When I decorated cakes I made my own fondant so that I didn’t have to worry about running out.
It’s also a lot cheaper to make homemade fondant, but if you should use the right recipe for what you’re going to use it for.
Here are 4 recipes for homemade fondant that I’ve used in the past, including some that are vegan because they don’t include any gelatin.
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Basic rolled fondant recipe.
This is the main recipe that I used for fondant that I covered cakes with. It can be softer or stiffer depending on how much water you add, and it has some elasticity because it has gelatin in it. You should try to make this at least a day ahead to give it time to cool off and stiffen up a little, but you can use it right away if you’re in a time crunch.
2 lb powdered sugar—Put in a bowl
1 pkg gelatin softened in ¼ cup water (1 package Knox gelatin)
½ cup corn syrup
2 Tbsp vegetable shortening
1 Tbsp glycerin (you can get this at craft stores in the cake decorating section in little bottles)
- Soften the gelatin, then dissolve over a double boiler.
- Add the corn syrup, shortening, and glycerin and stir to melt the ingredients together.
- Add the liquid into the powdered sugar in a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Wrap the fondant in plastic wrap and let it sit overnight.
- When you go to use it, knead it with some shortening until it’s smooth.
Vegan rolled fondant recipe.
This recipe is vegan because it eliminates the gelatin and relies on the gums to give it structure. Because of that it’s less stretchy, and it tends to be a little on the stiff side. I only made this occasionally because it’s not as pliable, so it worked better for modeling pieces that needed to be stiffer.
2 lb powdered sugar
1 tsp-1 Tbsp tylose powder
2 Tbsp vegetable shortening
1 Tbsp glycerin (you can get this at craft stores in the cake decorating section in little bottles)
- Put the powdered sugar in a bowl and mix in 1 tsp of the tylose.
- Melt the corn syrup, shortening, and glycerin over a pot of boiling water and stir to melt the ingredients together.
- Add the liquid into the powdered sugar and stir to combine.
- Wrap the fondant in plastic wrap and let it sit overnight.
- When you go to use it, knead it with some Crisco until it’s smooth. If it seems too soft, add in 1/4 tsp of tylose at a time, but let it sit in between additions until you see how much tylose you need to add to get the texture and consistency that you want. This amount will vary depending on the humidity and your personal preference, but tylose will set up harder than starts out, so give it some time to stiffen before adding more or it could end up being too stiff to use.
Read this article about different types of fondant.
Candy clay fondant recipe.
This isn’t a recipe so much as a hybrid that includes some candy clay. You can make it up to half and half, but adding the candy clay in at a 1:4 candy clay to fondant ratio will give you a little more stretch and workability, plus a nicer flavor.
- Use the recipe above for rolled fondant, then add candy clay to it using weight ratios.
- To make the candy clay, melt 14 ounces (by weight) of Wilton candy melts and mix in 1/3 cup of corn syrup. Stir until the mixture starts to bind up and the corn syrup is incorporated, but don’t overstir it or the mixture can split. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it set up overnight before using it.
- Use 1 pound of fondant and 1/4 pound of candy clay to start.
- Knead the two together and add more candy clay if you want to make it a little more flexible.
Marshmallow fondant recipe.
Marshmallow fondant is a common recipe because marshmallows are basically made from the base materials that fondant is made of.
When you melt them and add confectioner’s sugar in, you’ll make a homemade fondant that’s going to be a little spongier than the first version I have listed here.
This version isn’t as good to use to make quick gumpaste because it has so much gelatin in it, but it’s fine for covering cakes.
16 ounces white mini marshmallows
1/4 cup water plus extra if needed
2 pounds (about 8 cups) powdered sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
Food colors (optional) Click here to see my articles with food coloring tests and swatches.
- Melt the marshmallows and half of the water in a bowl in the microwave or over a double boiler. Do 30 seconds on high then stir, then 15 more seconds at a time until the marshmallows are almost smooth, then keep stirring until the residual heat melts all the lumps.
- Add half of the powdered sugar into the marshmallows and stir it in.
- Use the shortening to grease your hands to keep the fondant from sticking to them as you work.
- Keep adding more sugar and knead it into the mixture until it forms a ball that’s not sticky. If it starts to get too dry you might need to add some more water or shortening to smooth it out.
- The final fondant should look smooth and elastic and it should stretch without ripping, but it shouldn’t be too stiff. It will stiffen up as it cools off.
- Wrap the fondant in plastic and let it rest overnight before using it.
