Make or buy Fondant - Page 3

I've only used fondant for decoration because most people my way prefer buttercream.  When I've used fondant, it's always MMF.  I can't stand the texture/taste of regular fondant myself, so I presume others feel the same way!

As other posters have already mentioned, MMF is easier and cheaper to make  than regular fondant.  Store brand mini marshmallows (all the recipes I've seen say mini, btw -- they're easier to melt down than regular sized marshmallows) typically have less air, which results in a denser final product. MMF is also much more forgiving.  Plus it tastes so much better, IMO.

There are a ton of MMF recipes here on CC.  The one I use has lemon juice and salt added to cut the sweetness.  It's become my go-to recipe, and everybody seems to love it.

I flavor my MMF just before I add the sugar. Last time I put Pina Colada flavor and everyone was in love with the taste combo . I made a coconut flavor cake under the pina colada MMF mmmmmmmm !

I teach Wilton and make cakes to sell. This is just my opinion but I have not seen homemade fondant that can match the texture and consistency of commercial. Satin Ice, Fondarific and Duff (made by Fondarific) both taste excellent. The Fondarific goes twice as far as any other brand and the texture is almost like working with fabric. It won't dry out and NEVER gets elephant skin and is very difficult to tear. It is also very easy to repair if you do get a tear as it is so workable that you can blend in a patch with no marks. It takes impressions very well. You can leave Fondarific sitting out for a week - pick it up and use it. Satin Ice is not quite so forgiving and workable as Fondarific but tastes great. It does dry out though and I find it elephant skins very easily. I always use the Sweetwise "The Mat" for rolling it out and no longer have that problem with it. . Fondarific also comes in many flavors. The one thing I haven't tried yet is a buttercream fondant recipe. Marshmallow fondant just doesn't have the same smooth texture as the commercial fondants. At least none of the recipes I've tried or anyone I've talked to about it has been able to get the same smoothness. The price for fondant and gumpaste at Global Sugar Art is really not that bad. I bought 50 lbs total of Satin Ice, Fondarific and Gumpaste and it cost me $130 with shipping. That is really a pretty inexpensive  way to go and they often have sales on their fondant.

I make my own MMF, it's actually pretty quick and easy, the only cleaning is the bowl I melted the marshmallows in and the counter I kneaded it on, I add candy melts to the marshmallows to get colors, and add gel color as needed before kneading in my sugar. I also knead by hand as I find it easier to make sure I only put in the amount of sugar that batch needs. I've used it to make flowers and figures successfully, I always let it rest overnight before using it too.

But I don't make enough cakes to need much more than the 1.5lbs a single batch gives me. If I was using a lot of fondant, I'd probably buy it just to save time if nothing else. It is expensive, but at some point your time becomes valuable enough to justify it.