Fondant Recipe

To start off with: here is the fondant recipe I used.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. of Icing Suger (1 KG)

1 envelope Knox Gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

1/2 cup glucose (from cake decorating supply stores or craft stores)

1 1/2 tablesppons glycerine (over the counter at the pharmacy, I got mine at walmart for $2)

1 teaspoon clear vanilla or almond extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place 3/4 of the sifted icing sugar in a large bowl, make a hole in the center.

2. Place 1/4 cup water in the top of a double boiler and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let is absorb the liquid. Once it has absorbed all the liquid, put over boiling water in the bottom of the double boiler. Add glucose, glycerine and vanilla, stirring well until all is melted and well blended (MY NOTE: I don’t have a double boiler, so I used two pots, boiled a little water in the bottom one and then placed the smaller one, with the ingredients, into the larger one. My sister said she used a metal bowl placed over a pot of boiling water)

3. Add liquid to well or hole in center of the bowl of icing sugar. Work in mixture slowly with a spoon and then by hand until all sugar is absorbed. Scrape out dough onto a clean counter sprinkled with someof the remaining icing sugar. Knead in balance of the icing sugar if needed. Stop when fondant no longer feels sticky to the touch.

4. Divide into managable portions and place in plastic bags that can be sealed. Be sure to place the bags in an airtight container and store in a cool place. Fondant can be stored for a day or two once sealed in this manner.

COLORING:

You can color your fondant by adding food coloring to the liquid before mixing with sugar. But, if you want more control over the exact color, want a hard-to-get color (black, red, etc), or want to color only part of it: you will need to buy Paste Color from a cake decorating supply shop. You then color the fondant by dipping a toothpick in the color and poking it into the fondant: then knead the color in until blended evenly.

HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED:

This depends on the size and number of layers. One recipe will do both a 8″ and 10″, or one 14″ with a little left over for rope edges (made by rolling fondant into thin snakes and twisting together). For myself, I am making 3 batches in order to cover all 5 layers and make thin ropes for the edges.