Marshmallow Fondant

My sweet little 4 year old (now 5 year old!) just had her birthday. I usually just buy a cake, but this year I decided to make one. The reason? It boils down to pride. I guess I have a bit of a pride issue. You see, for this past Christmas I made my parents a calendar with pictures of my sweet little kiddos. They were admiring the picture for this month which happens to be of my little 5 year old last year on her birthday. My papa told my mom what a beautiful cake I had made and that I must have really spent a lot of time on it. My mom informed him that I do not make cakes for my kids birthdays, but that I purchase them. Well, that did it. I decided that I had to make her cake this year just to prove that I can make a pretty nice looking cake too.

While I was scouring the internet, looking for a cake to make, I came across several that had fondant. I have never made or tasted fondant before, but decided to give it a try. After all, it did make some pretty cakes.

I made up a batch of fondant for her cake, but still had no clue what I was going to do with it (other than sample it - YUM!). I finally decided that I was on my own and had to use a little creativity - not my strongest suit. After 2 days of thinking, I came up with an idea and this is what I did. I am pretty darn proud of myself! I managed to make a cake that looked pretty good, tasted really good, and didn't even have to start over! Hoary for me!

I adapted this recipe from All Recipes.

Linked on Show Me What Ya Got #12, All Things Related #37 and Sweets for a Saturday 6.

1/4 cup shortening (I used butter flavored)
1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup water
2 pounds powdered sugar, divided

Place the shortening in a shallow bowl, and set aside. Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. Carefully stir the water into the hot marshmallows, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff. Rub your hands thoroughly with shortening, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with powdered sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes. Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface dusted with powdered sugar. Roll out 1 inch larger than you need to give a little wiggle room. Lightly frost your cake (or what ever you are using your fondant on) to insure the fondant sticks. Attach decorations with a little frosting as well. I used Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.