Basic Fondant Questions--Please Help. :)

Decorating By humminbird712 Updated 28 Feb 2010 , 8:42pm by Marianna46

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humminbird712 Posted 22 Feb 2010 , 7:58pm
post #1 of 39

I have only covered a few cakes in fondant now. I was wondering, how do you keep the fondant from sticking to the area you are rolling it out on? I have tried greasing the area with crisco. I have also tried cornstarch. Tried powdered sugar. It still usually sticks no matter what I do. What am I doing wrong? I use MMF by the way if that makes a difference.

Second question is how do ya'll get the cornstarch residue off the fondant once it's on the cake?

Third question is do you use a certain mat to roll it out on? If so, what kind?

38 replies
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MalibuBakinBarbie Posted 22 Feb 2010 , 8:09pm
post #2 of 39

Hi humminbird712 ~ I don't have MUCH experience working with fondant, but I did not have a sticking problem with my MMF when I used it on my SIL's baby shower cake back in the Fall. I used powdered sugar. Every roll or so, I'd gently lift and turn the fondant and sift powedered sugar as necessary. (Also used it on the rolling pin.) I didn't have much residue on the outside of my cake; but what little I did have I just used an ever-ever-so-slightly-SLIGHTLY-damp paper towel and just lightly dabbed at any spot that seemed to need it. I did not have a problem with discoloration or "shiny" spots. Regarding rolling it, I have tile counter tops that are NOT good for rolling anything, so I use my large round pastry board (without the cover).

You're sure to get responses from cakers with more fondant experience, but HTH! icon_smile.gif

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metria Posted 22 Feb 2010 , 9:58pm
post #3 of 39

i'm still a beginner, but i can share my experience with MMF:

I've tried smearing crisco on a smooth surface. I've done this on the Wilton cake dividing mat, a sheet of clear vinyl, and the back of my large cutting board (it's totally flat and smooth on the back). It has to be a very thin layer of crisco, else you can risk getting little pock marks in your fondant (due to the shortening building up and creating pockets). I still pick up my fondant and rotate it after every pass with my rolling pin to make sure it's not sticking.

I've tried cornstarch on a smooth surface. Usually my table top or, again, the back of my cutting board. This takes more work for me to make sure there's no stickage. I continually pick up the fondant and rotate it after passes and periodically sprinkle more cornstarch down on the surface. Sometimes I use my pastry brush to apply the cornstarch for even coating.

In my experience, you have to keep the fondant moving. If you let it lay there for a few minutes, you risk sticking.

When I'm done, sometimes I take a paint or my pastry brush and dust off any left over cornstarch on the fondant.

I'd love to hear any more insight on this.

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MrsPound Posted 22 Feb 2010 , 10:17pm
post #4 of 39

i use a heavy HEAVY coating of Crisco... then sprinkle on powdered sugar. i roll it out a bit, and then rotate and flip over verry often. sprinkling more powdered sugar on as necessary. i also roll it on my countertop, which is laminate. when buying my MMF supplies, i always buy 2 extra boxes.

hope it helps.. good luck!!

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chrissypie Posted 22 Feb 2010 , 10:20pm
post #5 of 39

I also believe when your cake is done you can rub a tiny amount of crisco onto the areas that have remaining powdered sugar/cornstarch on it and it will seep in and look just how it is supposed to, no shine.

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dalis4joe Posted 22 Feb 2010 , 10:45pm
post #6 of 39

humminbird712

Here is an awesome video that will help you for sure.... also... if you go to www.satinice.com they have tutorials that can help....

Norm (FN Challenge) aways says you should NEVER use cornstarch because there is a chemical reaction that does something to the fondant... but take a look... he is amazing!



PS. I did buy the Ateco Silicone Mat and nothing sticks to it... but as u will see... he does it in a wooden board!
Good Luck!

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metria Posted 22 Feb 2010 , 10:49pm
post #7 of 39

i also love this planet cake tutorial video:




she doesn't flip the fondant so the cornstarch won't get on the "good" side

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Renaejrk Posted 22 Feb 2010 , 11:01pm
post #8 of 39

I always use a sheet of vinyl and it is wonderful! I use a tiny big of crisco on my rolling pin, and I rotate the fondant as often as possible. When I'm done I just carry the vinyl/fondant to the cake and lay it on!

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roxie007 Posted 22 Feb 2010 , 11:10pm
post #9 of 39

I also hate it when the cornstarch stains my cakes...I just try and keep the one side perfect, and keep the cornstarch side down...if some ends up on the top of the cake I use a little ball of fondant and rub the area, usually works pretty well, almost like an eraser.
Or I brush it off with a little brush..
Except it was pretty hard to manage when I used black fondant last week!

Hope that helps!

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sadsmile Posted 22 Feb 2010 , 11:11pm
post #10 of 39

Dalis do you remember what Norm said it does...? I am really interested to find out!

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katies_cakes Posted 23 Feb 2010 , 12:33am
post #11 of 39

i just use plently of powdered sugar on my worksurface and rolling pin and rotate and turn the fondant often this stops it from sticking.

to get any residue off the surface of the cake use a paintbrush and a drop or two of vodka to "paint" over any marks. the vodka will evaporate and the powdered sugar etc will be gone.

hope this helps HTH

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humminbird712 Posted 23 Feb 2010 , 1:13am
post #12 of 39

Ya'll are awesome! Thank you so much for the advice!!

Also, do most of you make your fondant or buy it? I make mine, so maybe that is the problem too??

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MrsPound Posted 23 Feb 2010 , 2:09am
post #13 of 39

i make my own MMF

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metria Posted 23 Feb 2010 , 2:16am
post #14 of 39

i had been making my own MMF until just last week when i tried Michelle Foster's fondant. it's more complicated to make, but definitely easier to work with in the end. i found store-bought Satin Ice is nice to work with too.

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greengyrl26 Posted 23 Feb 2010 , 2:25am
post #15 of 39

1. Use PLENTY of cornstarch to keep your fondant from sticking.

2. When the cake is completely finished/decorated, lightly (VERY LIGHTLY) steam it from the bottom up with a garment steamer (a $20 Conair brand or similar works just fine). It will remove absolutely every last speck of cornstarch/ps residue and leave a nice shine on your fondant. I suggest putting the cake in the fridge for a few minutes after, cause the heat from the steamer makes the fondant sticky. The fridge/freezer will help it "reset" and get firm again.

3. The absolute BEST ROLLING MAT ever is the blue one from Ateco. Trust me, once you try this, you'll never use anything else. And the best part, you don't have to pick the fondant up off of the mat and move it to your cake. Just pick up mat, fondant & all, and flip it upside down on top of your cake. Peel away the mat & you have a perfectly smooth finish. Dust with cornstarch to smooth down the sides of your cake. Easy Peasy!

Here's a link for the Ateco mat. In case the link gets blocked, just google the blue ateco rolling mat. You can find it on Amazon too. https://www.atecousa.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=697&Category_Code=fondt&Product_Count=0

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TamathaV Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 2:10pm
post #16 of 39

Sadsmile - I also heard this from James Roselle in Tulsa last summer. He explained that cornstarch has slight leavening properties and that when the fondant stretched through rolling it gets embedded and expands slightly causing it to crack and tear more frequently. Powdered sugar, on the other hand dissolves into the fondant and forms a bond which strengthens it.

HTH!

Tammy

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dalis4joe Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 3:47pm
post #17 of 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by sadsmile

Dalis do you remember what Norm said it does...? I am really interested to find out!




Hi...
I checked the video and he doesn't specify....
Scoot Whoolley says that he prefers powdered sugar because if some of the cornstach gets on the buttecream side... when clients taste the buttercream... the first taste that will fit their buds will be the cornstarch....

I googled it... and there wasn't anything that I found specific... altough there was an article from Ohia State Un. that states that fondant that has some cornstarch in it.. when stored for one year... was hard and unable to return to original texture... but fondant that had no traces of cornstarch and was stored for one year.... after kneading and bringing to right temperature... was brough back to it's original state... soft, smooth and pliable....

I just know that Norm has many years of experience and I trust his opinion... but I know there are tons of people that use cornstarch and haven't had any problems....

I did try the "shortening" way and found it to be a lot better... this last cake I did... I used no powdered sugar... no cornstarch (of course... icon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gif ) and the fondant never stuck.... looked nice and shiny and no elephant skin or tears....

Hey... different strokes for different folks I guess.... lol

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dalis4joe Posted 25 Feb 2010 , 11:12pm
post #18 of 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by humminbird712

I have only covered a few cakes in fondant now. I was wondering, how do you keep the fondant from sticking to the area you are rolling it out on? I have tried greasing the area with crisco. I have also tried cornstarch. Tried powdered sugar. It still usually sticks no matter what I do. What am I doing wrong? I use MMF by the way if that makes a difference.

Second question is how do ya'll get the cornstarch residue off the fondant once it's on the cake?

Third question is do you use a certain mat to roll it out on? If so, what kind?




Hi again icon_biggrin.gif

You need to watch this......




No Cornstach... No Powdered Sugar.... only rub crisco on ur hands.... that's it!!!

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dalis4joe Posted 25 Feb 2010 , 11:16pm
post #19 of 39

sadsmile.....

I emailed Norm... he said.... there is a term... can't remember the long weird name... but... he said... add some cornstarch to fondant... save it for a week.... then take it out.... knead it and taste it.... u will know what he means then...

I just saw a video... nothing used except rub hands with crisco and silicone mat... AWESOME... tmo I need to fondant a cake and I will try it.... will let u know how it went...
here is the link:


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Taleesa Posted 25 Feb 2010 , 11:41pm
post #20 of 39

Thanks for posting this--I am going to a fondant class next week, so this info. is very helpful!!

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LaBellaFlor Posted 25 Feb 2010 , 11:41pm
post #21 of 39

That is very interesting information!

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Taleesa Posted 25 Feb 2010 , 11:41pm
post #22 of 39

Thanks for posting this--I am going to a fondant class next week, so this info. is very helpful!!

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sadsmile Posted 25 Feb 2010 , 11:44pm
post #23 of 39

Thank you for posting that!

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anasasi Posted 25 Feb 2010 , 11:55pm
post #24 of 39

Awesome info, very much appreciated!

Can I ask if anyone has used the Roulpat mat and the Ateco blue mat? If so, which is the better one? I've been dying to buy the Roulpat, however, after reading this post and seeing the video, I wonder if I'm better off investing in the blue Ateco mat. Either that or I'm just going to give in and buy a large slab of marble, lol!

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dalis4joe Posted 26 Feb 2010 , 12:12am
post #25 of 39

I have the Ateco.... waited almost a year to get it cause was I too cheap to buy it lol... but I should have bought it looong before... I LOVE IT!!!

AND! also... after seeing the video... it's like.. You can trim one side and add it to another side and it will work?
GREAT!!! can't wait til tmo when I try the no powder sugar method....

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malene541 Posted 26 Feb 2010 , 12:25am
post #26 of 39

Everyone one of my cakes are made with regular old MMF that I make. I notice that if I don't have enough powdered sugar mixed into the fondant that it seems to stick worse. I also have countertops that have a very slight texture (Wilsonart highdef) and there is no way I can roll out fondant on them. My Dad is a carpenter so for x-mas he made me a huge movable kitchen/cake making island with a butcherblock style top. When I've made enough fondant that the powdered sugar starts to "sand" down the wood I just sand it with a real sander and really fine sand paper to smooth it back down.
I've had friends over that want to try and work with fondant. I have them make their own and home then come over and every single one of them hasn't put enough powdered sugar into it so they have had bad sticking issues.
Hope this might help!

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anasasi Posted 26 Feb 2010 , 12:25am
post #27 of 39

Hahaha, I've been putting it off for two years now and dealing with my Wilton's roll up mat that's delicately laced w/slices running in all different directions, ya know, the kind that's perfect for creating that funky texture we all strive for on our modeling chocolate or fondant. I read this post and said alright now, enough is enough with the penny pinching.... the time has come to dig deep into my aching pockets, LOL!

Seriously, I'm going to go order mine right now. Can't wait to test it out, thanks so much!

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xanikesmom Posted 26 Feb 2010 , 12:53am
post #28 of 39

I use the Wilton 'Roll and Cut' mat for rolling out fondant. I dust the mat with a 50/50 blend of cornstarch and powder sugar. It works really nice and it has measurements on it so once you figure out how much fondant you need, you can see exactly when you can stop.

My only complaint about it: the 'cut' part is misleading. I was using an Exacto Knife to cut some shapes out of fondant thinking that I could on this 'Roll and Cut' mat - but the knife ending up cutting holes in the mat. So, I need to get a new one. It's about $9.99 and can be found at Michael's or other craft stores with Wilton products.

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anasasi Posted 26 Feb 2010 , 12:57am
post #29 of 39

That's exactly what happened to my Wilton's mat. That and rolling it up and folding it on occasion didn't help much with the extra creasing either. The other problem I had with it was keeping the corners down, drove me crazy. I guess I'm hoping that using the silicone mat will eliminate those problems, plus I want to try the no cornstarch method. Sounds brilliant to me.

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xanikesmom Posted 26 Feb 2010 , 1:06am
post #30 of 39

What I do is roll it so that the measurements are on the outside - that way when you unroll it, it stay down better. And then I store it in an old wrapping paper tube so it doesn't get bent. I think that silicone mat looks awesome though. I wonder if the local Creative Kitchen store would have something like it?

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