Marshmallow Fondant

These were my first roses, so be gentle. ;-)
Here are the instrucions I used for making marshmallow fondant. I found it to be easy, fun to work with, and delicious!

Marshmallow Fondant
Source: Peggy's Baking Corner

• 16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (use a good quality brand)
• 2 to 5 tablespoons water 
• 2 pounds icing sugar (recommended: C&H Cane Powdered Sugar)
• 1/2 cup Crisco shortening, in a small bowl

Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave and heat for 30 second intervals, stirring in between until marshmallow is just melted (usually about 2 1/2 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. (I think I misinterpreted here and added 3/4 cup sugar, rather than 3/4 of the sugar.  I just kept adding it and eventually got to something workable, so it's definitely forgiving).



Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands.  Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant starts sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time and then knead it in). It usually takes about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.  It is best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right 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 icing 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. Marshmallow fondant icing will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks.

To make the decorations for the cake, I first colored the fondant by separating it in to smaller balls, and adding small amounts of Wilton food coloring.  After kneading the dough, the color becomes incorporate and uniform throughout the fondant.



Then I selected cutting implements to make the sized circles that I wanted.  I don't have an array of circular cookie cutters, but I found a shot glass, my 1M tip, and another smaller tip worked just fine! I rolled out each color on a silpat with a plain wooden rolling pin, and for me no additional powdered sugar or cornstarch was necessary. If your dough is sticking, either of those will help. I simply cut the fondant like cookie dough, and pulled up the scraps for re-rolling and repeating the process.



Afterwards, I let the circles air dry on parchment paper on a baking sheet, covered lightly with plastic wrap until I was ready to decorate the cake. The pieces will stiffen as they dry, so if you want them to hold a different shape on the cake (such as draping them over the side), that shape should be set before the fondant dries.

For the leaves, I used a leaf cutter and pressed into the fondant with a toothpick to make the veins.  I made the roses following this method.