I am curious about this too, how does the steamer work for this and how far do you hold it from the fondant?
After I have rolled the fondant and placed it on the cake, what is the best way to remove the excess corn starch? Is corn starch the best to roll fondant with so that it won't stick?
Thanks for the help.
I saw a video where the guy used a pastry brush
The steamer emits steam, which melts the cornstarch. It just disappears right before your eyes. For my particular steamer, I hold it between 4 and 8 inches from the cake, depending on how much steam I need to concentrate on various areas of the cake. I also always steam my fondant before applying things like fondant dots, stripes, and cut-out. It eliminates the need to paint gum glue, water, piping gel, etc from the pieces you are applying to the cake, which saves time.
You can wipe with alcohol - like vodka - but that leaves the fondant shiny. I've not tried the steamer. I've had the BEST luck with a bristle pastry brush - not a silicone one but a regular one. I just brush briskly - find that cornstarch brushes off easier than powdered sugar.
I use a handheld garment steamer to remove cornstarch. Extremely quick and easy.
Me too! It is so easy. With mine I have to make sure I don't point it down towards the floor because it doesn't have a tendency to spit little drops of water which will leave spots on the fondant. Steaming will leave the fondant shiny for a little bit but the shine fades as it dries (at least it does for me). I don't have much luck with a pastry brush. It brushes off a big portion but my fondant (especially if its dark in color) still looks chalky.
tigerhawk- does brushing/wiping with alcohol not leave the fondant streaky? what do you use to wipe it on?
I saw a tuitorial on satin ice fondant web site, Ron Ben Isreal shows how to apply the fondant, then after he uses a "handy wipe" dampened to celan up. You can have it wet or damp as you like to control shine. Better yet, i find them at dollar stores for a buck/10 pk.
I also use a steamer sometimes to complete my cake, but i really love this method to clean up after initial covering!
Blessings
Thank you all for your help. I do not have a steamer and willnot be able to get one in time for my next cake. I have tried the alcohol and it did leave it steaky especially on dark colors. What I ended up doing on my black cake that this happened on was making it all kind of wet looking. I couldn't get the spots of cornstarch off, so I wiped down the whole cake. It actually turned out ok. I'll look into the handi wipes and pastry brush. Thanks again!
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