Marshmallow Fondant- My Way

Update March 8, 2014

Fondant 101
1. Never refrigerate this recipe. Keep it in room temperature inside an airtight container.
2. Be ready to knead! Use your arm muscles. Dont try making fondant cakes if you dont have the patience to wait for the fondant to warm up and attain its pliability. It takes practice to knead with your wrist, not your fingers, I say. Knead until no cracks/ elephant skin appear.
3. Add vegetable shortening (any brand will do) to soften the fondant. Add water by using a small bottle spray if the fondant is very dry. If its very soft, add powdered sugar and cornstarch.
4. This recipe doesnt need an improver. only 4 ingredients.
5. stale or old fondant should be disposed off properly. Signs to look out for are odd smell, blotches of water, discoloring, crumbly texture.
6. Dont discard scraps. if it is new, wrap again in cling film then store for future use. Scraps can also be made into molds by adding heaps of tylose.
7. Always use new, fresh marshmallows. Old marshmallow  appears to be yellowish and withered, new ones appear very white, fluffy and firm.

November 1, 2012
Here's a tutorial I made showing how I make my marshmallow fondant. I could never afford the branded ones and this recipe works for me. Being in a ever sunny Philippines with high humidity and a frequent stopover for typhoons, hot and sunny in the mornings and thunderstorms in the afternoons ..this recipe is adjusted to keep  the fondant just at room temperature and never used air conditioning. Although this can be made in advance, I prefer fresh, meaning 2 or 3 days ahead of the event.


Star with a good marshmallow. I prefer this brand because it doesn't have lots of cornstarch in it. It has a sweeter taste and softer texture than some other brands.

 Apply shortening liberally to your ceramic bowl. You will be using this to microwave your marshmallows. Also apply shortening to the spoon or utensil you will be using to mix the marshmallow.

MY ratio - 1 is to 1. 1 tablespoon of water to 1 pack (250g) of marshmallow. No need to cut them into smaller sizes.  But you can also do so, if you have all the time in the world.

 Microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes depending on the power of your microwave. After a minute, mix the marshmallow. If it is still chunky,  add another minute.  Do it in interval or the marshmallow will burn.

This is how the marshmallow will look like after a minute in the microwave.

After the marshmallow have melted, mix it with a spoon to reach the liquid state. At this stage you can now add color. I prefer gel paste (Americolor). Just add a drop then add thereafter if you want deeper darker colors. 

Now you need to grease (apply shortening) your work station. My work station is a stainless basin. I don't have a granite countertop or a stainless table, so I use this. It is less messy and I can go just anywhere in the house kneading the fondant, either infront of the TV or at the kitchen. 

This next step should never be skipped no matter what. Always, always shift your confectioners sugar or powdered sugar. ratio for 3 packs of marsmallow is 8 cups of powdered sugar. Do not dump all in yet, just half of it.

First mix together the sugar and the melted mm with a greased spoon, the mm is still hot at this point and very very sticky. 

When the marshmallow have incorporated enough sugar and can be handled by hand.. grease your hands first before kneading it. Add powered sugar gradually until you reach the right consistency.

A right consistency for me would mean the fondant doesn't break when stretch.It stretches like bubblegum and doesn't break. Not very soft and not very hard. 

Liberally apply shortening to the fondant before wrapping into some cling wrap. Leave this to set in your table. Allow for 3 to 4 hours or overnight before using it. 

When the fondant had hardened before you want to use it, just zap it for 20 seconds in the microwave to soften it a little. 

Hope this tutorial helps!. Let me know if I skipped on some important things. 

Happy Cake Decorating!