How to make fondant - readers’ experience
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
February 11th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
[...] advice you to go and check it out, to see what to expect when you learn how to make [...]
February 21st, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Hi,
I’m yet to try your recipe, but I just wanted to check what gum paste like Tylose does to the fondant. Does that make it easier to make flowers etc?
Thanks
s
February 22nd, 2009 at 6:39 pm
i am new at making fondant and i’m only 15. so i don’t have much experience. I wan to make a cake for my friends birthday. I was going to cover it with fondant then add pink and puple polka dots. I was wondering how to attach the polka dots to the fondant cake?
February 22nd, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Hi Mara
You can attach the polka dots in one of the following ways:
1. The most simple way, the way most people use, is to do it in two phases: first cover the entire cake with fondant, then lay the polka fondant dots over the first layer of fondant
2. The second might be complicated and I don’t recommend doing it in the first few fondants.
You cover the entire cake with the fondant, than you cut round shapes in the fondant, one round shape for each dot (I recommend using a punch set for it).
Then, using the same punch tool you make the dots in different colors, and fill the missing spots in the with the dots you make.
I’d recommend using the first method, the second takes lots of practice.
Hope it helps…
Happy Cooking
February 26th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Hi Sona
I see no reason to use gum paste like Tylose.
If you follow my fondant recipe you’ll be amazed to see how easy it really is.
Making flowers and other decorations is both simple and fun, I will try to post a fondant decoration post soon.
Happy Cooking
February 26th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
For the first time, I am trying to make 3-d fondant bows, I know I have to do it a couple days in advance so that the fondant gets hard, my quetion is: once the bows have hardened will they stay hard or will they soften at room temperature?
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Hi Tanya
The fondant bows can be kept almost indefinitely as long as they are properly stored, I have fondant figurines that are more than 6 month old.
It’s important to store them in a plastic container with a lid, and to keep that container in a cool dry place.
Fondant is made mostly of sugar and it acts as a preservative, keeping the figurines from molding or rotting.
Happy Cooking
March 21st, 2009 at 4:09 am
Can you use an alternate flavor like vanilla or butter? I don’t care for almond flavor.
April 18th, 2009 at 2:48 am
I just used this fondant recipe and after trying the marshmallow recipe (which did not turn out right at all) and I was very happy with the results! It turned out Perfect! Way better the the stuff you buy at the store. Now I am even more excited about my new hobby.
Thanks so much,
Lesslie
May 27th, 2009 at 3:59 am
I tried this fondant recipe for the first time tonight and it came out WONDERFUL! Ive tried a few different fondant recipes and nothing came close to this one! Thanks so much for this. Now I can take my cake making to a whole new level! And my daughter’s birthday cake is so beautiful!
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:34 pm
How much fondant does your recipe make?
Thanks.
June 9th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Hi Eric
This fondant recipe is enough to cover two 10” round cakes, with enough leftovers for decorations.
Happy Cooking
June 12th, 2009 at 12:38 am
Do you just add food color to the Fondant recipe to make it your desired color?
June 20th, 2009 at 2:48 am
Hey TheCookDuke,
Thanks for providing the fondant recipe, it looks so easy! I’m thinking of making éclairs after I saw them made on the local version of MasterChef here in Australia. The chefs gently heated what they called fondant patissier/sugar paste until it was quite liquid, then dipped the éclairs in that to make the icing. Is it possible to do the same thing with your fondant recipe, or is that a different type of fondant altogether?
Thanks!
June 27th, 2009 at 1:30 am
Hi,
I just made your fondant recipe and it really was super easy. My only issue is my fondant is cracking and tearing on me. Is it too much sugar or not enough? I covered my cake but my corners are cracked and splitting. How do I make fondant more durable? Thanks for the fondant recipe!
June 27th, 2009 at 6:44 am
Hi Marisa
Coloring fondant is quite easy, you can find all about it in my post “how to color fondant” at http://thecookduke.com/howtocolorfondant/
Happy Cooking
July 7th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Hi I was wonderinng where you can buy the Glycerine for this fondant recipe? I have looked all over for it and cant find it so if you could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it.
Thank you.
July 14th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Hello again,
Do I also need to refrigerate fondant overnight before I actually use it?
Huge thanks,
Valentina
August 6th, 2009 at 12:08 am
This is my first time making fondant is there any good tips you can give me besides the ones Iv’e already read
August 11th, 2009 at 6:24 am
do you put icing on your cake before you put the fondant, and if so how much
September 12th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Hi!
Do I need to let the fondant set overnight or can I use it right away?
November 7th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
I guess this fondant recipe is really not too complecated…
January 19th, 2010 at 12:10 am
This will be my first time making or using fondant! for your fondant recipe, is it better to mix it with a heavy mixer or by hand
January 22nd, 2010 at 5:15 am
hi i want to make my wedding cake myslef and was wondering how much fondant your fondant recipe to make to cover a 4 tier square cake?
February 9th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
this fondant recipe is amazing
July 1st, 2010 at 7:51 pm
just curious on how to decorate the cake using your fondant icing, example the animals or trees, are there available cutters for these? on just creating your own design???
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:37 am
Hi Rose
There are different cutters for fondant, but none of them in sufficient for decorations as you see on my cakes.
Fondant is great for decoration not only due to its texture and taste, but also for its flexibility that allows to make almost any structure out of it.
I’ll try to post some fondant decorating tips soon.
Happy Cooking
July 7th, 2010 at 5:59 am
I have two questions. Like in the round brown cake above, how is it so perfectly done? From what I know of fondant, it is like a clay/play-dough, and it seems to me it would be rather difficult to so nicely spread it over a round cake like that, is there some method of making it slightly viscous so it can simply be poured over the cake and then it would harden in a nice shape on its own, or is smoothing it out over the entire cake oneself with clay-like consistency the only option?
Also, I noticed someone else already asked, but I found no response to the question. I have no idea where to buy glycerine. I’ve looked online at grocery store websites to find if they carry them, but found nothing of the sort, and thought maybe they just don’t have it on the website, but since I have no car and the nearest grocery store is two miles away, I would be sorely saddened if I went to the grocery store and did not find any glycerine there.
July 9th, 2010 at 11:00 am
Hi Angela
I only have 2 minutes so I can’t give you a full answer on how to cover the cake – once you make the fondant you see that it’s like placing a tablecloth over the table, it might seem complicated but it’s relatively simple.
As for the glycerin, it worth looking for it as it has an important role in this recipe.
You can always buy the glycerin online at Wilton’s site - search.wilton.com/?q=glicerin&u1=q
I wouldn’t get tempted to buy their “out of the box” fondant as I don’t like the taste of it.
Happy Cooking