Much Needed Advice On Fondant Please Having A Nightmare :-( So Upset
Decorating By Nicki161 Updated 20 Mar 2014 , 12:22pm by Nicki161
Hi Nicki,
Have you tried to place your fondant in the microwave for a few seconds at a time (20sec)? this will soften mmf, remove from micro and knead it. If it is to soft just add a sprinkle of powder sugar then knead the fondant try not to add to much powder sugar or it will dry it out you want it nice and smooth. Once it is as your desire constancy and applicable place it on the cake. I have also at times removed the fondant from cake with the butter-cream and if there was some bc on the fondant and not crumbs i kneaded it back to its place cut/removed the pieces with crumbs and tossed away.
try this recipe it works great if you follow her recipe. I also add more powder sugar if needed you can make this weeks ahead of time if you have proper storage container I wrap it in saran wrap/kplastic wrap nto sure what you have in UK before u store it place it in zip lock then container. Once you are ready to used it just place it in the microwave for 20 to 30 at a time until it just a little warm so your able to knead it be careful not to over heat as the marshmallow will melt. If that happens just add more powder sugar to it or let it cool down. This recipe taste delicious it is my go to. I also make fondant pieces with this recipe just add the cmc tylose powder/gumpaste You can find it on line @ ( designmeacake.com) . Below is a link with Liz cakes made with her fondant watch her video its great!
PS. I have used other fondant like satin ice but had to add more sugar as satin ice was to soft with this recipe. It might work well with your store bought fondant since it is on the dry side.
Don't give up, I know its frustrating and I have been there many times I to know what you are feeling. Good luck...happy baking...
http://artisancakecompany.com/tutorials/lmf-fondant-recipe/
I just found this maybe this may help you, I am also thinking of taking the class.
I used to have same problem and i also cried and lose all of my confidence.so i didn't bake any cakes for almost 3 months!!!untill i found this magical recipe it's called satin ice and it is much tastier than regular fondant and also easier to work with.I hope you will find it helpful.
http://cakecentral.com/t/618745/michelle-fosters-fondant-recipe
thanks to weirkd:
Ive got it saved in my Fav's so here it is.
1/2 cup milk
3 packs gelatin (6 tsp - for reference in case you wanted to 1/2 the recipe)
1 cup corn syrup
3 Tbsp butter, unsalted
3 Tbsp glycerin
2 tsp vanilla (sometimes I use more)
dash salt
3-4 lb powdered sugar, sifted (at least once)
*note - all tablespoons and teaspoons are level, not heaped (had a question about this from another CC'er)
- combine milk and gelatin & allow to firm
- cook over double boiler until gelatin is dissolved
- add remaining ingredients(except sugar) & cook until butter is almost melted
- cool to lukewarm (I come back to it and stir periodically so it doesn't form a "skin" on the top or get clumpy)
- strain into mixer containing 2 lb powdered sugar (one bag)
- mix slowly until just combined
- use dough hook, add several more cups of sugar, & mix on low until combined
- continue to add sugar until it holds its shape on hook
- turn onto powdered sugar surface & knead
- wrap in oil painted plastic wrap and put in ziplock freezer bag
- let stand for 24 hours before using
I always coat my hands, counter, and rolling pin with shortening when I'm ready to use. I also have powdered sugar on hand to dust with if it seems sticky, to firm it up a little bit.
I had to do it a couple of times to be able to tell when I had added enough powdered sugar. If it is too stiff, I just add a tiny bit of water, and use more shortening on my hands/counter/rolling pin and that helps to add more moisture and flexibility. Be careful when it's mixing not to let it get too hard, or it will be difficult to work with and you'll have to do a lot of "adjusting" to get it the consistency you want it! I would rather it be too soft and be able to add more powdered sugar as I knead. ENJOY!!
Source: Michele Foster
Contributed by: Renaejrk on Friday, April 13. 2007 at 10:57:54
More Recipes of Renaejrk
AI can't believe anyone has time to make fondant! With a full time job it's pre-made all the way!!
Don't give up!!! And kudos to you for trying to make your own MMF! I've been wanting to do that for ages but marshmallows here are so much more expensive that it barely seems worth it (I think the ingredients are also different which may explain some of your difficulties). I love the Asda's own fondant but seeing as that's my local supermarket, I haven't tried any others for years (It's about £2.15/Kg) :-) I did use Dr. Oetker for a while but didn't like it much. I really really really want to get my hands on some Satin Ice but haven't got around to it yet. I'd say just make sure it's well kneaded and soft - when it's warm, you can usually 'rub out' and little cracks with your palms so you get that nice shiny finish 
AThank you for all taking the time to reply . It's half term in the uk this week so with not having the school runs clubs etc to do I have more time this week,I will have another go at mmf ( thank you for the tips and recipes ) I will watch more videos , and I have ordered some better quality fondant , you are all fantastic fountains full of knowledge and experience through good experiences and bad , you all have posted some much needed tips , advise and understanding for me virtual (((((( hug ))))) sent to you all Big thank you sent to each and everyone of you x ;-)
Re; over-kneading Nicki, I find it depends in the fondant, some have stuff similar to tylo powder or Gum tragacanth in them and these products continue to thicken the more the fondant is worked at causing the fondant to thicken and appear dryer and develop skin quicker, others don't have the thickening agents in them so they will soften the more you knead them but then will harden again as it cools. The biggest thing with these types of fondants is to keep them from drying out if you don't use the whole pack in one go.
If you over knead fondant at any point you will notice it I think, it will be noticeable. The other issue with fear of over kneading it is not kneading it enough to stop it cracking for being to cold. It's about practice, don't give up now!
Personally I have never made any of my own fondant as a it's only marginally more expensive to buy fondant than icing sugar if you buy it like I do, plus all the other ingredients you would need, it would be too expensive! and I've never found a TNT recipe for fondant without gelatine and as a vegetarian that has never really floated my boat!
Hi Nicki161, I am a new member of cakecentral and made my first fondant cake last month. Though I can't offer you advice on store-bought fondant, I had a similar problem with MFF (Michele Foster's Fondant). It was tearing when I tried to put it on my cake. I pulled the whole piece off, wiped off the buttercream, and kneaded in Crisco, rolled it out again, and did not have a problem. When in doubt, add fat!! I also found that my fondant "creatures" fell apart/cracked (I added cocoa powder to white fondant to make it brown, for a "deer"...see his legs below?). Since then and several cakes later, I have found that adding Crisco solves this problem too. My next thing is to learn how to "unshine" the crisco-laden creatures, but I'm happy right now to be able to create things - learning bit by bit.
I always lift it all around when I'm kneading it (lift it up around the edges to the middle to detach it from the mat) and when I laid it on the cake, I lifted it with the my hands/arms. Good luck, and I would really recommend making Michele Foster's recipe - it is good for one cake, takes probably 1 hour to make plus clean up. http://cakecentral.com/a/michele-fosters-fondant
Cheers
AThank you anneliese671 I will retry the mff again , in the meantime I have brought some sugar paste from sugar paste direct , lovely guy full of knowledge who is local to me who was recommended from a fellow cc member (thank you cupcakemaker) I get to try it next week so got my fingers and toes crossed hopefully this will be my turning point :-) and get my confidence back where it was x
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Try sugarpaste direct. 5kg for about £13. No p&p. it has gum trag in and once you've given it a good need to activate it it never tears or rips. I also love squires sugarpaste but it's a bit more expensive. I'm a hobby baker too but I charge to cover the fondant so I'd rather have decent fondant!
Cupcakemaker, Do you use the sugarpaste to cover your cakes? Just wondered if it has gum trag in it, doesn't it harden? I'm looking for cheaper alternatives to Massa Ticino- its so expensive (but fabulous to use). My other problem with Massa Ticino is that I can't seem to paint on it. My food colours just bead up on it so I'm now looking for new sugarpaste to buy.
I was thinking of trying out the Sweet Silk by sweet success. Amanda Mcleod gave it a great review and the price seems to be ok (although the postage is £7! Argh). I bought a sample for 50p, and the texture seems nice, the taste is ok and I can paint on it.
Nicki161, I had the exact same problem- I couldn't get the fondant to roll out. In fact the problems I had were worse- the fondant kept ripping and tearing all over the place. That was when I tried Tesco's brand of fodant (never again). On a friend's suggestion I tried out Renshaw's and although not perfect, was much better than tesco's. The Massa Ticino I bought recently is fantastic- rolls out beautifullly, doesn't tear when placed on the cake and rarely any elephant skin (I've found I need to roll out my fondant thicker and also I think my technique still needs working on).
If you are making two cakes a month, the 5kg won't last you very long! Just make sure to cover in clingfilm anything left over. I cover my leftover fondant twice in clingfilm, and keep them in an airtight food container- I bought mine from tesco's.
I meant to give post the link to this fondant review by Amanda Mcleod I found a while ago, in case anyone was interested:
reviews: http://www.amandamacleod.co.uk/blog/sugarpaste-review/9228/.
Nicki161, I have never had any luck with MMF, I think its the marshmallows over here, or at least I havent found any that have worked, Sainsburys own marshamllows/ mini charmallows/ even some american looking rocky mountain giant ones tescos stocked for a while. I have recently made Michelle Fosters Fondant, I bought the karo syrup from amazon since tescos stopped selling it in the american groceries section and its lovely stuff but for me its tescos own brand fondant especially when i'm short of time. Sainburys one was quite good as well.
AThe outside goes firm just like any sugarpaste. I recommend getting some to try. There is no p&p charge.
I bought a box of sweet silk at cake international in Birmingham and tried it last week, it's rubbish! Started to tear a bit at the edges.
I tried squires again yesterday, that's the best I've found for getting sharp edges but SPD is the best for no tears etc.
AThank you for the link cakejeanie wow what a difference in some of the reviews I have added it to my favorites, Re sugar paste direct Bob the guy who owns it took me into where he makes it to show me a sample, he was telling me all about it having gum trag in he says you need to give it a good kneading to get it going then the gum tag allows the fondant to become more pliable and stretchy which helps the covering and lifting process , he pulled a piece in fondant of me to show me the consistency , like and other fondant it has a slightly harder shell when left to harden on the cake but nothing harder than normal, I brought 10kg as he said it was good for 6 months told me how to store it and said I'm welcome to collect anytime his customer service was 10/10 which is hard to find these days he made my day :-) x
AThanks gemmal for replying, I think at the time you feel like your the only one having problems but a week on it seems to be a lot of people who experience bad fondant days :-( I don't have another cake due till the 3rd of March my best friends daughter so hopefully with my new fondant I will have a much better experience a joyful one I hope lol. Then it's my husbands and daughters birthday so I can push my self a little further as she's 16 so hopefully going to do her my first two tier cake can't wait ( I must be nuts wasn't saying that last week lol) I'm like a child can't wait to try my sugar paste out sad eh !! X
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The outside goes firm just like any sugarpaste. I recommend getting some to try. There is no p&p charge.
I bought a box of sweet silk at cake international in Birmingham and tried it last week, it's rubbish! Started to tear a bit at the edges.
I tried squires again yesterday, that's the best I've found for getting sharp edges but SPD is the best for no tears etc.
Hmm, I might give sweet silk a miss for now. Thanks for the heads up!
Any chance you've tried painting on SPD?
AI have and it's what Natasha at nevie pie uses.
Oh, excellent! I think I'll order a small batch and give it a try for my painted cakes. Although I love love Massa Ticino, it's too expensive. I hope SPD can replace it :)
Nicki161, Sorry to hijack your post! let us know how you get on with SPD. I'm assuming you'll use it for you friend's daughter's cake? Good luck!
That looks lovely and clean Nikki 
. Just want to know please; do you think it holds up to being coloured (of course with gel paste colours). I've found that there are some brands of white fondant that cover great on a cake when no colour has been added to it. But the minute you add some colouring to it (even after letting it rest for a minimum of 48 hours); the erstwhile good texture of the fondant changes and it tears or cracks when used to cover a cake.
Also; I know covapaste covers a cake smoothly and is quite soft and pliable, but I've not tried colouring it. Please does it still hold up well when colours are added to it. Thanks!
AThank you cupcakemaker and nat12321 for your support and knowledge ,thank you kadesan I haven't tried colouring it yet but I shouldn't see there being a problem the texture seemed fine for adding colouring, I'm doing a coloured cake next week and plan to start making things to go on it so I'll keep you informed :-)
A[quote name="Nicki161" url="/t/768246/much-needed-advice-on-fondant-please-having-a-nightmare-so-upset/45#post_7489304"]Hi I tried the new sugar paste today and love it , very pliable and it didn't tear or have stretch marks so far so good thumbs up from me
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