So, as you can see we have some pretty sad fondant :( It is cracked and crumbly and looking very old for it's tender age of 2 weeks.
Although I love my fondant recipe for it's taste and workability, as soon as I add any amount of color, my fondant turns from a beautifully pliable soft dough to a "sugar cookie" consistency, Although as tasty as sugar cookie dough is, noone is going to be able to cover a cake with it....NOONE!
So, the following pics and tips are my solution to fall apart fondant. I hope it works as well for you as it does for me :)
Although I love my fondant recipe for it's taste and workability, as soon as I add any amount of color, my fondant turns from a beautifully pliable soft dough to a "sugar cookie" consistency, Although as tasty as sugar cookie dough is, noone is going to be able to cover a cake with it....NOONE!
So, the following pics and tips are my solution to fall apart fondant. I hope it works as well for you as it does for me :)
Step 3 - Magic ingredient #1
Ahhhhh, tylose powder....not just for gumpaste! So I know what you are thinking. Gumpaste is disgusting and even though technically edible, is SOO not edible. However, a typical eggwhite gumpaste recipe calls for 12 tsps, we my friends are adding 1 tsp per pound of fondant. The recipe I use (gelatin, glycerin, corn syrup, water, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, shortening) is very sweet. This will change the taste a little bit but I would still compare it too "Virgin Ice" fondant for both it's workability and taste. (which can be found at bulk barn). So measure out 1 tsp, sprinkle over your fondant and.......read step 4
Step 4- magic ingredient #2 & 3
Shortening and glycerin are next in our little foray into fondant heaven. I know what you are thinking.."certainly we are not going to add that much shortening??" No, we just need to use enough to lightly coat our hands so that the fondant doesn't stick to...well....everything. Work that into your fondant a bit then take your greasy hands and add more liquid to them in the form of glycerine. This will help with cracked fondant like nobody's business. At this stage, I won't lie, you are probably going to panic. It won't feel like your fondant is getting any better, but never fear, follow step 5
Step 5..........Wait.......
No seriously, wait. Just leave that slightly gooey cracked up piece of fondant on the table top, counter, etc. for atleast 5-10 minutes so that the tylose powder can bind.
It needs time to set-up. In the mean time, wash your hands with a scouring pad because tylose powder does not wash off easy. This is not a great time to tell you, but you might have wanted to wear gloves about 5 steps ago....oops!
It needs time to set-up. In the mean time, wash your hands with a scouring pad because tylose powder does not wash off easy. This is not a great time to tell you, but you might have wanted to wear gloves about 5 steps ago....oops!
Step 6 & 7 (step 6 is optional) with a side of step 4
I say step 6 & 7 because at this point I will knead my fondant a little more to see where I am at, and possibly heat it up for a few more seconds in the microwave (aka-step 6). I'm not sure if it's all in my head but I feel like the mound heated up with the tylose powder blended in helps. I will also go back to step 4 at this point too and add a little shortening to my hand and if I notice after kneading a bit that the fondant is still a tad dry, then I will add a little more glycerine. As you will notice, the finished product is sooo much better, it rolls out without any powdered sugar underneath, or for that matter anything but the shortening I've already added in. So why does this work you might ask? Well any cake decorator that has works with gumpaste or fondant knows that: a) glycerine addss moisture to help prevent cracks and b) tylose is a gum substance that adds elasticity. There you have it! It is so workable in fact, that I can pick it up with my hands, which is exactly what my standard of good fondant is :) Now, you are ready to cover a cake!!! Enjoy!
Sincerely
Jenn & Melissa
Cake Sisters Moncton
Sincerely
Jenn & Melissa
Cake Sisters Moncton
Tips
-Unfortunetly, tylose powder is not the most readily available substance. I order mine on e-bay, but you can also get it @ Golda's kitchen or amazon.ca
-You can get glycerine at Michaels or Bulk Barn. If you do not have either one in your area, try Wal-mart. Sometimes they carry a small cake decorator section in their store. Worse case scenario, you can also order this online. You NEED to order food grade glycerine, not medical grade.
-http://www.cakescanada.com/HowTo/Fondant.pdf
I use this fondant recipe. It is great for plain white fondant but I think anytime you add color to fondant it is hard to get a workable product, therefore I use the above method. I have tried adding gel color to the mixing period (I mix my fondant primarily in my standing mixer) but with little success.
-I use Nicholas Lodge's Gumpaste recipe...I love it!!! No improvements needed :)
-I tried this method with 4 seperate pieces of fondant ranging from 1/2 pound to 2 1/2 pounds. It was sucessful on each piece. Just have patience and let it set-up. I cannot stress this enough. Just breath......
-I'm not sure how this works once the fondant is resting overnight, a week, two weeks but for comparsion I'm doing just that and will post my results next weekend :)
-You can't just add water in place of glycerine. It is not the same and will not work the same. Please save yourself the heart ache and stress of doing that to save a few bucks (literally), it is NOT worth it!
-And last but not least, feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this blog. I'll try to answer them the best I can :)
-Unfortunetly, tylose powder is not the most readily available substance. I order mine on e-bay, but you can also get it @ Golda's kitchen or amazon.ca
-You can get glycerine at Michaels or Bulk Barn. If you do not have either one in your area, try Wal-mart. Sometimes they carry a small cake decorator section in their store. Worse case scenario, you can also order this online. You NEED to order food grade glycerine, not medical grade.
-http://www.cakescanada.com/HowTo/Fondant.pdf
I use this fondant recipe. It is great for plain white fondant but I think anytime you add color to fondant it is hard to get a workable product, therefore I use the above method. I have tried adding gel color to the mixing period (I mix my fondant primarily in my standing mixer) but with little success.
-I use Nicholas Lodge's Gumpaste recipe...I love it!!! No improvements needed :)
-I tried this method with 4 seperate pieces of fondant ranging from 1/2 pound to 2 1/2 pounds. It was sucessful on each piece. Just have patience and let it set-up. I cannot stress this enough. Just breath......
-I'm not sure how this works once the fondant is resting overnight, a week, two weeks but for comparsion I'm doing just that and will post my results next weekend :)
-You can't just add water in place of glycerine. It is not the same and will not work the same. Please save yourself the heart ache and stress of doing that to save a few bucks (literally), it is NOT worth it!
-And last but not least, feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this blog. I'll try to answer them the best I can :)