Fondant Cakes

I've had a lot of people request a written recipe for the fondant cake I vlogged about on YouTube, so here it is! Also, my God-daughter came over that night to help me decorate a few more cakes, so here are a few picture of a few cakes we decorated together that night. The other picture is of a cake I recently made for a dinner party. I'm no "Cake Boss", but I really do enjoy making these cakes!

Fondant Icing Cake’s Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of butter
• 2 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of milk
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon Almonds Extract (I’m using the almonds extract but you can easily replace it with pure vanilla extract or any other flavor you like)
• 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Remember, this is NOT a light and fluffy cake, by any means. It's a denser cake. If you're going to make a big cake, this is definitely the recipe to use because the weight of the fondant might weigh a lighter cake down too much.  BUT, if you are going to make a small cake (like I did in my video) or cupcakes, you can use your favorite recipes and just use the fondant recipe for the decorations. Those smaller guys use far less fondant.  This was my first time making the small squares. When I do it again (soon, for Mother's Day) I will use a lighter recipe for the cake part. ♥

Fondant Icing Cake’s Preparations:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Mix the butter and sugar in a mixer bowl until light and fluffy
• Add the eggs one at a time, keep mixing until all eggs are added
• Add the almonds flavorings to the mix, followed by the flour with baking powder and salt
• Add flour mixture alternately with milk, starting with the flour
• Spray pans with vegetable pan spray and pour in the mix
• Bake until a wooden skewer comes out clean (I rather use a skewer rather than a toothpick after I burnt my hands several times using a short toothpick…)
• Cool for ten minutes in the pans, and the cake is ready for you to loosen the sides and remove the pans
• Let the cake cool completely before you start the fondant icing

This recipe makes around 8 cups of batter which will give you two 8″ round cakes. (The amount of fondant you get by following the fondant recipe (below)  is enough to cover two 8” cakes with a little fondant left for decorations)

Fondant Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp of unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup of cold water
• 1/2 cup of light corn syrup (If a corn syrup is not available, you can substitute it with a sugar syrup made with 1-1/4 cups sugar and 1/3 cup water, boiled together until syrupy)
• 1 Tbsp of EDIBLE glycerin (some recipes say it’s optional, believe me, it’s a must)
• 1 tsp of almond extract (I use almonds extract in m fondant recipe, but it can easil be replaced with Vanilla extract)
• 2 lbs 10X confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 tsp of white vegetable shortening

Fondant Recipe Preperations:

• Sprinkle the gelatin over cold water in a small bowl and let it rest for 2 minutes to soften
• Place the bowl in a microwave for 30 seconds on High, until the gelatin dissolves
• Add the Almond or Vanilla extract
• Add the corn syrup and the glycerin and stir until the mixture is smooth and clear (if the mixture is not turning smooth and clear, microwave it for an additional 15 to 20 seconds on high and stir again)
• Sift 1 1/2 pounds of the sugar into a large bowl
• Make a hole in the sugar and pour the liquid mixture to it and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes sticky
• Sift some of the remaining 1/2 pound of sugar onto a smooth work surface and add as much of the remaining sugar as the mixture will take
• Knead the fondant, adding a little more sugar if necessary, to form a smooth, pliable mass
• Rub the vegetable shortening on your thumbs and knead it into the fondant
• Wrap the fondant in plastic wrap and place it in a tightly sealed container to prevent it from drying out. If the icing dries out and harden it can often be revived by popping it into a microwave oven for a few seconds and then kneading it back to life
• To dye, use concentrated gel colors