I can't find an answer to this specific question in the archived posts. I tried MFF for the first time last month, and first of all I loved it! So much tastier than MMF, and easy to work with. However I encountered one incredibly frustrating problem on both batches I made: that stuff stretched like nobody's business. Getting the fondant on my cakes without it stretching itself paper thin was hard enough (I ended up with one tear in a thinned-out spot. Hello, back of the cake!) but trying to make a rope or ribbon border around the cake using the fondant was darned near impossible.

I've never seen anyone complain it is too "stretchy," however I have seen discussions about it being "too soft" so more PS was added. Is this what I am experiencing? Does stretchy mean that it is "too soft"? It really didn't seem like it could handle any more PS; as it is, when I rolled it out after only a bit of kneading (after resting a day, I mean), it was dry and cracking until I upped the kneading and really got it warmed up; then it was nice and smooth and easy to use...except for the stretchiness.

I tried putting a fondant ribbon border on my cake and I couldn't even lift a 9" long ribbon of fondant without it stretching to almost double its length. For my top tier I was making a little "flame shaped" border and the same thing happened. Rolling it thicker helped some, but not much as it was going to stretch no matter what.

Any tips or suggestions? Thanks!

never had that problem, you can add some gumpaste to the fondant to make it stiffer

the same thing happened to me my 1st time making MMF, so i'd like to know how to fix that situation also!

and what is MFF?? how do u make it?

ceshell, I found the same problem with Satinice, which I know everyone loves.

I hope you get an answer and I am now watching this so I can learn too

If you don't get a response, I recommend PMing Michelle herself. She was wonderful the one time I tried her recipe and had to ask her questions.

The first time I tried making MFF it was somehow sticky and dry . Michele told me that I had probably used too much gelatin and not enough glycerin, and she was right! So maybe you have the opposite problem and need more gelatin and less glycerin? Hopefully she'll see this thread and come to the rescue!

the only time my fondant did that was when i didn't put enough PS in. i use all 4 pounds when i make it.

Thanks for the input, I'll PM her and link her to this thread so that if she has a moment to respond, everyone can benefit from the information

nevermind...i figured it out...Thanks

O.K. I'm getting ready to make MFF for the first time tomorrow. I would like to know how you solve this problem before (maybe) it get to it. Thanks for looking into this.

That's a wonderful idea ceshell, since there's a million of us and only one of her, probably nice to spread the information around

I wonder if you can find her profile and look at her posts and see if she's ever commented on this topic before. Just a thought...not sure if the topic shows, like when you look at your own posts.

I didn't get far enough when I tried hers before to be of any help. I decided to try it out at a time when I really didn't have the time...so as soon as I ran into the first problem, I gave up for the night

I have had to cut my glycerin to 1 1/2 tablespoon... I think it's the humidity in Louisiana... Maybe in CA, also?

Pat B.

Well, I tried cutting the glycerin because it was my understanding that it is what gives the fondant its stretch... I think along simple lines...lol

Pat B definitely makes a good point. Seeing her post makes me remember reading before about adding glycerin to MMF to give it some extra stretch. Makes sense to take some out of MFF to give it less stretch. And you can always add little bits back in as you go!

In the past when I've had this happen, I've had good success with adding in a little tylose. It's never really a problem with covering the big cake itself, just with details like the ribbon around the cake you were talking about. Good luck!

Ok ladies... DO NOT ADD GUMPASTE TO FONDANT THAT YOU ARE GOING TO EAT!!!!! And, yes, I'm yelling at you. In a friendly way!
There are several things that can cause "stretchy" fondant. Or "soft" fondant. Or fondant that gets too many "airpockets" (when it happens, you will know). Because of humidity, adding shortening, or any number of things, your fondant has done this. Just keep kneeding and add more powdered sugar a little at a time. I promise. This will help. It is NOT the glycerine. I believe that glycerine helps with the "stretchiness" but also keeps the color.

Second. Always keep some marshmellows on hand. If you haven't made enough MFF by accident then you have the ability to make some up at short notice!

Finally, if you aren't sure that you are rolling out your fondant thick enough (or thin enough) get the French Rolling Pin from Wilton (the long white one with no handles) and get the rings that go on it to keep things even that you are rolling out. You should be able to use the medium sized rings for fondant (and sugar cookies!)

HTH ladies! Any questions, PM me!

i have the same problem with MFF, wayyy too stretchy! i ended up adding tons of powered sugar, which made it too sweet and *STILL* stretchy. i figured i'd give it one more try with melted white chocolate chips. well, that did the trick, the consistency was *perfect*. i only covered a 6 inch cake but i had no troubles so i hope i will have the same results when covering a larger cake. plus, it tasted lovely : )

Egads, that sounds like a great AND delicious solution, daily!

The funny thing is, I would have known this but there is a 7pg MFF thread that for some reason you couldn't get into pages 2-7 (it was from just a few months ago; having nothing to do w/the crash). After I posted this ? I finally got into that thread and saw your ? on this subject (but I noticed that nobody else had answered it over there either.)

I don't recall if you mentioned on the other thread, but approx how much white chips did you use, and at which stage in the recipe did you add them?

I've never made the regular MFF, but the white chocolate one works great for me - I use between 1/2 and 3/4 of a pound (I didn't measure) of candy melts and added them when I added the glycerine.

I made the cocoa version the other night - that was so good I hurt myself. Really I stopped the kitchen aid to taste the fondant, it was delicious, my kids loved it too. Then I started it back up again but wanted another piece and forgot to turn it off before I put my hand back in!! Ouch!! However, I noticed when playing with it after the feeling came back in my hand, that it was almost dry but then when kneaded a lot, it seemed very stretchy. It reminded me of choco-pan when it was too warm in my house, but it was cold in our house the other night.

i believe i added 6 ounces? i added it with the other liquids.

if you try it, please come back and let us know how it worked for you!

Stretchy MMF is what I got too! I was workng with it this past Saturday and I couldn't get it to co-operate. I called my aunt who uses it all the time and she said that when she gets the same prob she just adds a bit of store bought fondant. I happened to have some nasty wilton... I added like a small ball the size of a golf ball, and kneaded the heck out of it. The taste was still great and it helped firm it up a bit so I could cover my 12" cake.

Well, I'm serious when I say that you need to kneed in a bit more powdered sugar, just about 1/2 cup at a time. The humidity in your house, your city, your state, whatever, will affect the recipe. If it's hot, cold, whatever.
Good luck to all of you!

Sorry to take so long to post but I have been out of town.

There are several things that can cause the fondant to be too stretchy. As has been said, not enough powdered sugar is the main cause. The amount given in the recipe is approximate because the amount of liquid, humidity, and the temperature of the liquid make a HUGE difference in the consistency of the fondant. Room temperature is important as well.

Adding too much shortening while kneading can weaken the fondant. If it is too dry add glycerin in very small amounts until it feels right. The white chocolate added (about 6 ounces) adds body, flavor, and a firmer fat. This is what makes the fondant a little smoother. Too much will make it too soft.

I'm typing on a cell phone so I might have missed a few questions. When I get on a regular computer I will try to answer all of the issues.

Michele

So when it looks like it has air pockets tears and it gets big holes in it....does this mean it is too dry and needs more glycerin or should I keep kneading in more ps????

Maybe this will help. If the fondant seems too sticky, stretchy, makes holes easily, etc., then knead in some more powdered sugar. Don't go wild with it, just add in small amounts until it is smooth and firm.

If it seems more like a rubber ball, then it probably needs some glycerin and powdered sugar.

If it is too stiff, add small amounts of glycerin to small batches, then knead these batches back together. Shortening will weaken the structure of the fondant so limit the amount you use on your hands and work surface. Kneading in softer fondant can also fix this.

HTH

Michele

Hmm...well I am still kind of stumped after all of this! In my case, the fondant actually seemed PERFECT. If anything it ALMOST seemed too dry. But once it warmed up from kneading, it was exquisite. Until I picked it up after it had been rolled out...that's when it turned into Mr. Elastifondant. I can't figure out which angle to approach it to fix it! The good news is, reading so many success stories with the white chocolate, I know that will very likely solve my problems. The only other thing I can think of, is of course maybe I had too much shortening on my hands/mat/whatever. Thank you so much for taking a look at this! It is great to have a little "MFF reference page" for any fixes it might need. Oh, right, and thanks again for the recipe! It really IS all it's been hyped up to be.

Michele, thanks so much for weighing-in on this! I have turned "fondant-haters" into "fondant-snobs". And it is super easy to make. Thanks for the great recipe! And thank you for all your help!

Ok, so I made another batch of Michele Fosters, let it rest for the 24 hours and it is to stretchy... Can I save the current batch with white chocolate? I mean obviously it's too late to add it with the other liquids, but can i still melt some and knead it in? Oh, and I'm having a hard time with it sticking to my table, despite the shortening coating, any tips on that situation???