I need to do a graduation laptop cake and the customer wants to do the "screen" as a fake, I'm planning on covering a hard surface with fondant and she wants to keep it as it will be her son's graduation cake for 8th grade will the fondant expire? We were talking and thought of putting it in glad press and seal to keep out moisture and maybe putting it in a shadow box of some kind?

Also, does anyone have any good suggestions for a tasty fondant I can make and color black?

Michelle Foster's Fondant is wonderful. If you color it in the liquid stage it will do great.
As far as the other part I would make it in gumpaste instead of fondant. Gumpaste will last for a long time especially if you put in a dust free environment. But if you display it in the sun the color will fade.

Yes, use Michele Foster's Delicious Fondant, recipe here on CC. Relatively pain free to make.

I've never made my own fondant so how hard is the temperating? I really can't afford the cost of messing up and also I haven't worked with gum paste, will that have the same look as the fondant? I've tried wilton fondant and it's gross, I had thought of just ordering satin ice that I hear everyone rave about..

Gum paste is a much better option!
Store it in a dry area that will maintain the same temperature. If moisture is an issue try putting some cornstarch in the box to absorb the moisture so it doesn't warp the pc or cause any color issues.

MFF! Try the one mentioned it is yummy. It takes working it like bread dough to get it in a really great consistancy to work with.

There are youtube videos on how to make fondant. They only show MMF but the end product is similar to MFF and should be able to be kneeded out the same to give you an idea of what to expect. I made MFF and prefer it to MMF. Just follow the directions and you'll be fine.

As for the dreaded black I use americolor and have never had an issue with flavor or not getting it dark enough. If you can't find it near you it is worth ordering. Use gloves so your hands don't get messy in the beginning.

I had a bad experience with glad press and seal, i had made some fondant accent pieces ahead of time and covered them with press and seal, it actually has a texture to it, and left an imprint on my fondant

what can be used in place of gylcerine if you can't find it?

deb

Not sure if this has been said or not, but black WILL fade somethin fierce if she is planning on keeping a piece that is black. I have a cake I did for a competition that is black and pink and is now grey and almost white. IMO pink and black are the worst when it comes to fading. Good luck!

Last night I just made Michele Foster's (updated) fondant - so easy to do. It calls for 3-1/2 lbs of powdered sugar.....which I used all of and it still feels like it could use more (is this right?). So far it weighs 5-1/2 lbs and will probably go to 6 lbs for the batch once I am done kneading in more sugar. As far as economic, figured it took less than $10 to make this - a good deal in my eyes! Will let you all know how I make out when I have to roll it out tomorrow.

deb

UPDATE - last nite put the topsy-turvy cake together (in my photos). Had a little trouble with the fondant, don't know what I did wrong. Used powdered sugar to keep it from sticking, however it ended up looking a bit dry and cracking. Should I have used shortening? Tasted good though. I think I will go back to Toba's recipe as I think I did better with that.

deb