Hello everyone,
Today was my first attempt with the marshmallow fondant and it was a total disaster!! It was gooey and unmanagable. It has a nice shine to it but when I tried to smooth it out with the cake fondant smoother it would tear and I would have to start over. It had so many bubbles and the fondant looked so heavy I couldn't manage it. I am so sad because this is for someone dear to me and my cake is going to look very different to what my other cakes have looked like. Can someone please help!! I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

Monique

If it seems gooey my first suggestion would be to add more powedered sugar. All MMF starts out very gooey. You need to spead powdered sugar over your work surface and need it in.

Hope this helps!

if it was gooey, it possibly needed more sugar. and rather than the smoother, use clean hands. the tool is tricky to get it right. i find that i get alot of bubbles when i kneed and twist quickly, because it seems to add more air and it gets trapped. you can prick a bubble with pin at an angle and smooth flat, but with a ton, you may want to try a new batch since it is too sticky anyway. or if you can remove it from the cake without taking up icing with it you can wipe it clean with a paper towel. roll it flat, prick out the bubbles, add more sugar slowly and then reroll and see how it does...i almost think staring over would be easier. i learned the hard way...fondant takes a lot of practice and its best not to commit to a fondant cake unless you've practiced first. i've gotten myself into trouble doing that!

I thought about adding more sugar but I wasn't sure how much. I wanted to follow recipe as it read. How much should I have use? Or what texture should I look for next time? Thanks for the replies!!

It would help if you bought a thing of Wilton fondant so you can feel the texture. That is what your mmf should feel like. Kind of like playdough. I was having the same problem. Then I realized I wasn't adding enough sugar. I was afraid to add to much because i didn't want to "ruin" it. So now I use about 1 3/4 lbs of powder sugar and it is managable. Just keep practicing. You can do this cake, just add more sugar to your fondant. I use my hands with a little crisco on them to smooth it out. Good Luck, don't forget to post a pic.

Hello you guys I just posted a picture up. It's one with the little characters of Backyardingans please let me know your opinions and what I should have done.

the weather will always play a roll as well. so somedays when it is dry, you'll need less sugar. days that are humid, you'll need more. dont worry about the recipe being to a T...sometimes you'll need to adjust.

I left a comment on your pic. I think it looks great. Love the characters!!

heh....I recognize that cake...

I KNOW KELLY!! Sorry I wasn't able to duplicated it!! Sorry! But thanks for the great idea adorable.

THe first time I made fondant I followed the recipe exactly, and I thought it was so much work. I love it now that i know what I'm going for, because you can mix up small batches or large ones. Since super smooth icing isn't my thing, I love fondant. Don't give up after the first try You did a wonderful job, and I think it will be less work next time, since you have an inkling!

Good luck!

Okay I tried another batch of the MMF and it's still really sticky. Somebody mentioned to do it until it feels firm as the wilton fondant but I've added so much pwd sugar and it's still so sweaty. The wilton feels more like dried gum that if I pull on it it strecths really smooth my batch i strecth it and it instantly tears. What am I doing wrong. PLEASE HELP!!!

Could you post the recipe you're using? I make MMF all the time and this has never happened to me. Maybe if we see your ingredients we can help more?

16 ounces white mini marshmallows (use a good quality brand)

2 to 5 tablespoons water

2 pounds icing sugar (please use C&H Cane Powdered Sugar for the best results)

½ cup Crisco shortening (you will be digging into it so place in a very easily accessed bowl)



This is the recipe I am using. Could I be forgetting something?

Oh hon, that is WAY too much water. My recipe calls for only 2 tbsp, and it's just perfect. In fact, you usually don't have to add the whole bag of powdered sugar. Try it with less water.

So then everything else is right? here are all the intructions of that recipe maybe i'm doing something wrong in the process

16 ounces white mini marshmallows (use a good quality brand)

2 to 5 tablespoons water

2 pounds icing sugar (please use C&H Cane Powdered Sugar for the best results)

½ cup Crisco shortening (you will be digging into it so place in a very easily accessed bowl)



NOTE: Please be careful, this first stage can get hot.

Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 ½ minutes total. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.

Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY - palms, backs and in between fingers, then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle.

Keep kneading, this stuff is sticky at this stage! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant is sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about ½ tablespoon at a time then knead it in). It usually takes me about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.

Its best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar). If you do see them, you will need to knead and maybe add a few more drops of water.

Prepare the fondant for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic- type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible.

Here's what I do:

16 oz marshmallows
2 tbsp water
1-2 drops flavoring oil, if desired
2 lbs powdered sugar

1. Place marshmallows and water (flavoring oil, too, if you're using it) in a large glass bowl. Microwave for approx. 1:30 until they're all puffy. Take them out and stir them with a generously crisco'd wooden spoon. Stir them until it's kind of "soupy".

2. Once you have the "soup", start gradually adding powdered sugar as in the recipe you already have. At this point, stir with the wooden spoon because it's still very hot.

3. As you keep adding powdered sugar and it gets stiffer, it will also cool down quickly, so you can switch to your generously crisco'd hands. Knead it until it comes together as a pliable ball of dough. This only takes a couple of minutes. You may or may not need the entire bag of powdered sugar, depending on exactly how much liquid you added, the humidity outside, etc.

I've never found any use in letting it rest, because I just have to microwave it again later when it cools down and gets hard. But your own experience may vary.

I think your problem with it being so "shiney" and fragile was too much water. Hope this helps1

HEllo everyone I DID IT!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP!!! I finally got the recipe. I still can't smooth out the fondant really smooth but I think with practice. Maybe my buttercream was to dry and it got to bumpy. Check out the pictures I'll post in a little but. KELLY M. Thank you thank you. I followed your recipe and it worked wonders!!!! I'm so happy=0).

Monique

Just a note here.....adding Gumtex will make your MMF more pliable and easier to work with. It won't tear as easily.

HTH

Does anyone know what Kris posted cause I can't see it. I just know that you can purchase something in the Wilton store that can be used as a hardening agent for MMF. Please!

it is g-u-m-t-e-x ... CC sells it too! I only add it to MMF for the things I want to dry very quickly, like bows or figurines. I wouldn't use it on MMF you are using to cover the cake with.