One of the most popular posts on my blog is the post called “how to make fondant“.

I love this posts for many reasons, but mainly because it’s the first post that got you readers more involved in my site.

I got dozens of questions asking how to make fondant, and now I get many replies from people who followed my fondant recipe and got great results.

Julie S didnt know how to make fondant, and although she used a chocolate fondant recipe, she used this fondant recipe for all decorations and look at this lovely cake she made (scroll down as there are other cakes made by some of you further down)

Here’s part of what Julie wrote:

“I used a fondant recipe almost identical to yours to make the decorations on this cake. 
It’s not perfect, but for a first attempt, I thought your readers might find it encouraging to see what someone with zero experience can do with your fondant recipe.”

And here are some of the pics:

As you see the fondant is in many different colors, you can learn how to color fondant in my post called… How to color fondant

Another reader who sent me a picture of a cake she made using my fondant recipe is Rosana M.

This is a part of what Rosana wrote:

“Well, I already did it without the Glycerin since I couldn’t find any and put the food dye right into the mix before it was done. 
In fact, I had so much fondant leftover, I gave it to my mother, who still has it and it looks the same as when I made it back in December!
 
It was all experimentation for me because I don’t bake….anything….ever.
 
Needless to say the family was pretty surprised. 
The cake was a my tribute to Heath in Dark Knight. 
I was wanting it to be more dimensional but I figured just keep it simple”

And here’s the pictures she sent (a little scary, but brilliant as an a tribute to the dark knight) :

And last, but definately not least is Nena S.

Here’s part of what Nena wrote:

“As requested, I am sending you a couple of pictures of the “Terrible Towel” Cake! 
 
Originally I was going to make a second cake…a football helmet…had it all baked and everything then I decided it was going to be too large to go on top of the sheet cake.
 
SO, I just used your ABSOLUTELY PERFECT fondant recipe and made the little helmets, footballs, and the Pittsburgh Steelers logo in both corners. 
 
I can’t tell you how happy I am with your recipe!  I have a professional grade stand mixer that I cheated with…it does all of the kneading and color distribution much better than I could by hand.  
 
Thanks again!”

And here are the two pictures she sent:

I’m posting this posts for two reasons:

1. To show you the great work of those amazing three ladies

2. To show you how easy it is to make fondant

3. To tell you how happy it makes me when people respond to my posts

So, please feel free to send more questions, reviews and pictures if you use any of my recipes

Happy Cooking

Many of my readers asked me how to color fondant after reading my post Fondant Recipe for the best Fondant Icing

There are two main reasons to color fondant:

1. To color fondant so the cake looks just like you want it to
2. To color fondant as the cake itself is too dark that it “shades” the white fondant color

This post is entirely about how to color fondant, if you want to make the fondant from scratch, read my previous post describing how to make Fondant Recipe

I hope this post answers how to color fondant, and I’ll do my best to answer any future questions you have.

So, How to Color Fondant:

1. Roll the fondant into a ball on your counter and smash it out a bit until it’s soft and pliable
   
2. Make a pit in the fondant, and using a toothpick add dots of icing color into the pit (use a clean toothpic each time you dip it in the color).
   
   The important thing is to add just a little of the concentrated icing color at a time and then knead it over and over until you get an even spread of the color
3. If the fondant is still too pale, use the same procedure to add in more color, but make sure you use a fresh toothpick every time you dip it into the color
   
4. Once you finish to color the fondant, shape it to the shape of disks, wrap each fondant disk in plastic and place in an airtight container so the fondant keeps soft

How to Color Fondant – Tips:

• Wear All-Purpose Gloves on youe hands before you start to color fondant, so you your hands stain-free
• To color fondant, use Gel food color and not the liquid drops that you get from the grocery store.
  Liquid food colors will make the fondant too wet and will not give the same intensity.
  (The only exception to this rule is if you’re using an airbrush, as airbrush food colors are water based. When using an airbrush you’re not brushing and the spray is so light, it won’t hurt the fondant)
• Remember that it is easier to add color to the fondant than take it out, so start with a little amounts of color and add more as you need to
• When you come to color fondant, color more Fondant than you’ll need as it’s nearly impossible to match the color again if you need a little extra fondant
• Note that the fondant colors will darken slightly overnight and will fade if Fondant is left in the light for a long time

Happy Cooking J

Another great Banana Cake Recipe

This is the second Banana Cake Recipe I post, hope you’ll find it as tasty as I did.

If you ever tried a banana cake recipe, you already know it’s one of the best cakes there is – Easy to make, moist, aromatic and sooooo tasty

In fact, the most difficult task in making a banana cake recipe is to stop eating when the cake is done J

This recipe is a banana and nuts cake recipe.

Banana Cake Recipe Ingredients:

• 3 yellow, soft bananas, peeled and mashed
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp of buttermilk
• 1tsp of baking soda
• 1 cup Chopped walnuts
• 1 pinch of salt

Banana Cake Recipe Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc
• Grease and flour the cake pan
• Mix the flour, baking soda and salt In a small bowl
• Separate the eggs and keep aside
• Cream the butter and sugar
• Add the eggs’ yolks and vanilla extract and beat well
• Add the mashed bananas
• Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the creamed mixture, mix a little, just till combined
• Stir in the nuts
• Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold the batter in the egg whites
• Gently pour the batter into the pan
• Bake at 180ºc for 30 minutes (to make sure it’s ready, insert a skewer into the mixture and make sure it comes out clean and dry)
• Remove from the oven and set aside to cool

I hope you’ll love this banana cake recipe, I know I just love it!

You are welcome to try my previous Banana Cake Recipe, and you’re more than welcome to leave a comment on my blog.

Happy cooking

Banana cake recipe is one recipe that every cake enthusiastic should try!

I have several Banana Cake Recipe I just love, I’ll use the following post to offer the recipes I love best, hope you’ll find it just as delicious as I do.

And one last thing before going to the actual recipe -
Many people will tell you that you should try the banana cake recipe for many reasons:
Bananas are a valuable source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, and potassium, Bananas are low in sodium, cholesterol and fats, bananas help in lowering your blood pressure and the list goes on, but if you ask me, the best reason to try this banana cake recipe is just that IT TASTES SOOOO GOOD

Banana Cake Recipe Ingredients:

• 200gr butter
• 1½ cups of sugar
• 3 eggs
• 4 yellow, soft bananas, peeled and mashed
• 3 cups of flour
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• ½ tsp of salt
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Banana Cake Recipe Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc
• Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat well
• Add the three eggs and the mashed bananas, keep beating
• Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a different bowl
• Stir half of it into the “wet” mixture
• Add milk and lemon juice to the wet bowl, then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix well
• Line a large baking dish with baking paper and pour in the soft mixture
• Smooth the top and bake for 50 – 60 minutes until light golden brown
  (to make sure it’s ready, insert a skewer into the mixture and make sure it comes out clean and dry)
• Cool in the baking dish for 10 minutes and enjoy your great, tasty banana cake

I hope you’ll love this banana cake recipe, I’ll be posting more banana cake recipe soon to make sure you’ll find the banana cake recipe you love best.

You are welcome to try my Walnuts Banana Cake Recipe, and you’re more than welcome to leave a comment on my blog.

Happy cooking

Fondant Recipe - how to make fondant, is it difficult to follow the fondant recipe?

Like most things in life, practice gets perfection, but to make fondant is not too complicated, and given the upgrade it gives to the cake, I would sure give it a try.

Fondant recipe - How to make fondant

When you come to make fondant it’s important to use the right fondant recipe and follow it to the letter.

I know many people who tried some shortcuts on my fondant recipe and ended up with a fondant they just couldn’t take off of the table.
The fondant gets greasy, sticky or just resembles the taste of a commercial fondant, which is bad enough J

Three important tips before we move to the actual “how to make fondant” instructions and the fondant recipe:

1. When you make fondant, both the dough and the icing, make sure to make it in room temperature – Too cold or too warm room will hurt the dough
2. When you calculate the quantity of fondant icing required, it’s better to have too much fondant icing rather than too little, as leftover icing can be stored and used at a later date, or used for extra decorations
3. Make sure you make fondant on a clean and smooth working surface.
   Jewelry on your fingers or wrists or fluffy clothing could hurt the fondant’s surface

Ingredients required to make the fondant recipe:

• 1 Tbsp of unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup of cold water
• 1 tsp of almond extract
• 1/2 cup of light corn syrup (If a corn syrup is not available, you can substitute it with a sugar syrup made with 1-1/4 cups sugar and 1/3 cup water, boiled together until syrupy)
• 1 Tbsp of glycerin (some recipes say it’s optional, believe me, it’s a must)
• 2 lbs 10X confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 tsp of white vegetable shortening

Directions how to make the fondant recipe:

• Sprinkle the gelatin over cold water in a small bowl and let it rest for 2 minutes to soften
• Place the bowl in a microwave for 30 seconds on High, until the gelatin dissolves
• Add the Almond extract
  
• Add the corn syrup and the glycerin and stir until the mixture is smooth and clear (if the mixture is not turning smooth and clear, microwave it for an additional 15 to 20 seconds on high and stir again)
• Sift 1 1/2 pounds of the sugar into a large bowl
• Make a hole in the sugar and pour the liquid mixture to it
• Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes sticky
• Sift some of the remaining 1/2 pound of sugar onto a smooth work surface and add as much of the remaining sugar as the mixture will take
• Knead the fondant, adding a little more sugar if necessary, to form a smooth, pliable mass
• Rub the vegetable shortening on your thumbs and knead it into the fondant
• Wrap the fondant in plastic wrap and place it in a tightly sealed container to prevent it from drying out
  If the icing dries out and harden it can often be revived by popping it into a microwave oven for a few seconds and then kneading it back to life

Now you know how to make fondant, I hope the following pictures will inspire you to give this easy, tasty Fondant Recipe

But first, if you want to take your fondant recipe to the next level, you’re welcome to visit my post How to Color Fondant

And one update (11/02/09) - A few of my readers sent me pictures of cakes they made following the instructions on this post.

I advice you to go and check it out, to see what to expect when you learn how to make fondant

An update from January 15 2008:

About 6 month ago I got a mail from one of my readers asking me how to make fondant.
I never thought it’d be the most popular post on my blog…
Anyway, from the comments I get I see that many people finds it easy to make, it makes me so happy as that’s the purpose of this blog.
Now that you see that how to make fondant is very easy you can go to the next level by trying to color it (see “how to color fondant”) or get inspired with baby cake decoration ideas at my previous posts “baby shower cakes” , “children’s birthday cakes” and “more children’s birthday cakes”

I’d appreciate if you could recommend this fondant recipe using one of the social networks below.

Happy Cooking