I wanted to ask anyone who carves or molds rice krispies for parts of their cakes, what rice krispie recipe they use?

I have never done it before but wanted to try doing it for a dragon head to go on a cake. I was just wondering if the regular rice krispie treat recipe makes them too soft or if there was a way that decorators make them so they are stiffer.

Any tips or advice on molding rice kripie treats would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

I use the regular recipe. The trick is to compress the treats really well. I've seen the Big Names on the cake shows actually use a rubber or plastic mallet to compress the mixture. Refrigerating it til you put on the fondant or modeling chocolate is a good idea as well. Some decorators add less cereal than the recipe calls for to make it more dense. I try to model the basic shape I want while the mixture is still warm. Then after it cools completely, I refine the design. Think of it as the skeleton of the finished product. I hope this helps and good luck with your project!

do you have to put any kind of icing on the rice crispy molds before putting fondant or chocolat modelling clay on it?

When I made the lid for my Tiffany box cake, I just cut the shape and refrigerated overnight. Then, I rolled out the MMF fairly thickly ( it will stick to the marshmallow mixture without the aid of ganache or bc) and put it into place.

Do you have acccess to the channel TLC? Do you have some kind of "on demand" service? Cake Boss on TLC episode 10 actually molded dragon heads out of RKTs!

I found the episode for you!
http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/cake-boss-chinese-culture-canolis-full-episode.html

that was an awesome episode! that is what made me want to try the rice crispy and chocolate modeling as a figurine.

Oh! I see!
The RKT recipe I use is this:
1/4 C margarine
1 10 pkg of marshmallows (big) OR 4 Cups miniature marshmallows
6 Cups crispy rice cereal (store brand is OK)

Microwave margarine and marshmallows at high for two minutes.
Stir to combine. (I use the wrapper from the margarine to "butter" my utensil, it makes it stick less)
Microwave high one minute longer.
Stir until smooth.
Add cereal and stir.

I like to wear gloves to mold my RKTs, spray them with cooking spray.

I recently whirled the rice krispies in the food processor and then made the regular rkt. I made a small item from it, a high heel in fact and it was smoothy smooth. So if that's a factor for you --there's that idea. I carved it from there with a knife just like cake.

Porcessed rkt thoughts for you.

I made a batch last night for a fish I'm making. I found on CC a few months ago that nuking your marshmallows until almost burned (light gold color) will make the RKT hard and it will set better. Longer you cook sugar, the harder it gets. I did this, omitting the butter as well. The RKT firmed up quickly and kept my desired shape. I did find I needed less cereal, like the marshamllow mix condensed some. I like to crush the cereal some, to get a smoother texture. I hadn't thought to whirl them in the FP though, I'll try that next time. Thx for that tip K8memphis.

Hi SueBuddy,

Depending on what I am making I can also omit the margaine/butter. If it is a large item that I need to harden a little bit to carve then I omit it completely, they still taste good just not as "creamy". If it is a little item then the standard recipe works wonders.
HTH
Shannie

Im trying to make a deer out of rkt and i cant get it to stick together like i need it to any help would be nice

I use RKT on almost every cake. I leave out the butter, crisco my hands and let the RKT set a little before I start. I also leave the figure that I mold out over night to dry before I ice with BC and cover with fondant.

i put some butter in, but once your able to get it to all hold together i pound it on the counter to pack it tight and get the basic shape i need then let it set over night, Next day you can carve away. a molded rkt shape is actually quite heavy so use good support.

I wondered about this, thanks for asking the question

i have a question. i'm making a 3-d beagle dog. out of pvc pipe would the reg recipe work on this also.

OMG thanks ladies I was wondering about how to go about the rice krispies thingy and i came across this forum and must i said it was very helpful so from what i understood its ok to not used the butter just marshmellow and cereal and if u want to harden and crave leave over night awesome, i have a tree i want to create and maybe this might help , thanks a bunch

Excellent ideas - I did not know about leaving out the butter.

I just made a RKT dragon my self for the first time last night and I had read to cover it with melted chocolate instead of BC. It helps to hold the shape and no squishy mesh under the fondant. I'm taking pics as I go so I can post the process when I done!

i always cover my RKT figures with hardening chocolate. it gets in to the "pores" and thus creates a smoother surface to then cover with gumpaste/fondant!

i also love the idea of crushing them in a food processor!

i know i'm a bit late on this topic, but i'm still a bit unsure as to when the best time to mold the RKT is... warm or set-up? i'm assuming you would at least want them to cool a little... I am making a teddy bear for a birthday party! Thanks!

If you are molding it on to pvc, you need to do it warm for sure. I don't know what everyone does for other kinds of objects but I compact it as much as possible and get it as much into the shape of the object I'm making as possible. let it harden, then go back with a knife to clean it up.

I mold mine warm right out of the pot. If I have to mold several things from the same batch I hold the remaining rkt over a pan of hot water so they don't set up too fast.

I just slowly melt my marshmallows so they don't get boiling hot anyhow. I just butter my hands. Once I put in the rk that cools the marshmallow stuff down so it's not super hot or anything.

And I don't have asbestos hands anymore like earlier in my career 'cause I don't bake in great quantity now.

The people on tv on challenges seem to use already prepared rkt. They look like they come in bricks of rkt. I don't know how they do that. But that seems to be another option.

great! i'll probably let it cool to room temp, then mold it to the shape, refrigerate, and clean up with a knife! seems like too i should "ice it" with chocolate too... i think i have some! thanks again!

good call too about the rk cooling down the marshmallow! i'll post pics of the final outcome!

If I let mine cool down to room temp they are beyond the point of moldableness/moldability That might not be a word but you get me?

Me, I never frige my rkt. They need to kinda cure at room temp I think. It takes several hours or overnight to let them re-gel. I would think the moisture in the frige would inhibit them from curing all the way and they might not be as stable.

But best of luck to you!

thanks! thats true about the fridge and moisture! also, if i make it today or tomorrow, it should be fine for sunday! thank god for this forum!

i did it I try the rkt and I DIDNT like it ( just because i didnt know what i was doing ) but its something i wont give up on ill try it again some day but it work out ok . thanks for the tips

Hello everyone,
Im new at this site and just starting out. I've tried to make some royal icing for a Christmas cake. This icing became very stiff to work with fast. Im unsure if it was suppose to be this way or not but it seemed to me to be to stiff. What do I do to stop this? I followed the directions on the wilton meringue powder. What is a beginner design for a Christmas sheet cake. Im making 2 for my first customer, the local hospital. Please help

I use the store bought premade RKT and they work awesome, easy to work with, stiffer than homemade and no clean up , buying them at sans or the store off brand also means they're not too expensive.