Bakehouse Hand-Made Fondant

Ingredients

54 g water room temperature
10 g powdered gelatin
630 g powdered sugar
90 g corn syrup*
20 g glycerin
1 tsp clear vanilla extract (see Tip!)
24 g vegetable shortening
1/4 cup cornstarch for rolling

Instructions

In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin by combining the water and gelatin. Stir to completely hydrate the gelatin, then set the mixture aside for at least 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, melt the gelatin mixture in a microwave for 30 seconds. Alternatively, place the small bowl in a larger bowl with hot water, and stir until the gelatin melts.
In a large mixing bowl, sift in 1/2 of the powdered sugar; then add the corn syrup, glycerin, clear vanilla extract, shortening, and melted gelatin and immediately stir with a wooden spoon to combine into a smooth batter.
Sift 1/2 of the remaining powdered sugar over the mixture and combine using a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes a shaggy mass.
Sift the remaining powdered sugar onto a clean work surface and turn the fondant out of the work bowl.
Gently knead the fondant until all of the powdered sugar has been incorporated. The fondant should be smooth and pliable. Do not over knead the fondant, as it will become very sticky.
Double wrap the fondant with plastic wrap, place it in an airtight container, and cure it overnight at room temperature before using. It will become more homogenous overnight.

Notes

Yield: Enough for One 6-inch [15-cm] layer cake & 12 Decorated 3-inch [8-cm] Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

*For homemade fondant, we recommend using a very thick corn syrup, as a thin corn syrup will not provide the right texture to the fondant. Corn syrup available in the grocery store is typically not thick enough, so glucose syrup is a good substitute, which is available online and in craft or specialty stores that carry cake decorating supplies.

Storage: Fondant can be stored at room temperature, tightly wrapped twice in plastic wrap inside an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.

Tip! Clear vanilla extract keeps the fondant pure white. It's available in stores that sell cake decorating materials and online. If you're going to color your fondant, go ahead and use real vanilla extract.

Tips for Decorating Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Fondant

Work with a small amount of fondant at a time, and keep the rest tightly wrapped in plastic; it can dry out quickly!
To add color, put a drop of food coloring in the center of a portion of fondant and knead it in, adding additional coloring as necessary (dust a little cornstarch on your work surface if the fondant is sticking). Wear gloves for this step if you're worried about staining your hands.
Dust the fondant with cornstarch to help you roll it out (like you would use flour when rolling out dough), and brush away any excess. Using a straight rolling pin (do not use a tapered rolling pin), roll out fondant to a 1/4-in thickness. Don't roll it too thin; if you do, the texture of the cookie will be visible through the fondant, which is not desirable.
Your fondant is now ready to be cut. If you want to cover the entire cookie, take the cutter used for the cookies and cut out the fondant. For other shapes or decorations, choose cutters to your taste.
Use water (a tiny amount!) to help secure fondant on top of the cookies or for layering pieces of fondant together.
To marble fondant, combine small pieces of two (or more colors) and twist and knead them together, then roll out.

More Tips for Covering a Round Layer Cake with Fondant

The type of layer cake most conducive to covering with fondant is a densely textured butter cake, like the Bakehouse's Buttermilk Cake and Hunka Burnin' Love Chocolate Cake. Light textured cakes, like Angel Food or Chiffon, will have a hard time holding up the weight of fondant; while cakes with heavy mix-ins, like Carrot or Hummingbird, may create an uneven surface and can show through your fondant.
Place your prepared layer cake on a cake board and make sure it's leveled and filled evenly before applying a Crumb Coat over the entire cake. This thin layer of buttercream frosting traps any cake crumbs and acts as an adhesive so your fondant doesn't fall off or move around. Refrigerate your crumb-coated layer cake until firm.
To prepare the fondant, knead it until it’s pliable and add and work in food coloring if you’re planning to tint your fondant.
Before rolling out the fondant, determine how much you’ll need to cover your cake by measuring both the diameter of the cake and its height and plugging those measurements into the following formula: Diameter + Height (x2 ) = Diameter of rolled-out fondant. For example, if your cake is 6 inches in diameter and 4 inches high, your formula would look like this: 6 inches + 4 inches (x2) = 14 inches.
To get a nice even roll on your fondant, start with a well prepared work surface. To prevent sticking, dust the surface with cornstarch. Shape the fondant into a round disk, like you would with pie dough, and using a straight rolling pin (do not use a tapered rolling pin), roll out to the desired size in diameter, at around a ⅛-inch thickness. Always roll from the center outwards, turning and lifting the fondant as you go to keep the round shape consistent.
Once your fondant is rolled out, move quickly to cover your now chilled cake, as rolled fondant will dry out if left too long. Start by placing your rolling pin in the middle of your rolled out fondant round, and using both hands fold one side of the fondant round over the rolling pin.
Pick up the rolling pin by both ends. Working from the back of the cake to the front, touch the edge of the fondant to the cake board and start draping the fondant towards you, trying to keep it as centered as possible. Gently roll out the fondant, guiding it as it drapes over the rest of the cake.
Smooth the draped fondant on top of the cake using a fondant smoother; then to smooth the sides, pick up a section of the fondant and gently pull and stretch the fondant away from the cake, using the edge of your hand to smooth the sides and remove any creases. Rotate the cake as you work your way around.