How to make your own fondant cake

Gorgeous fondant cake —PHOTOS BY LEO SABANGAN II

 

To make your own fondant cake may seem like a daunting task, but with patience, persistence and a little prep work, it’s quite simple and doable.

 

Fondant is a kind of sugar dough that can be rolled out to cover the cake for a smooth, sleek finish. It’s like a Play-Doh clay that can be molded and shaped to your own design.

 

Most fondants taste sweet, a bit chewy and silky smooth.

 

For beginners, here are basic steps on how to make your first fondant cake.

 

Knead the fondant to soften it up. Once softened, it can be rolled out to a thin sheet, ready to be molded.

 

Pink Mixer Bakeshop’s Rossana Hwang suggests using ready-to-roll Satin Ice fondant to save prep time and to get right to decorating. A pail costs P400-P500 (2 pounds).

 

Here, Hwang uses the vanilla (white) flavor for fondant in a two-tier cake.

 

“Another basic component in making a fondant cake is the cake itself,” says Hwang. “It’s best to use dense, firm kind of cakes like pound cake, butter cake, chocolate cake, fruit cake or carrot cake to support the fondant. You may also combine two different flavors in one cake.”

 

It’s also ideal, says Hwang, to work in a cool place with a clean working area.

 

“Once you get a hang of the technique in making fondant, you can experiment with different designs and flavorings. Practice makes perfect,” Hwang says.

 

Butter cake recipe

 

For a 6-inch round cake, you can use 1 kilo of fondant. For the bottom layer, a 10-inch round cake (4-inch tall), you can use 2 kilos of fondant.

 

If you prefer butter cake as your base cake, Hwang shares her butter cake recipe:

 

1 c (225 grams) butter

2 2/3 c sugar

3 eggs

1 ½ tsp vanilla

4 c cake flour

3 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp salt

1 ¾ c milk

 

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour baking pans, 3- and 9-inch round layer pans.

 

In large mixing blow, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and add vanilla.

 

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with milk. Pour into pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let it cool.

 

Ingredients for fondant cake:

 

1 pail of Satin Ice Fondant

Freshly baked butter cake or chocolate cake (your choice of flavor)

Powdered sugar

Gum paste flower décor

Food coloring gel

 

STEP BY STEP

1. Measure the top and sides of your cake if you are doing a single, double or multi-tiered cake. Trim any excess cake and smoothen the cake, as any bumps will show. Brush cake with sugar syrup to help the fondant stick to the cake. Set aside and refrigerate for a few minutes to settle.

 

2. Sprinkle powdered sugar on your working table to smoothen the surface. Knead fondant for a few minutes to make it softer and easier to work with. Using a rolling pin, roll out the fondant about ¼ inch thick.

 

3. Loosely roll the fondant onto the rolling pin and carefully place fondant over the cake. Make sure to cover the entire cake with fondant and avoid ripping the fondant.

 

4. Smoothen the fondant over the cake using a smoothing tool. Start at the top first, then smooth down the sides. Make sure that there are no folds, wrinkles, or air bubbles.

 

5. Trim off any excess fondant. You can use a knife or even a pizza cutter.

 

6. Place the cake on top of another fondant-covered cake.

 

7. Start decorating the cake by using buttercream frosting or gum paste flowers. Or, you can consider kneading a new set of fondant tinted with food coloring gel.

 

8. Knead and measure the fondant décor.

 

9. Carefully place décor around the cake. Seal the fondant with water.

 

10. Deck with gum paste flowers.

 

 

E-mail the author at vbaga@inqurier.com.ph.

Read more...