Help! I'm making my 1st wedding cake. I kneaded purple food color on the fondant and might have overworked it, its so hard to roll out--feels like rubber that just refuses to stretch. Any ideas on what I should do in order to be able to successfully roll it into the cake? I've tried a couple of times and it just cracks, feels dry too. Do I need new fondant? It's a 12in round cake 5inches high. Please give me tips on covering big cakes. Thanks!

First try warming it up a bit in the microwave. Be careful though not to leave it too long, it is sugar and will burn. Try 10-15 seconds at a time until warm. Then knead in some shortening by greasing your hands generously. This should help.

HTH

Thanks so much! Does microwaving the fondant over and over damage it? I tried zapping it for 20-30 secs and it is much easier to work with. Any tricks in covering bigger cakes?

It will dry out somewhat after if cools back to room temp. That is why you add in the shortening. Have you ever tried working with the Marshmellow Fondant. I like to use a 50/50 blend of Wilton and MMF. Taste sooo much better and because mmf is softer it gives the fondant elasticity which helps it to #1. roll out smoother and #2 not dry up. Works great for larger cakes too.

Years ago I bought some heavy plastic from a hardware store. The kind sold by the yard like those plastic tableclothes sold by the yard but this was clear.

I cut out several sizes I needed to act as a mat and rolled the fondant to that size. Example; 10 inch cake - 5 inch high would need 10 inches plus 5 inches = 15 inches in diameter. Usually roll out an inch or two larger.

Sorry to make this so long