Cake Fondant Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl (do not use metal), sift the sugar and make a well in the center. In a small saucepan, add the water and sprinkle the gelatin on top to soften for about 5 minutes. Begin to heat the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is dissolved and clear. Do not boil. Turn off the heat and add the glucose and glycerine, stirring until well blended. Add the flavoring. Pour into the well of sugar, and mix until all of the sugar is blended. Use hands to knead icing until it becomes stiff. Add small amounts of confectioner's sugar if the mixture is sticky.
• Form the mixture into a ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place in an airtight container. This icing works best if allowed to rest at room temperature for about eight hours before using, particularly if the weather is humid. Do not refrigerate.
• To cover a cake with fondant: Dust a clean pastry cloth, or a smooth, clean surface, with cornstarch and roll the fondant with a rolling pin until it is approximately 1/4 inch thick. Make sure that the fondant is large enough to fit over the top and sides of the cake. Slide both hands under the fondant and carefully center it on top of a cake that has been freshly iced with buttercream. (The icing makes the fondant adhere to the cake.)
• Dust your hands with cornstarch and smooth the fondant, starting at the top and working down the sides until the entire surface is even and flat. Cut off the excess icing around the bottom of the cake with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Decorate the cake with buttercream or royal icing. This fondant keeps a cake fresh for two days at room temperature. Do not refrigerate a cake with fondant icing.

Steps:

• Mix butter, sweetened condensed milk, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until fondant has the consistency of modeling clay. If fondant is too moist, knead in additional confectioners' sugar. Roll out on a work surface generously dusted with confectioners' sugar to desired thickness.

Steps:

• Sprinkle the gelatin over water in a small heatproof glass cup and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Set in a small pan of simmering water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. (This can be done in a few seconds in a microwave on high power). Remove from heat.
• Combine the sugar, cornstarch and optional cream or tartar in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the gelatin mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Mix with lightly greased hands and knead vigorously in the bowl until the sugar is incorporated.
• Turn onto a smooth, lightly greased surface such as Formica or marble and knead until smooth and satiny. If the pastillage seems very dry, add several drops of water and knead well. If it seems too sticky, knead in more powdered sugar. The pastillage will resemble a smooth, well-shaped stone. When dropped, it should not spread.
• Pastillage is easier to work with if it has rested for at least 1 hour. It dries very quickly, so it is important to cover to prevent drying. Wrap in a cloth rubbed with a bit of white shortening, then tightly in plastic wrap, and place it in an airtight container.
• When ready to roll out, spray the work surface and rolling pin with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Pastillage can be rolled as thin as 1/16-inch. It dries and holds it shape very quickly.
• If stored Pastillage seems very stiff, a few seconds in the microwave make it pliable. To give it the look of real marble, dab it with a bit of coffee concentrate or brown food color and knead only until the color streaks.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line bases of 3 x 20cm sandwich tins. Beat the butter, sugar, flour, eggs, almonds, yogurt, all the zest and half the lemon juice. Divide between the tins and bake for 20-25 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean (you may want to change the shelves around after 20 mins to ensure the cakes cook evenly). Mix the juice of the second lemon with 1 tbsp sugar, poke the cakes a few times with a skewer and drizzle over. Cool in the tins on wire racks.
• Sandwich the 3 sponges together with 8 tbsp of the lemon curd. Brush the rest over the top and sides of the cake. Break off 50g marzipan, then roll out the rest on an icing sugar-dusted surface until large enough to cover the cake. Cover the cake with the marzipan and transfer it to an upturned bowl or saucer on a tray, so the edges of the cake overhang the bowl, but it is stable.
• Mix enough water into the fondant icing sugar to make a thick icing. Set aside a few tbsp, then mix some yellow food colouring into the rest. Spoon bit by bit over the cake, letting it dribble down the sides until the entire cake is covered (and excess has dripped off).
• Knead pink colouring into half the marzipan and green into the other half. Roll out the green and cut out leaves. Use a cocktail stick to draw veins on. Press bits of the pink into long, flat sausages and roll up to look like roses. Put the reserved white icing into a food or piping bag. Snip the end and pipe fine squiggles over the cake. Add roses and leaves once the icing is almost set.

Steps:

• Star: Sprinkle work surface with powdered sugar. Knead red Sugar Paste for a minute, until it folds easily and becomes more pliable.
• Use a rolling pin to roll sugar paste out to a thickness of 1 millimeter. Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out stars.
• Use a pastry brush to brush off excess powdered sugar. Place a star on each cupcake.
• Bow: Sprinkle work surface with powdered sugar. Place a few drops of pink food coloring on the white Sugar Paste. Wearing gloves to prevent skin from staining, knead sugar paste until it is uniformly pink and texture is pliable.
• Use a rolling pin to roll sugar paste out to a thickness of 1 millimeter.
• Cut two strips that are 4x1 inches (10x3 cm) (these will be the sides of the bow). Roll up a paper towel to form 1 inch (2cm) wide cylinder. Fold a sugar paste strip over the rolled-up paper towel and press the two ends together (the paper towel will help keep the shape of the bow sides). Gently fold the pressed end into a slight wave shape. Repeat with the other strip and then press the two sides together to form the beginning of the bow shape. Carefully remove the paper towels.
• Cut one strip that is 2.5x1 inches (6x2 cm) wide (this will be the middle of the bow). Roll the long edges of the strip up slightly, then wrap the strip around the middle of the bow. Press the paste together behind the bow to seal and trim any excess with scissors.
• Cut two strips that are 2x½ inch (5x1.5 cm) wide (these will be the tails of bow). Cut a small diagonal piece off the top of one of the strips, then line up the two strips in the shape of a letter A with the diagonal edge pressed against the right edge of the other strip. On the bottom edge of the tails, cut out a small triangular piece to form a notch.
• Use a pastry brush to brush off excess powdered sugar from both the tails and the bow.
• Place the tails on the frosted cupcake first, then top with the rest of the bow.
• Leaves: Sprinkle work surface with powdered sugar. Place a few drops of green food coloring on the white Vahile Sugar Paste. Wearing gloves to prevent skin from staining, knead sugar paste until it is uniformly green and texture is pliable.
• Use a rolling pin to roll sugar paste out to a thickness of 1 millimeter.
• Select a mint leaf and press the leaf on the surface of the sugar paste, vein side down. Use a finger to gently press the leaf into the paste to create a print of the veins.
• Still holding the leaf in place, cut the leaf out using a paring knife, tracing around the leaf. Gently remove the mint leaf and the excess sugar paste around the cutout.
• Use a pastry brush to brush off excess powdered sugar from the leaf.
• Place leaf on a frosted cupcake.
• Flowers: Sprinkle work surface with powdered sugar. Cut off a quarter of the white Sugar Paste and set aside.
• Place a few drops of blue food coloring on the rest of the sugar paste. Wearing gloves to prevent skin from staining, knead sugar paste until it is uniformly pale blue and texture is pliable.
• Roll out half of the blue paste to a thickness of 2 millimeters. Use the wide end of a pastry tip to stamp out circles.
• Pinch off pieces of blue paste and roll into balls that are about the size of an ⅛ teaspoon. Spread a little bit of white frosting on a blue circle and place the balls around the circle, leaving a space in the middle (5-6 balls will fit - these will be the petals).
• Use the white sugar paste to roll another ball to place in the center of the flower. Gently press the edge of a paring knife into each blue petal to form a small notch.
• Use a pastry brush to brush off excess powdered sugar from the flower.
• Place flower on a frosted cupcake.
• Enjoy!