Yahoo Lifestyle Hip Hip Hooray Birthday Cakes
WORKING WITH FONDANT
Fondant – also known as white icing, plastic icing and RTR (ready to roll) – is a wonderful icing to discover and experiment with, and it isn’t as hard to work with as you may think.
• To make fondant workable, knead it with your hands until soft. If fondant is too firm, wrap it in cling wrap and microwave on low heat for 10 seconds at a time until it softens a little. Use immediately. Hot or humid weather can make working with fondant very difficult: in hot weather it dries out quickly, and in humid weather it becomes sticky. Knead some pure icing sugar into sticky fondant until it is a workable consistency.
• To store fondant you are not using immediately, roll it into a ball and wrap it firmly in cling wrap or place in a zip-lock bag – otherwise it will dry out. It will keep for 2–3 days, at room temperature, wrapped like this. (This can be a great time
saver, as you can colour all the fondant you need for a cake in one go, then store it until ready to use.) You can also store rolled sheets of fondant on trays in large zip-lock bags for several hours. Never store fondant (or fondant-covered cakes)
in the refrigerator as it will become sticky.
• To colour fondant, you can use either gel paste food colouring or liquid food colouring. I prefer to use paste colouring as it doesn’t soften the fondant and it allows you to create strong colours using only small amounts. Liquid food colouring makes the fondant a little softer and the finished colour will be paler, as only small amounts can be added or the fondant becomes too soft. To colour fondant with gel paste food colouring, first dust your work surface with icing sugar. Knead the fondant until soft. Then, wearing food-safe gloves to protect your hands from staining, flatten out the fondant with your
hands and use a toothpick to apply the required amount of food colouring. Fold each edge of the fondant in towards the centre, then knead and fold it until you achieve an even colour (note that this process can be lengthy, so allow plenty
of time). If you need to colour a large amount, divide the fondant into two or three pieces and colour each separately, then add them together before rolling out. Change gloves each time you change colour, to prevent colours from mixing.
• To roll fondant, first dust your work surface and rolling pin with sifted pure icing sugar or cornflour, to stop the fondant from sticking. (Alternatively, you can roll it out between two sheets of baking paper.) Knead the fondant to soften it, then flatten it slightly with your hands. Roll out the fondant until you reach the desired thickness. A pasta machine is a great tool to use to roll out fondant thinly and evenly, and can save you a lot of time and effort. The spaghetti-making attachment is also useful for making fondant hair. Coat fondant lightly with pure icing sugar before you insert it into the machine, to prevent it from sticking.
• To cover a cake with fondant, first apply a crumb coat of basic icing to the surface of the cake (see page 3), as this will help the fondant to stick. Roll out the fondant to a thickness of 5mm (1/4in) (or as specified). Dust your hands with icing sugar to prevent sticking. Place the fondant over the rolling pin, then carefully unroll it over the cake. Gently press the fondant onto the top of the cake and down the sides, smoothing out any wrinkles. If there are any air bubbles, prick them with a pin and gently press out the air. Trim off excess fondant around the base (a pizza cutter can be helpful for this) and smooth rough edges with your fingertips or the back of a metal spoon. Dust off excess icing sugar with a pastry brush
or paintbrush. To make fondant decorations, you can either roll out fondant and then cut out shapes (using a scalpel, scissors or sharp knife), or mould pieces of fondant into three-dimensional shapes. Place fondant decorations on a tray lined with baking paper and set aside to dry (flat shapes will take about 2 hours to dry, while three-dimensional
shapes can take up to 4 days).
• To secure fondant decorations to a fondant covered cake, brush the back of each decoration with a little water then stick it onto the cake. Alternatively, use royal icing to secure the decorations. Use a blob of buttercream to secure fondant decorations to a buttercream-iced cake. To make fondant shapes dry rock hard, add gum tragacanth powder to the fondant before colouring it. Wrap the fondant firmly in cling wrap and leave overnight before using. (Use 1 teaspoon of tragacanth powder for each 500g/1lb 2oz fondant.)
• To paint fondant, mix some gel paste food colouring or edible pastel powder with clear alcohol, and use a paintbrush to apply it to dried fondant decorations. Leave to dry overnight. Details can be added with an edible marker.
FILL-IN (TEMPLATE) METHOD
1. Place a sheet of baking paper over the template. Fill a piping bag with a small amount of royal icing. Pipe around the outline of the template, then set aside to dry.
2. For filling in, you’ll need to thin the royal icing with water to a runny honey consistency. Pipe the thinned royal icing inside the outline to fill in the shape, making sure to completely cover the design. Use a toothpick to move the icing into tight corners if necessary. The thinned royal icing will dry smooth.
3. You can colour the icing before piping, or use white icing and then paint colour onto it once it has dried.
4. Leave decorations to dry overnight. They will dry hard but are very breakable, so handle with care - always make duplicates from your templates in case of breakages.
5. Note that this technique can also be used with melted chocolate.
BASIC ICING
1 x 500g packet pure icing sugar
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons hot water
Food colouring (optional)
To make basic icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the butter and beat while gradually adding the hot water. (Add a little more or less water to acheive the desired consistency). Add food colouring a little at a time (if using), mixing until you have an even colour. This icing will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Makes enough to ice a cake made with 1 quantity of cake mixture.
BUTTERCREAM ICING
250g softended unsatled butter
1 x 500g packet pure icing sugar
3 tablespoons milk
Food colouring (optional)
To make buttercream icing, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Continue beating while gradually adding the sifted icing sugar. Pour in the milk a little at a time, beating until smooth. (Add a little more or less milk to achieve the desired consistency). Add food colouring a little at a time (if using), mixing until you have an even colour. This icing will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge. Makes enough to ice a cake made with 1 quantity of cake mixture, or 40 cupcakes.
ROYAL ICING
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 x 500g packet pure icing sugar
Food colouring (optional)
To make royal icing, combine the egg whites and lemon juice in a large bowl. Sift the icing sugar. Add food colouring (if using). Beat on low speed for 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick and stiff. This icing will keep for up to 1 week in tthe fridge. To store, transfer to a plastic container, drape a damp cloth over the top, then seal with the lid. Makes 2 cups.
Download your cake templates here
