Marshmallow Fondant

A great recipe for marshmallow fondant.

Ingredients

  • the recipe
  • • 16 ounces mini marshmallows
  • • 2 pounds powdered sugar
  • • 4 tablespoons water
  • • shortening for greasing the bowl etc.
  • • (This makes 3 lbs)

Instructions

  1. the method
    This method uses a strong stand mixer, like a kitchen-aid, but you can also knead the fondant by hand.

1. Put the marshmallows and water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for about 1 minute, until the marshmallows are all melted. The mixture will expand. Stir to incorporate.
2. Grease the dough hook and bowl of your mixer really well with shortening.
3. Put about 3/4 of the powdered sugar to the mixer bowl and add all of the melted marshmallows.
4. Mix on low speed for a few minutes then check the consistency of the fondant. It will probably still be a little sticky at this point. If it is, add some of the remaining powdered sugar and mix again for a minute or so. repeat this step until the fondant is firm and neither dry or sticky.
5.Turn out on to a clean, firm work surface and knead by hand just for a minute until there are no flecks of dry powdered sugar remaining. Wrap in cling wrap and let the fondant rest for at least 30 minutes before using.

Comments (90)

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This is an excellent fondant recipe. I have been making my own like this ever since I started baking! Everyone loves it! It handles well and taste great..unlike the store bought kind that taste like cardboard to me!

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I've been kneading this MMF by hand all this time...always afraid to put it in my mixer because of the mess. I will, however, grease it up today and give it a try! The thought of making roughly 9 pounds of fondant in five different colors already has me worn out! Thanks for the tip :)

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I was wondering...do you put it in the fridge after it is made? I was told that you should by some people, and never put it in there by others.... please let me know, Thanks :)

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This is the recipe I use too, and I use it for everything! Covering, modeling and accents.

I shall leave a tip here for those who use grams. It's one part of marshmallows, and two of sugar. For instance 100g of marshmallows for 200g of sugar. This way you only think in terms of weight. The water is just sprinkling some water with your hands on the marshmallows until they are slightly wet.

I always use my stand mixer too, but I do it all the way there and use the K beater for it. As soon as it's ready I just put it in a bag then a airtight container. Never put it in the refrigerator for 2 reason:It has no perishable ingredients and it's much easier to start working at room temperature.

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You can leave it out...putting it in the fridge will serve no real purpose! It will only make it harder to work with. It will keep for a couple weeks!

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This is a fabulous recipe! I absolutely love it and so does everyone else that eats it as well! So easy to make too...just get funny looks while you are making it like a small child playing in dough! Putting it int he fridge only helps to conserve it until you need it next but is very difficult to work with straight out of the fridge. It is very helpful to let it sit at room temperature for a while before trying to color it and work with it!! Thanks for sharing. Fabulous recipe!!!!

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Yes you can cakediva. I've been making this exact recipe for over 3 years now, and the best way I found to add color is stir it into the melted marshmellows before adding to the powdered sugar. Also, letting it set over night helps the color set in and darken.

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I am so very very very happy i found this recipe i was spending soooo much money on store bought fondant its crazy for it to not even taste good im in my glory right now now i can pratice more with no fear of goin broke over buying fondant love it thank you so much and i colored the marshmellow mixture before i added the sugar works like a charm

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I just tried this recipe last night. I turned our very well. The taste is waaay better than any other store bought fondant. QUESTION! If I wanted to use this same recipe to make chocolate fondant, could I by adding melted chocolate? Or what would I need to do?

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I did this MM fondant on a cake recently. it was kinda "rubber-y" when I tried to cut the cake, did I not roll it out thin enough? The taste is great, just a little hard to cut it.

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Cakesbylissette, I have used this recipe and made it chocolate just by mixing about a 1/2 cup of cocoa powder with my powdered sugar, just make sure you sift the cocoa powder first so it doesn't leave lumps in your fondant.

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what do you add to fondant to make model and accents? Anything? CCM? I found my MMF to soft and I had to make them thick to work with it at all. Any advise would be helpful.

Dani

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Gracias por la receta , tu no sabes el trabajo q yo pasaba con el MMF nunca m quedaba bien y precisamente en estos dias tenia que hacer un bizcocho y m salio perfecto .☺☺☺

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I can't wait to try it. I have been given sooo many other methods and don't like any of them. None have turned out right or workable. I will be trying this one in a few days... Can't wait !!! :)

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i have never worked with any type of fondant before and really want to try. a couple questions on this recipe is anyone could help......can regular size marshmallows be used instead of minis? and will this recipe work well to make figures or is it better for rolling? i would like to attempt to make animals for a jungle themed baby shower cake. Thanks for any input!! =)

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i also have never worked w/ fondant so i was wondering how difficult it is to model animals out of it. i'm making my son a farm cake for his b-day next month. also i was curious about coloring it, i'll need several colors to do the animals. how would you recommend coloring fondant in these small "batches"? i will take any help i can get!!!

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Do you need to add Gum tex or anything to it to make it easier to work with? Thanks! looking forward to trying it this week.

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I made it for the first time this evening...worked amazingly well and the kids loved the taste. So happy to be able to practice more!

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I am anxious to try this recipe, as most people don't like the taste of fondant. When frosting a cake do you need to either crumb ice or frost with buttercream first? Thans for the info.

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eam4157......from what I have read, you do ice it with a thin layer of buttercream first and let it crust over before adding fondant. Good luck! I am using this recipe for the first time today also.

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I have been making this recipe and love it. Have not had any trouble cutting the cake and tastes great. Thank u Anamado for the tip using the stand mixer. What is a K beater? Is it the one that looks like a big C? Do you dump the mashmallow & sugar and just go to town? I hope it works for me b/c my shoulders are killing me! Also, how long can you keep it? When you say weeks how many? I made some for a cake mid Dec and had tons left and need to make a cake the end of Feb. Why is it that store bought lasts up to a year in an airtight tub & homemade only a few weeks? Has anyone kept it at room temp for a long time? I need my fridge space! :-)

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I have been using MMF very successfully for several years now. Anyone who says they do not like the taste of fondant has not tried this. I do have people from time to time tell me they don't like the mouth-feel but the flavor is great, and the workabilty and look is fantastic. I have stored it for a couple of months or even longer and it has been fine. If it is too stiff to work with, I pop it in the microwave for a very short time (25 seconds for a full recipe) and it becomes very workable again. It is extrememly important to keep it sealed in an air tight container at room temperature. I keep it in Ziploc freezer bags with as much air squeezed out as possible. This fondant will dry out very quickly when exposed to air. Refridgeration is not necessary since none of the ingredients require it. I have always added a little flavoring (usually butter or vanilla) in place of the water which just makes the flavor even better.

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irenemurray: The K beater is the name that my stand mixer (kenwood chef) gives to the normal beater; not the one for dough nor the one for whipping white eggs. It has that name because its design seems to have a K in the middle :) I keep my mmf out of the refrigerator and it lasts for months..., specially if it's not dyed

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How is the workability and softness/hardness compared to the Wilton fondant which is the only one I have ever worked with, I love how smooth the Wilton fondant gets but hate the taste. Need one that will get as smooth but with taste.

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I tried this recipe for a wedding cake I did last summer and had an awful time with it. As I went to roll it out it just crumbled. I had to put more water in to it and kneed it all over again. Can I leave it sort of sticky to stop this? It was twice as much work the other way.

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I have just started my very first cake decorating class and love it. I'm excited about learning all the tricks. It has been very helpful reading everyone comments. I love the way the fondant looks. I can't wait to try this receipe. Any suggestions or tips would be great. I'm assuming the best way to become really good is to practice, practice, practice, right?

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Just used this recipe this weekend (I made two batches) and it was awesome- so easy to make. It took me a little time to get the right consistency when adding p. sugar- but it was super easy to work with once I got it right. Definitely try to add color to it while you're mixing it if possible. Very easy to roll and cover cakes. Fertluv- its alot easier to work with than the Wilton brand- I have found that that one cracks pretty easily. This ones goes on nice and smooth and stays a little softer. I made a number topper with it and it took a lot longer to dry than the Wilton fondant. The taste is incredible too. First time that everyone actually ate the fondant on the cake!

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I have used this recipe on my last two cakes and the taste is great. It is easier to work with and it makes you feel like a kid again playing with play dough. I have tried coloring it while the marshmallow is melted. It does take time to get the right color doing it afterward. It does take longer to dry if you use it to make leaves or other things. Even with gumpaste mixed in. Still you will love working with it. Just make sure you grease everything you are using. Even your hands. Cause it is a stick mess if you don't. Have fun. Also I have used the big marshmallows and I use WalMart brand with no problem. Only problem is the size of the bags which only come in 10 oz. instead of 16 oz, so you have to guess. Happy kneading.

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i bought the mm and wiltong fondant just in case and glad that I did, after working the mmf it would not become pliable it was sticky and when i got rid of that problem then it was cracking when i started to roll so i threw it in the garbage and used the old trusty wilton, what i do with the wilton fondant is add flavor to it. i use the oil flavoring and they come out just great. i have no problem with people eating it as long as i put flavor in it... i will however try again because it it more economical

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can this recipe be made with marshmallow creme and if not why? What is the difference between the creme and the marshmallows?

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Mama Scooby wrote: Also I have used the big marshmallows and I use WalMart brand with no problem. Only problem is the size of the bags which only come in 10 oz. instead of 16 oz, so you have to guess. Happy kneading.

I do not know if your local grocery store offers the Always Save brand but their mini marshmallow come in a 16 oz bag. I bought some the other day to try out a MMF recipe that I found but I think i am going to try this one too.

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Does anyone know how many cups it takes for the 16 oz. because all I can find is 10-5 oz. Would like to try it tonight.

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Granny49: I weigh my marshmallows and ingredients every time with a digital postage scale, try that with the marshmallows if you can't figure out the cups! Hope that helps some =)

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I love this fondant recipe. The only problem that I have had with it is that even with corn starch, powdered sugar or both on the surface, it seems to stick to my counter more than traditional fondant (FondX is what I used before). Any tips? I am afraid to use too much on the counter and end up drying out the fondant.

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ok....I was not convinced about this one...loved the idea...but didnt really think it would work ! WELL ...let me tell you...this is the BEST recipe for fondant EVER ! I LOVE IT x 100 !! Thank you so much for such a fab recipe !

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I tried making this my mixing a tub of marshmallow creme with enough powdered sugar (lots and lots!) to make is a fondant consistency and it worked perfectly! Thanks for this marshmallow fondant idea - I am so thrilled! My batch was so smooth and easy to work with, covered my cake and smoothed out beautifully, and tastes yummy to boot.

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Just tried this recipe for the first time ever. It was a fun mess, can't wait to see how it turn out, thank you. :)

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tanyataylor, how much marshmallow creme did you use? I'd love to try this recipe, but I don't have a kitcheaid mixer, only a small hand mixer,so I'd have to do it by hand. If I used marshmallow creme instead of melted marshmallows, does this make it easier? Also, what did you use for coloring?

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Oh wow, after reading all the comments on here I just had to try this recipe. I have just made my first ever fondant and boy does it taste good. Don't know what I'm going to use it for just yet but I think I'll have to make a cake tomorrow......

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I just used this for my granddaughters b-day cake. If you make it ahead of time and it tends to dry a little just crumble it in your mixer, after greasing it all down very well. Use the dough hook and add a little water just until it all comes together. It is now like play dough. I grease down my counter and add color by kneading it in. Then I have to use p-sugar to roll it out. I is a wonderful recipe and I will be using it from now on.

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I love this reciepe. One question though: Wondering about coloring. How do you go about making differnt colors at the same time? Do you have ot use small batches? Please explain. Very confused. Thank you for your time.

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Wow, absolutely the easiest thing ever... I used the bag of 10 oz large marshmallows and 3/4 of th 2lb bag of powdered sugar.. perfect consistecy. I am notorious for eye balling things and it worked out just fine.

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I live in Canada and I'm having trouble with this recipe. When I make it is shiny and full of bubble holes. It also tears apart easily after I let it sit for a while. I use a bag of 454g marshmallows & a 1 k bag of powdered sugar. I loike the taste but I can't get the consistency right. Let me know if any has any helpful tips. Thanks!!

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I made this fondant weeks ago..as an experiment (as always!) It tasted great and worked like a dream. I saved some (and let it sit for a few weekds, and just popped it into the microwave and it is still workable (still experimenting) . I love this receipe.

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Oh wow. That sounds far easier than the other fondant recipes I have seen (glycerin, what?!) so I am going to the store now to try it out! It'll be my first time every making fondant ... or even using fondant. So I'll tell you how it works out!

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Ok so it rolled out great and tasted wonderful. My husband and my daughter thought it was better then the cookies covered in RI. Now is there any hits in rolling this out a second time? Mine wants to ripple.

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great recipe. haven't had any problems with it. easy to store and reuse by popping it back in the microwave to soften and work with again. i keep it in an airtight container if i have any left overs

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Can you add Carob instead of Cocoa powder? Is there anything special that has to be done besides sifting? I'm very new at this. My little Boys are allergic to chocolate and naturally always want what they can't have. I'm giddy and want to run to the grocery store to buy ingrediants, I simply can't wait. Thank you!

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I just tried this recipe forthe first time and I absolutely love it. I used my mixer to combine it to the point where the powder sugar was mostly disolved then turned it out on a greased mat to knead it the rest of the way. I had no probs at all. it turned out even smoother than any fondant i ever used and the taste is awesome. Has anyone tried to flavor it with LorAnn flavors since they have about 25 or more? I think since it is so cheap and easy I might try to make a flavored one and post my results. Also I heard that you can use the colored marshmallows for variety. I found it on another forum on CC. Look it up

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after reading all these comments i have to try this, i`ll need to leave one white and make the other one red, oh and i`ll also need a small black one for mickey ears.any special brands of colors i should be using?????

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I absolutely LOVED this recipe. Being a novice, I received so many complements on my 1st cake w/mmf. I had used the boxed kind once years ago and just avoided it all together since, but this was great! I've made several batches since I 1st discovered your recipe!! Thank You so much!

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this is an awesome recipe. it has a great taste and is very pliable. i took pieces of this fondant and experimented with colors. in my opinion candy color blended way better than icing color.

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For those asking about chocolate, I noticed the answer about adding sifted cocoa powder to the icing sugar. Is it a substitute, or in-addition to? I'd like to try both regular and chocolate...for an upcoming project.

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Thank you so much, I am anxious to try. I just started taking classes and am eager to find out more info.

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I have a question for all - I have made the MMF - love the taste - very easy to use - but mine isn't white - any comments or suggestions on why that might be?

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dar4657 - did you flavor it with vanilla?? Unless you use a clear flavoring, it will turn out ivory. *sometimes darker :(

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I had never used fondant because the other recipes seemed very involved and scared me away and wilton fondant tastes terrible. I found this recipe and used it on a wedding cake I was doing and it worked beautifully! Plus everyone loved the taste. I'm so excited to be able to use fondant on my cakes now.

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just one question on the other marshmellow fondant i use it would shrink when i rolled it out does this recipe do the same? Thanks

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Just tried this recipe as my first attempt at making fondant. Love the taste. Thanks for a SIMPLE recipe! When made it, though, it took an extra 3/4 cup powdered sugar in addition to the 2 lbs. to get it to a point of not being sticky. (Perhaps because I'm in humid Alabama and it's 98 degrees outside.) Are you aware of any issues with using this fondant in high humidity? Also, when I finally got it to where it wasn't sticky (just a bit tacky), it lost some of the taffy-like stretch. Perhaps I should've backed off on the additional sugar. Any tips to improve my skill with it would be greatly appreciated!

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I'm a first time user, yet to make it, but I am hoping make it for my mom's 47th birthday cake, I want to cover it and then create letters and numbers out of the fondant to put on the cake, When I make it, it would be a day or two before actually baking the cake itself, can I cut out the letters and numbers, put it on a plate, cover it with a wrap then place in the refregirater, to then just place on the cake or should I just do the cut outs the day of the baking?

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Baker14girl: If you are making thin cutouts that you want to conform to the cake I would make them the day of. If you are making letters or numbers that will be "standing" up on the cake make a few days to a week in advance so they can dry, if not they will sag and will not hold up. (I always add tylose to my figures or big letters and numbers, it will help the fondant from sagging) BTW this is the best recipe! I always use the kitchen aid as well with the dough hook. I use 1/2 c shortening in each batch. I have added tons of different extracts (fav so far is almond). This is a very reliable recipe!!!

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This was my first time making fondant and I was surprised how easy it was. This recipe makes delicious fondant...so much better than the store bought kind. I don't think I could've done it without my standmixer though. I colored it prior to adding the powdered sugar, which was a tip from another member; it worked very well. It handled nicely and everyone commented on how good it was. Thank you for sharing!

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Hello, this will be my first time trying fondant, and I normally make my cakes a day or two befor the day, if I use this fondant can I still make my cake a day or two befor, will the tast and fondant be ok. Any help or tips would hepl thanks so much

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I have tried making two batches of this now and i cannot get it to be one unsticky. I have added a ton of extra powdered sugar and it is still sticky. Any tips?

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I've been making MMF for a few years now and absolutely love it- recently bought a KA mixture and now I love this recipe even more! lol It's so much easier and faster using the stand mixer- just make sure that you grease everything really well!

One trick that you can use is to use cooking spray instead of Crisco when you're greasing everything- it's quicker and less mess than Crisco.

Another thing that I tried today was adding the Princess Emulsion- it tastes wonderful in this recipe! I'm definately going to be making it more often this way than just plain vanilla.

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I made this today and turned out great. So easy and tastes great plus somuch cheaper then buying it already made...

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This is great! Thank you for this! I found a very similar recipe that i made and used to make figurines for a fairly elaborate (by my newbie standards) gingerbread house I made for Christmas. It was so much fun i can't wait to see what i can do with cakes! The problem i seemed to have was that it dried out as i was working with it. Does the shortening help with that? Also, could you substitute the shortening for butter? I hate the thought of eating shortening and I do not buy it.  I love the thought of using my mixer! I did it by hand last time! Any feedback is appreciated!!