Don't knock it till ya try it!

Last summer my sister-in-law and I dabbled into the world of cake decorating... we took a few classes, gained 5lbs from licking the spoon and sucking the icing out of the tips, and made a few halfway decent looking cakes. Since then, I have sharpened my skills a bit and have been ready for the next step... the forbidden land of fondant.

For those of you that don't know, fondant is the smooth (but hard) tasteless stuff that is often covering wedding cakes. They create a much nicer, more finished look, but provides very little desirable flavor. If you have never tasted store bought fondant, you aren't missing a thing, unless you like tasteless rubbery stuff that is hard to chew. It is also incredibly expensive (we are talking $10 for a pound). So, I have used it some, but mostly to just add a few flourishes here and there, like this cake.

Recently my cake decorating buddy Joyce (she is good for other things, too...!) and I decided to play around with fondant a bit more. We created some cute little people for her husband's family birthday party where he was celebrating with his aunt and niece (holding some fun balloons that had their ages on them). It turned out pretty cute, but we spent a fortune on fondant and it all went to the trash instead of tummies because it tastes just plane-ol' yucky. So, I became determined to make this stuff on my own, and make it taste GOOD!!

This morning we were iced inside and I got to skip school (at 26 snow days still make me giggle!!!), and I decided to give making fondant a shot. It turned out SO well, and was crazy easy and impressively tasty! So, the recipe for the day is Marshmallow Fondant. And yes, the above explanation was totally necessary!

You will need:

- 16 oz bag of mini-marshmallows

- 2-5 Tbsp water

- 2 tsp clear extract (I used vanilla)

- 2lb bag of powdered sugar

- Crisco

Let's get started!

1. Melt marshmallows, 2 Tbsp water and extract in greased, microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat until thoroughly melted (It took me about 5 intervals... 2 1/2 min)

2. Pour about half the bag of powdered sugar on top of the melted marshmallows.

3.. Grease the heck out of your working space and your hands (on top of hands, palms, inbetween fingers, you get the idea....). Keep extra Crisco handy for later. I placed some in a cup so I could access it easily.

4.. Pour marshmallows and powdered sugar on working space.

5. Knead the mixture like you would any type of dough. ***DISCLAIMER*** For those with sensory issues and don't like getting messing, get over it. :-) Special ed teachers... don't try this with your AU kiddos. They will go nuts.

6. When most of the powdered sugar has been absorbed, add the rest of the bag. Continue kneading and kneading and kneading. Add extra crisco to your hands and workspace as needed to prevent sticking.

7. If the mixture appears to be dry or tears when you pull it, add more water. I ended up using a total of 4 Tbsp of water.

8. Knead until the fondant is smooth and elastic. There may be a few sugar clumps, but these will desolve after sitting over night.

9. Completely coat the fondant ball in a thin layer of Crisco and wrap in plastic wrap. Place wrapped fondant in a ziplock bag and remove all air. (You can use the fondant right away, but it is easier to work with if it has had some time to sit).

This stuff lasts quite a while if stored in an air-tight environment. Just place in the refrigerator, and take out about an hour before you plan to use it. And I am sorry the pictures are not very detailed... I didn't feel like having to scrape out crystalized sugar from the nooks and crannies of my camera!

Joyce is coming over tonight so we can begin working on a baby shower cake we are making for a girl in our Sunday School class, Rachel. I will post pictures when we have a finished product!