How to Make Fondant from Scratch

make fondant from scratchOnce you have already made your cake, the next step is equally just as important. After all, presentation is also an important facet in the art of cake making. Sugar paste – also known as fondant, rolled fondant, or ready to roll icing – is one of the basic pastes used in cake decorating and sugar crafting. On its own, it is used primarily to cover and finish cakes in one smooth icing. It is very simple to make that you can make fondant from scratch, and yet it is versatile and flexible enough to be used as cake embellishments and decorations as well. It can be used as an alternative to gum paste because of its more pleasant taste. However, if more firmness is needed in the decoration, gum tragacanth or Tylose powder can be added to give the sugary dough a little more extra strength, making it possible to make sturdy figures of people, things, and animals out of the sugar paste. And although ready-made sugar paste is readily available, it’s a great idea to make your own as you will be able to appreciate what goes on into the icing itself. They say that we eat with our eyes, so perfecting your sugar paste is necessary to get a head start in sugar crafting. Here’s a simple recipe on how to make fondant from scratch:

What You Will Need:

  • 2 teaspoons of powdered gelatin
  • 60 ml of water
  • 2 teaspoons of liquid glucose
  • 2 cups of icing sugar, sifted

What You Have to Do:

  1. First, you need to soak up the gelatin in water. Wait for it to soften up or “bloom.”
  2. If you are using a stove top, put the gelatin mixture in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the liquid glucose and stir up the mixture until everything is mixed together. Keep the fire turned down low, and don’t allow the mixture to boil.
  3. If you are using a microwave, heat the gelatin and water for about 30 seconds, until the gelatin has completely dissolved. You need to make sure that the liquid doesn’t boil over. Add the liquid glucose and stir up the mixture until everything is mixed together.
  4. Put half of the icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Create a hole in the center of the sugar. This is where you will be putting the warm gelatin mixture that is still cooking in the stove or the microwave. Start mixing from the center outwards.
  5. Mix the gelatin mixture and the icing sugar together until it becomes a smooth paste.
  6. Cover the mixture and leave it to rest for about an hour.
  7. Knead the remaining icing sugar into your mixture. It may take awhile to achieve a smooth and consistent dough.
  8. You can sprinkle icing sugar from time to time to make the dough easier to work with.
  9. Place the mixture in a ziplocked bag and airtight container, and then put it in your refrigerator overnight.
  10. The following day, make sure to allow the dough to adjust to room temperature and then knead it first before using.

You can also make fondant from scratch for your vegetarian or vegan friends! Instead of using gelatin, use agar-agar powder which you can buy at your local Asian groceries.

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