It is so nice When I have the chance, plus the time to start a new post and actually have it ready in less than 3 days, that really means I am having good quality time to keep on posting. This Summer I decided to do more things for myself and my kids, so I slow the number of orders during the summer break. Anyway I have always hated working during this time of the year; I know it is the wedding season etc but it is so much stress to have a decent cake that looks as professional as I like them to look, with all this heat and humidity we bakers need to endure during the summer time!!! two days ago outside temperature was 87F but humidity made it feel like 95F and my cakes felt it as 104F.
Specially here in the South, most people and specially Brides, prefer all buttercream cakes opposed to fondant. In Australia where British sugar techniques had to be replaced for more adapted- to- climate- techniques,butter cream (Royal Icing, indeed) was replaced by ganache, and marzipan was replaced by this elastic dough (which I adore) called fondant!!!
Every body loves the incredibly smooth look fondant brings to the cake and how it is transformed in almost anything your imagination (and few other tricks) can bring to your cake creation; Bad thing for fondant is many many years of awful taste fondant. that some fondant producer brought to scene. Yes I know, it really tasted bad, and honestly most of market brands taste like rubber!! Fortunately, some amazing people started to experiment and they actually create some good tasting fondants. One of those fondants is called MMF (marsh-mellow fondant) and you can find recipe
HERE it is not the best fondant, I personally don't use it for every single cake but it is so elastic and easy to work with, and it also taste so good, that everybody is actually using it for all their cakes. It is also easy to make and its shelf life is also pretty good.
I have used a different recipe for a little while and I am so satisfy with final results. I have no idea if someone else already thought about it (I suppose yes) This more than a recipe, is a mixture of two different mediums:
MMF and Modeling chocolate, find recipe
HERE
What is it so good about this mixture:
- Taste, yummm!!!
- No need to get candy color to get the color you need , regular edible colors like americolor, wilton, Baker's choice it is just fine
- yes, you can cover a cake with it, see how HERE
- Yes, you can model figures
- Yes, you can shimmer it
- airbrush it
- and BIG ETC!!!
This is How I make it:
You can use any candy melt or chocolate, any color, any brand, the result will be always the same, maybe the taste will vary depending on chocolate brand, I am using black melts because I need deep black fondant for decorating my cake, modeling chocolate recipe is
HERE
Modeling Chocolate Troubleshooting:
- To avoid fat separating from chocolate, do not over melt the chocolate, just enough to make it melt. I prefer to use the microwave and melt it in sections of 25 secs until is melted
- once is melted, stir to make sure it is all melted and also to drop the temperature a bit. If chocolate is too hot and we add the syrup, that basically makes the fattening to separate from chocolate.
- When you add the syrup, do not stir so much , just enough to mix it together
Once Modeling Chocolate is ready, let it cool for about 30 min or less. You can still mix it at this stage (if you are in a hurry) but again fat might separate from chocolate, please do not freak out if this happens, you can always fix it . Mix the modeling chocolate and MMF, about 1/2 lb of each, or any amount in equal parts. What ever is easy for you to manage.
I use my scraper to help me mix it when it sticks on my working table. Some of the fattening ( as you can see in this pic) was released from a too warmed modeling chocolate (YES, I was in a hurry,LOL)
Add some powdering sugar and keep kneading, just as when you knead your regular fondant
I need a really deep black color, and at this stage chocolate fondant is more on the grayish shade. I always use Americolor Super black for a really deep black
These are examples of how chocolate fondant would be colored, any shade, any color, using your regular fondant gel or paste colors.
If I want to color some chocolate fondant for my modeling figures, I start with White melts, or white chocolate mix with white MMF. once is all mixed, I cut it in 1/4 lb pieces and then I color it and storage it.
85% of my work is done using this mixture and I am so incredibly happy with the results: I use it for modeling all of my figurines and for covering my cakes with my
Fondant Wrapping technique
Cakey Hugs, Joly.
