So I've got my wedding coming up here in January. The big DIY project I'm doing is my wedding cake. I've done fussy pastries before, but OMG!!! Fondant...

All I want is a white cake, with royal blue ribbon trim and few snowflakes stuck to it. Maybe a winter Reindeer or two.. I know well enough to get some practice in before the big event. But fondant...Let me tell you about fondant....

So, here's what happened to me. I grab my nice home made fondant. Nothing fancy, just confectioners sugar, glycerin, corn syrup and almond extract (strawberry next time?) I used the recipe from Foodnetwork.com as it looked like any other candy recipe I could find.

Other than waiting to work my color into the finished fondant. The finished product was easy enough to produce and was exactly like the wilton's stuff you get in the shop. (My sister spends a fortune on this stuff if only she knew how easy it was to make)

First mistake. I left the cake in a cake plate for a couple of days because I got busy. It was covered in wilton's recipe of buttercream. This is probably why my fondant didn't adhere. (I'm all meh on this, it was only practice of course)

Second mistake: The darned thing started to get dry and crack, then it started to get wrinkly. Like..as I've heard it called before. Elephant skin.

Any suggestions on how to fix rapidly drying fondant? Or prevent this from happening? How can I make it softer to roll out? How can I re-hydrant aforementioned fondant?

I refuse to use MMF. Firstly because my wedding will be partially Jewish. And finding kosher marshmallows is a royal nightmare in my area. Also some of my family doesn't think it's possible to have kosher marshmallows. Secondly: I don't like the way it tastes, I don't like the way my sister curses when she uses it. And it's certainly not any easier to make than the recipe I've been using.

Thanks for any help in advance.

(And this is totally off topic, but can anyone suggest a set of pans suitable for 100 servings and wedding cake decorating? The ones I have are too narrow for any sort of respectable decoration.)

I've had no luck with gelatin free homemade fondants, so when I need kosher I use satin ice.

I have to admit, I'm in the 'not trusting kosher marshmallows' boat as well, lol.

The pans you're referring to, are they 2" deep pans?  If so, you make a second layer to stack on the top then you have a 4" cake, or make three and stack on top to have 6".

Can't help with the fondant b/c I use MMF so it's not kosher.  But everyone says it's great.  If yours is drying out, you can use crisco. But I'm not sure if crisco is considered kosher or not. But that's what I do to revive my MMF.

Good to know, thanks! Thought it might be, but wasn't 100%. 

Gah! I forgot about that! Yes my recipe did include gelatin! It's nice to know someone out there is with me on the marshmallow front. I don't care either way but I'm not paying a premium for something I can't get readily avaliable

Yes, I am using 2'' pans, I did stack them, maybe the layers fell?

I'm not sure if Crisco is kosher or not. It's vegetable shortening so yes, yes it's kosher. Is it 'kosher' like certified kosher, idk, but I do know of brands of vegetable shortening that are genuine kosher. So maybe I'll give that a try. How would you use it? Slather it on, or work it in or what?

ACrisco is kosher - there's s hechsher on the label. Satin Ice is kosher parve.

I have made 2" cakes and stacked and they were fine. I'm sure a little less than 4" after trimming, but it's close enough.

Yes I slather some on it and knead it a little.  Don't put too much on though....well that's for the MMF, not sure about yours.

ADid you let the glycerine/glucose/gelatine mixture cool completely before working in the powdered sugar? If the liquid mixture is hot, it will cause the fondant to "eat" too much sugar and you'll be left with a crumbly inelastic too-sweet mess.

More glycerine or crisco. Not sure your position in candy melts, but working those (melted) or candy clay into the fondant can help the texture.

AHave you considered just doing buttercream and getting in a lot of practice on smoothing? If you search on YouTube there are thousands of great videos on smoothing buttercream, it can look as good as fondant with a lot of practice.

You've mentioned that your sister works with fondant etc. so maybe she can help you? (If she lives close to you of course...).

Did you let the gelatin bloom before you dissolved it? It will have a much better binding capacity if you leave it to bloom for 10-15 minutes.

Otherwise, I agree with the PP - maybe more glycerin? Oh and did you let the fondat rest for at least 6-8 hours or overnight?
 

I am not trying to rain on your parade at all but this sounds like a disaster in the making that could very well put a damper on the happiest day of your life. There is much more to making a stacked cake than making good fondant. Cakes settle and bulge if not done properly. They require boards in between and support systems. Are you sure you want to risk it? It sounds like you are experienced at baking but not so much with cakes? You do not want to get close to the wedding and have to be searching for a last minute baker. If cost is an issue this could end up costing you a lot more in the end...not to mention what it will save you in time and pulling out of hair....The last thing a bride needs is to walk into her venue and find that her cake is collapsed upon itself. If you do choose to tackle this then I wish you the best of luck!

Have you considered just ditching the fondant altogether?  I have a lot of brides going for the rough textured buttercream look lately, but you can also get it nice and smooth too with a little work and practice.  Modeling chocolate can be used too as a nice wrap around the cake, and it's easy to make.  It cuts better in the Cricut also, and it will stick to the sides of the buttercream.

Congrats on your engagement and best of luck with the cake!!
 

I looked up the recipe and noticed that it calls for glucose or corn syrup. Glucose has a different consistency than corn syrup, so it may perform differently in your recipe. They may have offered the corn syrup because they thought the recipe might have less general appeal.  Anyway, I use glucose to soften overworked drying fondant and it works beautifully- maybe just adding some would help.
 

AI'm curious why you trust kosher gelatin but not kosher marshmallows.

Also, blessing your kitchen won't make it kosher. You have to prepare meat and milk products completely separate, including separate utensils for each.

I would focus on buttercream. Or use one of the kosher fondant products like Satin Ice.

A

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This.

What kind of dinner are you serving? Meat, milk or parve? That also determines if you have dairy or meat (gelatine) in the cake, or if the cake itself is parve - unless you wait the required number of hours between meat and milk - and I've never been to a wedding with so much dead time between cake and food..

AGodot and rosegin are correct. Not sure if you know what you are in for when kashering your kitchen. I am a reform Jew, but I have family who are more religious. Let me tell you, even I wouldn't attempt what you are doing. Frankly the cost of replacing all your utensils if they are plastic, the cost of replacing all the food in your house is more than it would cost for a cake to be made IMO. I am not sure you fully understand what is going to happen when the Rabbi comes to your house. All the dishes and utensils will have to be kashered , and most of your food will have to be replaced. You might not think of this but say you have a box of baking soda, you scoop it out with your teaspoon, which has been in the same sink, dishwasher, and drawer as milk and meat products, so you have to replace it. That is the same for all your ingredients that are open. Plastics cant be koshered. So everything plastic must go. Frankly it won't take much to have the kashering of the kitchen cost as much or more than your cake, plus the additional stress of doing all the kashering before the wedding, and keeping a kosher kitchen after the Rabbi goes. You have to clean everything. Your stove, your fridge, your dishes, utensils, pots, pans, cupboards. If his family needs kosher, your best bet is to ask to use one of their kitchens.

Exactly my point!

People think all it takes is that the Rav comes in, chants a little chant, does a little dance, waves an etrog to the four corners - and et voilá - glatt kosher.

A

assuming the cake is the only wedding related food you will be preparing in your kitchen, the others are totally correct, it will cost more to get it blessed than hiring a kosher baker would. Or you could supply a second dessert from a kosher bakery for those who will want it, doesn't have to be cake or expensive.

I rent a commercial kitchen when I need to provide kosher food, but there are a lot of legalities and insurance issues to work out there, not to mention the rental cost.

Not trying to be Debbie downer, but you don't want to end up paying even more than a cake would cost or accidentally serving unkosher food.

I sometimes have to make fondant for vegans... vegan marshmallows make an ok fondant but it's more... gummy. It works fine, it's just a bit different in texture. Agar agar instead of gelatin is how alternative marshmallows are made. Since there are dozens and dozens of thickeners out there, it can't be that farfetched!

AAnother option is seeing if your local Jewish community centre will let you use their kitchen with some supervision to make sure you use only kosher products.

Best of luck with your wedding plans, my wedding was small enough that only reform members of my family attended and none of them keep kosher, and my husband is christian so I was spared all of these issues.