How to Make Marshmallow Fondant

Photos by the very talented, Michael Friberg

Fondant is a nice way to adorn the outside of your cake. The fanciest-looking wedding cakes are wrapped in the sugary, edible, Play-Doh-like confection. But dont be intimidated! It's easier to work with than you think.

Store-bought fondant can be both expensive and difficult to work with. In order to save yourself the aggravation, you can easily make this fondant with just a few basic ingredients.

Now, I personally don't love fondant (it's a textural thing), but I do love the way it looks on the outside of the cakes I decorate. The flavor of this fondant is better than store-bought fondant, but if you just want it for the looks, you can remove it easily to expose the frosting underneath.

*Note: If you don't want messy hands or a messy countertop, this may not be the recipe for you!

Marshmallow Fondant
Yield: about 2 lbs

One 1 lb bag of mini marshmallows
2 tablespoons water
2 lbs powdered sugar (sift out any big lumps)
Vegetable shortening, to grease the bowl and your hands
Corn starch, for rolling out

Frost your cake (as smoothly as possible!) with a medium-thickness layer of frosting. Refrigerate about an hour. This will make it easier to position the fondant onto your cake.

Grease a large glass bowl with a layer of vegetable shortening

Pour all of the marshmallows and the water into the bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between each, until the marshmallows are completely melted.

Remove the bowl from the microwave (this is the step to add some food coloring, if desired) and dump in half of the powdered sugar. Mix in as much as you can with a rubber spatula.

Grease your hands with vegetable shortening and add the rest of the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until it is all incorporated. If the fondant is too stiff, you can add another tablespoon of water or a little shortening.

Sprinkle a clean, dry surface with cornstarch. Place the fondant onto the surface and sprinkle the top with more cornstarch. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and lay carefully over the top of a cake. Trim any excess fondant from the bottom of the cake.

Dazzle everyone with your professional-grade decorating abilities!

If you don't use all of the fondant right away, wrap it tightly with a few layers of saran wrap. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Allow it to sit out for a few hours or microwave briefly before using again.