I’ve been wanting to try working with fondant for a while, and the Fourth of July seemed a good an excuse as any for some fancier cake-making. I watched some videos online about it first, but really only figured out some tips that would have been useful as I was going and/or after, as I googled problems I’d had. I’m going to post the recipe today, and a post full of tips and things I figured out as I went tomorrow.

Ok for a first try, I think?

Begin by putting your marshmallows and water in a large bowl.

Microwave for a minute, stir, and then microwave another 30 seconds and stir again until completely even. Stir in half the powdered sugar.

Now it gets gross. Grab a big blob of shortening and spread it all over your work surface and hands. Get a good thick coating, you’ll want it later. I used a silpat to work on, which was something of a pain, as it kept lifting off the counter. Spreading the shortening directly on the counter, however, seems straight up impossible to clean.

Hopefully you know bike people or car people, someone that has this orange scrubby cleany stuff, as Crisco-ed hands are no easy clean.

Pour the other half of the powdered sugar on your greased surface, and then turn out the marshmallow mixture on top.

Knead until no longer sticky. This took until about two minutes after I wanted to quit, and was messy as all heck. If I had a stand mixer with a dough hook, I’d definitely try greasing that up and letting it do the work.

Sugary mess.

Once you’ve finished kneading, coat the fondant with a thin layer of shortening.

Wrap with cling wrap and let it rest half an hour.

At this point you can use it or put it in the fridge for up to two weeks. If you refrigerate it, let it come back to room temperature before using.

The cake I coated with this was just regular boxed cake mix and buttercream, but was probably the most complemented, flavor-wise, of any cake I’ve ever made. People were really into this fondant!

Tips/thoughts/very basic how-to ideas on using fondant. Also, photographic advice on how to get a cake on your roof.

Marshmallow Fondant

From cookies and cups.

• 8 cups mini marshmallows
• vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 lbs powdered sugar

Place marshmallows and water in a large bowl and microwave 60 seconds. Stir, and then microwave another 30 seconds. Stir, and then add in half the powdered sugar and continue stirring.

Coat your work surface and hands with shortening, and pour the other half of the powdered sugar on the counter. Turn out the marshmallow mixture onto the powdered sugar, and knead until no longer sticky.

Once done kneading, coat the fondant with a thin coating of shortening, wrap in cling wrap, and allow to rest at least half an hour before using.