Have many of you tried to make your own?

I've seen a lot of recipes for MM fondant but I haven't tried any yet...I've been using store bought but I'm not a fondant fan, flavour wise, and if I could make one that tastes better but works as well as store bought and holds up well then I would stop buying it.

..moving to Cake Decorating.

oops! Sorry.

I make my own MMF all the time. It tastes good, looks nice, and I actually have fun making it. There are many that don't like mixing themselves.... it does take some patience, but after a while of making it you can knock out a batch fairly quickly. Plus you can make it days in advance.

I would go with either MMF or MFF

If i make homemade i only use MMF (marshmallow fondant) cose it tastes great and is great to work with

MFF (Michele Foster's fondant) is also another popular one i have heard that people think tastes good and is good to work with too i think

HTH

I use MMF all the time. If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, you can make it in there so you don't have all the mess...at least, I don't like sticking my hands in a bunch of melted marshmallow, so I always make it with the mixer.

I still have yet to make a successful batch like that Texas... it always gets really stiff. Do you grease up the dough hook and bowl prior to doing it? And use a low speed?

Hi

I couldn't agree more about the taste, the shop stuff is just awful. Well it is in the UK anyway. I'm not sure how much help this will be from across the pond but here is what I do.

For decoration or where I need 'true' colours (especially jet black) I do use the regal ice pre coloured stuff. It doesn't taste good at all but when it's just for small areas it seems to be ok.

For larger areas or lots of decoration or if I'm short on time/customers budget doesn't allow for me to make it from scratch then Silver Spoon have recently released a range over here of ready roll which although is not as good as home made it is really quite acceptable and a million times better than regal ice flavour wise! Sainsburys stock it. This is it: http://www.silverspoon.co.uk/home/products/sugar-and-syrups-for-cooking/ready-to-roll-icing

For the main cake covering I make my own. Now I think there is a difference between terms in the UK/US also. Fondant and Sugarpaste are transposed a bit. The sugarpaste I have made in the past I've never got 100% right for working with, it's just not elastic enough so you get hairline cracks on corners etc which I wasn't happy with, so I started using fondant icing which is much better.

I have to say, the shop stuff is so much easier to work with, but I guess it's all the veg fat or whatever it is in it that makes it like this - but also gives the nasty taste.

If you like I can look out the sugarpaste and or fondant recipe quantities later?

thanks everyone

can one of you post the recipe please...or should I just look in the recipe section?

Is it cheaper than store bought? I've tried Fondarific which is actually quite smooth and yummy and easy to work with but it's $40 for 5lbs (I think...I'll have to check on the weight) and then Bonnie Gordon's is $32 for about 15lbs but it's got a grainy texture that I don't like. It tastes and smells ok tho. Golda's brand is absolutely disgusting. I'm talking white fondant here. I've only tried Bonnie's chocolate and it's pretty good.

I'm looking for ways to cut costs mainly (because, like I said, the 2 I've tried aren't bad taste wise) and if making my own will do it then I want to try.

Hi SallyBratt,
I always wondered how Golda's fondant tasted. I like the fondarific too but I only buy the red and black as those are the two hardest colors to achieve.
I always used to make MMF but I found it never dried well for decorations like making bows. So now I use MFF (Michelle Fosters Fondant). It dries really well for doing decorations. And it tastes really good too
Here's the link if you want to give it a try:
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/7446/michele-fosters-fondant

The fondant that I make and use for covering is:

1 1/4 lb (560g) icing sugar
2 egg whites from large eggs
3 tablespoons liquid glucose

Sift icing sugar into a large bowl then add 55ml of the egg whites. Add liquid glucose. Mix with a wooden spoon and finish off with your hands, as soon as it's a ball move it to a dusted surface and knead it for about 10 mins, adding more icing sugar if it gets too sticky.

That's it! But as I say it's good for covering the actual cake but not so much other stuff like bows etc.

HTH

I do have an awesome gumpaste recipe that I just love. It's Edna's recipe. It dries rock hard

Here's what I use for Marshmellow fondant Sally. Like you have heard from everyone, you'll find different ways to tweak it to make it workable for you. I don't use near the amount of Crisco this calls for... might be where I'm located or what, but if I do it just becomes super greasy. So there you go!





16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a good quality brand)

2 to 5 tablespoons water

2 pounds icing sugar (please use C&H Cane Powdered Sugar for the best results)

1/2 cup Crisco shortening (you will be digging into it so place in a very easily accessed bowl) (optional)

NOTE: Please be careful, this first stage can get hot.
Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 1/2 minutes total. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.
Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY (palms, backs, and in between fingers), then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle. (By the way, this recipe is also good for your hands. When Im done, they are baby soft.)
Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands. If you have children in the room they will either laugh at you or look at you with a questioning expression. You might even hear a muttered, What are you doing?

Keep kneading, this stuff is sticky at this stage! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant starts sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time and then knead it in). It usually takes me about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.
It is best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar). If you do see them, you will need to knead and maybe add a few more drops of water.
Prepare the fondant icing for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic-type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible.
MM Fondant icing will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks. If I know that I have a cake to decorate, I usually make two (2) batches on a free night during the week so it is ready when I need it. Take advantage of the fact that this fondant icing can be prepared well in advance.

Thanks Darthburn ~ I am going to try your recipe.

Do you tell your customers they are eating store bought fondant? Do you feel like your cheating them?

Mike

I always follow this video I love it!!!

Oh, btw Sally... if I want the entire batch one color I mix the color into the melted marshmellows with a greased up knife. Add color until you get it where you want. Remember the PS will lighten it a bit, but letting it set overnight should allow the color to darken.

Sallybratt....I have made my own MMF but didn't like the texture.It was rubbery and hard to roll out..kinda like pizza dough that kept wanting to snap back.The taste was awesome though.....I buy my fondant from Dawn Foods which is whole sale and all over the country.They make a white fondant called Deccorice and it smells like Cotton Candy and is excellent to work with...it is $22.00 for a 10 pound tub.Both my Mom and I order every couple of months as we have a business account.Much cheaper than fondanrific...Haven't tried Golda's but it's good to know it isn't good so I won't waste my time trying it!!

Thanks for the info everyone. I'm going to give some recipes a try and see how I like them. I really appreciate the help.