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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Who Wants Some Ugly Cake?

After totally slacking off for last week's Pinterest challenge, I knew I needed to do this marshmallow fondant thing. How did it go, you ask? I don't think I've ever made such of mess of my kitchen. Ever.

I made my cakes out of standard yellow cake mix (read: boxed mix) since I was more interested in the fondant practice than the end result. Turns out the cake tasted great anyway. Good job, Betty Crocker.

The recipe was very easy; marshmallows, lots of powdered sugar, water, and vanilla. Melt marshmallows with water and vanilla, add powdered sugar, and mix like a mo-fo. It goes from goop to super sticky dough quickly, but it was easier to mix with my hands than with a spoon.

This is my log of fondant cooling down. As a side note, when you put the fondant in plastic wrap to cool/rest, for the love of all that is holy - grease the plastic wrap with Crisco. Ask me how I know this. Its a good rule of thumb to just grease everything this stuff will come in contact with. Bowls, hands, counter top, etc. 
The recipe I used said to let the fondant cool for an hour, but several people have suggested over night is best. I didn't realize it at first, but this is something that you can easily make ahead and store in an airtight bag/container. It stays fresh for weeks!

Once I peeled the sticky mess off the plastic wrap, the real mess began. I used the glass stove top since it was a big open space that would be easy to clean. This was the end result of the rolling and cake covering. Do you think if I left this, J would clean it up? No, the answer is no he wouldn't. A girl can dream. 
I used cornstarch to prevent sticking, but have since heard recommendations for using Crisco or powdered sugar instead. Sounds just as messy, but if it works better I don't care. The fondant would stick unless I used literally handfuls of cornstarch.What. a. mess. The whole covering the cake part wasn't too bad aside from the occasional lump. In the future, I need to use buttercream frosting instead of regular whipped frosting (its a bit sturdier) and make sure its a bit smoother before putting on the fondant. 

Behold, the ugly cake. I got to practice making, rolling, coloring, and cutting fondant. I'm happy. I asked J what he thought of my ugly cake and he said, "Its nice! I mean, you couldn't like sell it or anything, but its good!" Thanks, honey.



Pinterest week #2 a success. Sort of.

4 comments:

  1. Yes, I agree, it is not as easy at it looks! Ill left this one to the professionals after about 3 tries!

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  2. I think it looks good! Why is it ugly? The mess on the other hand...no thanks.

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  3. Aw, thanks! Once it was all said and done, ugly was a term of endearment for this short, stout, lumpy, cracked creation of mine. :-P

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  4. Well, the end result looks good! It sounds like a HUGE mess, though!!

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