Hey guys

I'm a very very very amateur baker, and just recently started decorating cakes and becoming obsessed already! I was wondering, at what point did you guys move from ready to roll fondant to make your own? I'm currently using morrisons own brand which has been working fine so far, though it does dry hard very fast! 

Edit: Little question here- if I buy a tube of colouring gel, will it still work with ready to roll fondant if I just kneed a bit of the gel into it?

Thanks everyone

I've never used anything but homemade fondant in order to keep cost down.  My cakes are always gifted to family & friends.  I've used both MMF and Michelle Foster's Fondant Recipe on here.  I like to use different flavorings in my fondant to compliment the cake flavor.  

I went the other way.  I made fondant a couple of times in the early days, but quickly switch to RTR.  The consistency of the pre-made is better IMO.

Thanks for the reply

I was wondering myself about keeping cost down, but then again there is also time constraints since I am very busy with my normal job. Hmm!

The idea about flavouring it is also a plus, though most of my family don't like fondant and just eat the cake parts :P I am actually going to make a coffee cake with coffee cream in the middle - if I added a shot of espresso to a homemade fondant, would it not slightly taint it if I wanted brilliant white?

Sorry for the bombardment of possibly stupid questions :3

AYes, it will stain it. And I bought fondant to make figured with once, and it was so nasty I stuck with buttercream another two years! When I had an order for a cake that really needed fondant, I made it. I can't see ever buying it. I make MFF for about $1.25 a pound. And it's amazing! I have my own tweaks to make it a lot more pliable, but its still Michelle's, I couldn't have done it without her!

AI Have always made my own. I use Michelle fosters recipe. As little as I bake right now I just couldn't justify buying it when I could make it do cheaply. Added with the fact that I knew MFF was good and I was scared I would buy some and it taste like crap.

Thanks guys! The cake is for my mums birthday on thursday, and will be the first I have had a go at decorating :3

The plan it to make a coffee sponge, with coffee cream in the middle. Depending on time, I will either make my own fondant following the same recipe or buy the ready roll for one last time, and add some black colouring gel to dye it (will this work)? Then just use any bits of ready roll left over for decoration! 

Thanks for the help once more, you guys are wonderful :)

The first cake I ever made was with MMF...and I only made that a couple more times before discovering MFF, and then I tweaked that over the years to the current variation that I use now.

The first time I used fondant I made it myself (MMF) went well so I still use it today :)