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I normally make my own fondant but I recently bough and used a 5 pound tub of pre made fondant. I didn't realize how dry mine actually was untill I used the premade fondant. Mine always cracked while rolling out and stick to the counter when I tried to pick it up, as soon as I finally got it onto the cake... It would WRIP! Soooo my questions are....
1. Does anyone have a good fondant recipie?

2. How do I prevent the fondant from sticking to the counter/wripping or tearing when I pick it up?

3. When I do get the cake covered in fondant, if there is a tear, how can I fix it?

Thank you all so much and I hope I'm not asking for to much :)

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Hello Heavens:
I find that adding powdered sugar or cornstarch when rolling it out creates the dry elephant skin on fondant. I use shortening when kneading and rolling and it keeps the fondant ver smooth and doesnt dry out as fast. Try not to roll out the fondant too thin and as for repairing cracks you just squeeze it together but you will have to cover it up with something. I use a marshmallow fondant recipe and I love it plus it tastes great too. Here is the recipe I use from Edna de La Cruz:

Marshmallow Fondant with Lemon Juice
Ingredients:

16 oz. mini marshmallows
2 Tbsp water
2 tsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
2 tsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 lbs (approx 7 C) confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/2 C Crisco or vegetable shortening


Directions:

Grease microwave proof bowl w/ Crisco. Also grease wooden or heat proof spoon. Pour marshmallows and water into bowl. Microwave for approximately 2 minutes stopping and stirring at 40 second intervals. Mixture should be soupy.

Take out of microwave and immediately add corn syrup, lemon juice and vanilla. Stir well. Sift confectioner's sugar into mixture, one cup at a time. After approximately 6 cups, grease your hands well with shortening and knead the mixture in the bowl. Now grease your work surface well and turn mixture out of bowl onto counter. Sift remaining sugar, re-grease hands, and knead well. If mixture seems soft, add one additional cup of powdered sugar.

Shape into a mound and put a coating of crisco on outside. Double wrap in cling wrap and insert into ziplock bag. Press air out of bag and seal. Allow to rest overnight, but, can be used after sitting for a few hours.
This is the recipe I use - http://www.cakeswebake.com/forum/topics/michele-fosters-fondant-copied

If you are rolling your fondant out directly on your countertop you will need to use some powdered sugar on the countertop. Some people use cornstarch but I've heard the cornstarch makes the fondant dry. A lot of folks use a Atecco fondant mat for rolling out fondant - I love mine. However, there's a new product out from Sweet Wise. They call it The Mat. It's $15 plus shipping so it's more affordable than the Atecco and the reviews I'm reading are wonderful. There's a forum discussion about it so be sure to check it out.

If you get a small tear in your fondant it can be "fixed" by applying a little shotening to the area. It's won't be perfect but it will work if you can put a decoration over it. Otherwise, you need to remove the fondant, scrape off the icing that stuck to it and re-roll it and try again.
This is the recipe I have been using for about six years now. I love it and it has not let me down.
Deah is right the Ateco or Sweetwise mats are good for you will not have to use cornstarch or confectioners sugar which can tend to dry out your fondant. I have the Ateco mat (24 x 36") which I love, it was actually my lifesaver in getting fondant on a large cake. I do have to admit though that I have ordered the Sweetwise mat and am waiting impatiently for its arrival...I am dying to try it out and hope it works as good as it looks on the video. I just had to have it...



Karen Marie said:
Hello Heavens:
I find that adding powdered sugar or cornstarch when rolling it out creates the dry elephant skin on fondant. I use shortening when kneading and rolling and it keeps the fondant ver smooth and doesnt dry out as fast. Try not to roll out the fondant too thin and as for repairing cracks you just squeeze it together but you will have to cover it up with something. I use a marshmallow fondant recipe and I love it plus it tastes great too. Here is the recipe I use from Edna de La Cruz:

Marshmallow Fondant with Lemon Juice
Ingredients:

16 oz. mini marshmallows
2 Tbsp water
2 tsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
2 tsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 lbs (approx 7 C) confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/2 C Crisco or vegetable shortening


Directions:

Grease microwave proof bowl w/ Crisco. Also grease wooden or heat proof spoon. Pour marshmallows and water into bowl. Microwave for approximately 2 minutes stopping and stirring at 40 second intervals. Mixture should be soupy.

Take out of microwave and immediately add corn syrup, lemon juice and vanilla. Stir well. Sift confectioner's sugar into mixture, one cup at a time. After approximately 6 cups, grease your hands well with shortening and knead the mixture in the bowl. Now grease your work surface well and turn mixture out of bowl onto counter. Sift remaining sugar, re-grease hands, and knead well. If mixture seems soft, add one additional cup of powdered sugar.

Shape into a mound and put a coating of crisco on outside. Double wrap in cling wrap and insert into ziplock bag. Press air out of bag and seal. Allow to rest overnight, but, can be used after sitting for a few hours.
what is the lemon juice for??? just curious...
Flavor preference.

Patricia Brenner said:
what is the lemon juice for??? just curious...
oh ok... does it take away some of the sweetness????
Maybe some but fondant is extremely sweet no matter what you do.  Some folks add orange or lemon to buttercream for a "fresh" taste. 
The lemon juice is a preservative...it is an acid along with the sugar and will help keep the fondant from turning moldy since you cant refrigerate this recipe.
I refrigerate mine and have never used lemon juice since the first time I used it. Always fine. I have recently started rolling out with a lil crisco instead of cornstarch. lil slicker but works a lil better and not dry out. But I am here in S. Korea so the weather is a bit diff.
The acid in lemon juice will also help keep the fondant smooth--it prevents the sugar from forming tiny crystals which could make it gritty.

Lemon juice like acetic acid helps to dry out the fondant. Fondant isn't going to go moldy as it is chock full of sugar which inhibits mircrobial growth. I have had Christmas cakes decorated in November here (the begining of our summer) in Australia and been left out -stored in a cake box in a cupboard throughout January - and it has been fine. The only thing that changes is that the icing gets a bit harder, and as you add alcohol to the fruit cake, it doesn't go moldy either. Back in the day, cooks had to develop methods that would work in our harsh climate and being a part of the British Empire, fondant was the cake covering of choice and fruit cake the choice for celebration cakes because of it's good keeping qualities.

Here is the recipe I use when I make fondant, or plastic icing as it is also known here in Australia.

1 egg white (yes you can use egg white powder or meringue powder)

half a teaspoon of glycerine

125 grams of liquid glucose

strained lemon juice

1.5 - 2kilograms of pure icing sugar (confectioners sugar)

using a wooden spoon, beat egg white lightly and add SIFTED icing sugar gradually to whites.

Beat well following each addition until royal icing consistency

Add glucose and glycerine and more icing sugar till once again it is at royal icing consistency

IF you have added all your ingredients and the mixture is too stiff add a few drops of lemon juice.

Add flavouring or colouring of choice

Place icing on a board and knead the mixture till it is firm and doesn't stick to fingers

Roll out and place over cake.

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