You know that thick, plastic-looking layer on wedding cakes that everyone peels off and leaves in a sad pile on their plate? That's commercial fondant. It’s engineered for shelf life, not flavor. But when people ask how do you make homemade fondant, they're usually looking for that smooth, porcelain finish without the chemical aftertaste of a bucket-bought paste.
It's actually surprisingly easy. Messy? Yes. You will likely end up with powdered sugar in your eyebrows. But the result is a marshmallow-based "sugar paste" that actually tastes like candy rather than sweet wax.
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The Marshmallow Secret: How Do You Make Homemade Fondant Work?
Most professional bakeries use a "true" rolled fondant made from gelatin, glucose, and glycerin. It’s a technical nightmare for a home kitchen. Unless you want to hunt down food-grade glycerin at a specialty pharmacy, you’re better off with the marshmallow method.
Marshmallows are basically a cheat code. They already contain the gelatin and sugar stabilizers you need. By melting them down and re-incorporating massive amounts of sugar, you create a pliable dough.
What You’ll Need (Actually)
Don't go buying the expensive "artisan" marshmallows. Get the cheap, store-brand mini marshmallows. They melt faster and more evenly. You'll also need a bag of C&H or Domino’s powdered sugar—don't get the grainy off-brand stuff here because texture is everything—and a little bit of water.
You also need shortening. Crisco is the standard. If you try to use butter, the water content will make the fondant seize or get greasy. If you try to use coconut oil, it might work if your kitchen is cold, but the moment things warm up, your cake will literally slide apart. Stick to the vegetable shortening. It's the "glue" that keeps things moving.
The Step-by-Step Chaos
First, grease everything. I mean everything. Your bowl, your spatula, your hands, and the counter. If a single dry patch of your skin touches melted marshmallow, you are now part of the cake.
Dump about 16 ounces of mini marshmallows into a glass bowl with two tablespoons of water. Microwave it in 30-second bursts. Stop and stir. It looks like nothing is happening, then suddenly it’s a puffy cloud, then it’s lava. Once it's smooth and looks like Elmer's glue, you start adding the sugar.
The Kneading Phase
You’re going to use about two pounds of powdered sugar. Sift it. If you don't sift it, you'll have tiny white lumps in your finished cake that look like zits. Nobody wants a pimply cake.
- Create a well of sugar on your counter.
- Pour the marshmallow goo into the center.
- Start folding the sugar in with a greased bench scraper.
- Eventually, you have to use your hands.
It will be sticky. You will think you’ve ruined it. Just keep kneading. It’s like bread dough, but way more stressful because it’s 90% sugar. You’re looking for a texture that feels like Play-Doh. If it’s tearing, it’s too dry (add a drop of water). If it’s drooping, it needs more sugar.
Why Your Fondant is Tearing (The Elephant Skin Problem)
The biggest frustration when figuring out how do you make homemade fondant is "elephant skin." This is that cracked, dry texture that happens right as you drape the fondant over the cake.
It happens because the sugar is drying out too fast.
Professional decorators like Rose Levy Beranbaum often talk about the importance of rest. You cannot use homemade fondant the moment you make it. It’s too "angry." It needs to sit, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap (and then a Ziploc bag), for at least eight hours. This allows the sugar crystals to fully hydrate.
If you try to roll it out immediately, it will be elastic and snap back like a rubber band. Give it a night to chill on the counter—not the fridge—and it will behave much better the next day.
Flavoring and Coloring: Don't Use Grocery Store Drips
If you use the liquid food coloring from the baking aisle, you’re going to have a bad time. Those little teardrop bottles are mostly water. Adding water to fondant makes it sticky and ruins the structural integrity.
Use gel pastes. Brands like Americolor or Wilton Icing Colors are concentrated. You only need a toothpick’s worth of "Super Black" to get a dark grey, whereas you’d need three bottles of liquid stuff to get anything close.
Pro Tip: If you want a deep red or a true black, buy it pre-made. Achieving those colors at home requires so much dye that the fondant starts to taste bitter and gets crumbly. For pastels and mid-tones, homemade is king. For goth cakes? Buy the bucket.
Adding Flavor
Marshmallow fondant tastes like... marshmallows. It’s fine, but a little boring.
- Vanilla: Use clear vanilla extract if you want the fondant to stay stark white.
- Almond: A tiny bit goes a long way.
- Lemon: Great for cutting through the intense sweetness.
Add your flavors to the melted marshmallows before you add the sugar. This ensures it's distributed evenly so you don't end up with one bite that tastes like an extract factory.
Troubleshooting the "Meltdown"
Humidity is the mortal enemy of homemade fondant. If you live in a swampy climate or it’s raining, your fondant will start to "sweat."
If your cake looks like it’s perspiring, do not touch it. You’ll leave permanent fingerprints. Turn on the air conditioning or a fan and let the air dry it out. Never, ever put a fondant-covered cake in a regular home refrigerator unless you know exactly what you’re doing. Home fridges are humid. When you take the cake out, the temperature shock causes condensation, and your beautiful decorations will melt into a puddle of sugary goo.
Keep it in a cool, dry room in a cardboard box. The cardboard actually helps by absorbing a little bit of the ambient moisture.
Common Myths vs. Reality
People say you can’t get a sharp edge with marshmallow fondant. That’s a lie. You just need two "smoothers"—those plastic paddle tools. Use one on the top and one on the side to "pinch" the corner.
Another myth: You need a thick layer.
Actually, the thinner you can roll it (aim for 1/8th of an inch), the better it tastes. Nobody wants a mouthful of dough. The fondant is the clothes, not the body. The cake and buttercream underneath are the stars.
The Buttercream Barrier
You cannot put fondant directly onto a naked cake. It will look lumpy. You need a "crumb coat" of buttercream. But here's the catch: it has to be a crusting buttercream or a high-fat ganache. If the frosting is too soft, the weight of the fondant will cause it to bulge at the bottom, creating a "spare tire" effect.
Chill the buttercreamed cake until it’s rock hard. Then, and only then, do you drape the fondant. The cold cake gives you a solid surface to work against while you smooth out the wrinkles.
Actionable Next Steps for Your First Batch
If you're ready to stop reading and start kneading, here is exactly how to set yourself up for success:
- Clean your space: Scrape every crumb off your counter. A single speck of dried cake will create a lump under your fondant that looks like a boulder.
- The "Pooch" Test: When kneading, pull a piece of the dough. It should stretch about two inches before breaking. If it snaps instantly, add a teaspoon of water. If it strings out like taffy, add more sugar.
- Prep the Cake: Make sure your cake is leveled. Fondant doesn't hide slants; it emphasizes them.
- Storage: If you have leftovers, coat the ball of fondant in a thin layer of shortening, wrap it in two layers of plastic wrap, and stick it in a container. It stays good for weeks. Just microwave it for 5-10 seconds to wake it up when you're ready to use it again.
Homemade fondant is a skill of feel. Your first batch might be a disaster, but by the third one, you'll be able to tell if the dough is right just by the way it sticks (or doesn't) to your palms. Forget the store-bought "edible play-dough" and just melt some marshmallows. Your guests will actually eat the cake this time.