, 'Practice makes a man perfect', is very true in this case. So keep on trying. The good thing is that, you will get to eat many cakes that way!