DIY fondant

i don't use a lot of fondant in my kitchen, and i was always under the assumption that it was difficult to make--that's why everyone buys it to use for their cake decorations and confections. i used storebought fondant in some previous efforts, but it was always a somewhat annoying experience, because i never knew if i was going to find it locally, and i would have to buy a big, costly package, yet only use half the contents, leaving the rest to dry out before the next project arose. so, when this petit fours project came up, i really made an effort to find an alternative, which i did, thankfully; a very, very simple recipe that doesn't involve corn syrup, candy thermometers, loads of money, nor time. all you need is a package of marshmallows, a lot of powdered sugar, and a liberal glop of vegetable shortening. the recipe with step-by-step instructions is here, along with a lot of other questions answered and some lovely photos.

it's basically this: melt marshmallows with a little water in microwave. add powdered sugar. mix with liberally greased implement (spatula, spoons, hands), until smooth and pliable. fondant! not only is it cheaper than the prepackaged variety, it's also much tastier. you can keep it in your fridge for weeks, although you might be tempted to play with it instead of keeping it for a special project.

i have some ideas in mind, but i don't think i'll ever get as fancy as my friend veronica gets (albeit, she makes her fabulous cake creations for a living). she made this great tokidoki/le sportsac-inspired cake for my birthday, isn't it fab-yoo-luss?

the figurine is made with coloured fondant and a zillion toothpicks, whilst the cake itself is wrapped in rolled fondant (the hearts and crossbones were made with piped royal icing). her harry potter-inspired mandrake cake featured a sculpted fondant root embedded in milk chocolate, on top of a base of devil's food cake and cake crumbs.

way cool. and now equipped with a cheap and tasty fondant recipe, you too can try your hand at such decorating wizardry.