Anyone who often admires the beautiful cakes at confectioneries and wonders what that perfect glaze is can join me. At first, I always thought it was marzipan. After baking more often and studying many recipes, I noticed the ingredient fondant. With this ingredient, cakes can be wonderfully decorated or covered. But what is fondant, where do you get it, and what goes under the fondant? I have collected a lot of important information about fondant here so that your cakes can become beautiful works of art:
Quick homemade fondant
Ingredients:
- approx. 800 g powdered sugar
- 100 g dextrose
- 4 tsp gelatin, white, ground
- 70 ml cold water
Instructions:
Stir the gelatin into the cold water and let it swell. Add the dextrose and heat – caution: do not boil – until everything has melted. Remove from the heat and let it cool down briefly. Gradually add the powdered sugar and knead until it is a firm mass. Knead until the mass is no longer sticky, is firm and smooth, and is easy to knead. The finished mass can now be colored with food coloring. To roll it out, sprinkle the work surface with powdered sugar or grease it with oil.
Extra tip: If the fondant is not processed immediately, wrap it in plastic wrap so that it does not dry out.
Professional homemade fondant
Ingredients:
- 1 pack (9 g) ground gelatin – do not use agar-agar, agartine, etc. (Extra tip: There is also beef gelatin...)
- 60 ml water
- 120 ml or 170 g glucose syrup or other sugar syrup (light syrup from Grafschafter, caramel syrup from Lidl, clear honey)
- 1 tsp – 1 tbsp glycerin
- 1/2 tsp citric acid or a few drops of butter-vanilla flavoring
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1000 g powdered sugar, sifted – preferably from the Diamant brand
- Palmin (vegetable fat)
- possibly Paste colors e.g., from Sugarflair
Instructions:
In a small glass bowl, soak the gelatin in 60 ml of water and let it swell, then carefully dissolve it in the microwave. Now mix in the syrup, glycerin, citric acid, and salt. If you already know that the fondant is needed in a specific color, you can stir the color paste into the liquid ingredients now.
Sift approx. 2/3 of the powdered sugar into a large bowl and make a small well in the middle, where you pour in the gelatin mixture. It is best to knead this mixture with the dough hook of a food processor.
Now sift the remaining powdered sugar onto the work surface, add the fondant from the bowl, and knead everything well. Pack the finished fondant airtight and only process it after a day of resting.
Before the fondant is used, knead it thoroughly once more. It is best to lightly grease your hands with Palmin. The fondant is a bit crumbly at first, but gradually becomes smooth.
If you want to color the fondant now, add the Paste colors
Extra info: This fondant can be stored in the refrigerator for at least 6 months. Allow enough time before processing, as it must be warmed to room temperature.
Difference between rolled fondant and modeling fondant
Rolled fondant is, as the name suggests, used for rolling out and covering cakes. For modeling, 1:1 flower paste
Extra tip: Sugar flowers and modeled figures can be prepared some time in advance. These are practically indestructible if they have only been dried in the air (not in the refrigerator!). Simply store them in a dark, dry place.
Tips for fondant
What can I use as a base for fondant?
Ingredients for a pudding cream:
- 2 egg yolks
- 250 g butter
- 250 ml milk
- 100 g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 1 heaping tbsp cornstarch
Instructions:
For the pudding cream, stir 125 ml of milk with the egg yolks, vanilla sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Bring 125 ml of milk with the sugar to a boil. Add the stirred mixture and let it boil briefly while stirring constantly until a thick pudding forms. Let this cool down. Cream the butter and gradually stir the pudding into the butter.
Ganache:
Ganache 
is very popular as a base for fondant. It can be used very well to smooth out unevenness on the cake and create sharp edges.
Recipe for a brown ganache:
- 200 ml whipping cream
- 300 g milk chocolate
Recipe for a white ganache:
- 200 ml whipping cream
- 400 g white chocolate
Recipe for a dark ganache:
- 200 ml whipping cream
- 200 g dark chocolate
Cut the chocolate into very small pieces with a knife. Bring the heavy cream to a boil briefly in a pot – be careful not to let it boil over. Add the chocolate to the heavy cream and let the mixture stand for 2-3 minutes so that the chocolate softens nicely. Then stir with a spoon until the chocolate dissolves well, always including the corners of the pot so that everything can really dissolve. Mix the ganache very finely with a hand blender. Always immerse the hand blender completely so that as little foam as possible is created.
Store this mixture in a cool place overnight, but not in the refrigerator, as it will become too firm there. If there is no cool place other than the refrigerator, take the pot out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour before starting work.
Take the ganache out of the refrigerator and whip it with a mixer. The ganache will first become thick, then creamy, and after a short time lighter and also firmer. Now the cream must not be whipped for too long, otherwise the butter will separate from the liquid components and become grainy. Finally, just stir the cream briefly with a spoon again, then it is ready for use.
Extra tip: The ganache can be smoothed wonderfully with a sheet of baking paper. To do this, always hold one side parallel to the cake and scrape off the excess cream. This gives you a perfectly smooth base without any major tools.
Let the cake firm up after coating with ganache and wrap it in plastic wrap. This prevents the surface from drying out.
Extra tip: If any ganache is left over, the remains can be frozen wonderfully.
Which dough for a fondant cake
Cakes that are to be covered with fondant must have a certain firmness, so sponge cakes are not as suitable for this. Use sponge cakes or Sacher cakes here instead. You also have to be careful with fillings like whipped cream, quark, or fruit. These must be kept away from the fondant coating.
How much fondant for a cake
Anyone who wants to cover a 26cm or 28cm cake should order at least 500 g or better 1 kg. For the base color, about 700 g are colored here; the rest can be used for decoration.
Extra tip: You have to roll out the fondant much larger to be able to cover the cake. Simply cut off the remains, remove any coating residues, and pack airtight. For rolling out, a silicone rolling pin
Storage of fondant
The fondant must always be packed completely airtight, otherwise it will become hard. If the fondant is homemade, it is best to put it in a freezer bag, which is knotted at the end and stored in the refrigerator.
Bought fondant also comes in a large plastic bag and additionally in a bucket with a tightly sealable lid. This way, the bought fondant can be kept for about a year.
Extra tip:Always let the fondant warm up to room temperature before processing.
Coloring fondant
It is best to color the fondant with Paste colors
Rolling out fondant
Here I recommend a fondant rolling pin
Bubbles in the fondant
Always knead the fondant into itself, just don't knead flat parts and fold them over each other, because this lets air into the fondant. If a bubble does form, prick it with a needle and carefully press the air out again.
Cracks in the fondant
If you have cracks in the fondant, the rolled fondant was not kneaded enough or the consistency is too soft, elastic, hard, or dry. Therefore, always knead the fondant well, preferably with hands greased with Palmin. Also, always let the fondant warm up to room temperature before processing. If you have forgotten once, then warm the fondant up a little in the microwave.
Gluing decorations onto fondant
Sugar flowers or other decorations can be glued on with edible glue
Reading about motif cakes
Anyone who wants to know more about making motif cakes or is looking for ideas can browse bookstores here. There are also wonderful books on the subject on Amazon: Books about motif cakes on Amazon
Read also:Â How can I decorate a cake?
Photos by Maria and Sabine
