Decorating for Dummies

[SarahRTW]

What tips and tricks for decorating can you offer for people like me, who are are uncoordinated or lack the artistic flare?

 

[NThomas]

Have you tried Marsh mellow fondant it is really simple to make and produces beautiful results. You can make some truely unique toppers with this. Marshmellow fondant is great for beginners because it is extremely forgiving and holds up well. This is also very inexpensive to make, so marshmallow fondant is perfect to experiment with for cookies and cupcakes.




Yield: 1 1/2 lbs fondant
Ingredients:

• 8 ounces miniature marshmallows (4 cups not packed, or half of a 16-ounce bag)
• 1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups), plus extra for dusting
• 2 tbsp water
• Food coloring or flavored extracts, optional

Preparation:

1. Dust your counter or a large cutting board with powdered sugar. Place the marshmallows and the water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, until the marshmallows are puffy and expanded.
2. Stir the marshmallows with a rubber spatula until they are melted and smooth. If some unmelted marshmallow pieces remain, return to the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until the marshmallow mixture is entirely smooth and free of lumps. If you want colored or flavored fondant, you can add several drops of food coloring or extracts at this point and stir until incorporated. If you want to create multiple colors or flavors from one batch of fondant, do not add the colors or flavors now. Instead, refer to step 6 below for instructions.
3. Add the powdered sugar and begin to stir with the spatula. Stir until the sugar begins to incorporate and it becomes impossible to stir anymore.
4. Scrape the marshmallow-sugar mixture out onto the prepared work surface. It will be sticky and lumpy, with lots of sugar that has not been incorporated yet--this is normal. Dust your hands with powdered sugar, and begin to knead the fondant mixture like bread dough, working the sugar into the marshmallow with your hands.
5. Continue to knead the fondant until it smoothes out and loses its stickiness. Add more sugar if necessary, but stop adding sugar once it is smooth--too much sugar will make it stiff and difficult to work with. Once the fondant is a smooth ball, it is ready to be used. You can now roll it out, shape it, or wrap it in cling wrap to use later. Well-wrapped fondant can be stored in a cool room or in the refrigerator, and needs to be kneaded until supple before later use.
6. If you want to add coloring or flavoring to your fondant, flatten it into a round disc. You might want to wear gloves to avoid getting food coloring on your hands during this step. Add your desired amount of coloring or flavoring to the center of the disc, and fold the disc over on itself so that the color or flavor is enclosed in the center of the fondant ball.
7. Begin to knead the ball of fondant just like you did before. As you work it, you will begin to see streaks of color coming through from the center. Continue to knead until the streaks are gone and the fondant is a uniform color. Your fondant is now ready to be used or stored as outlined above.
.

 

[justusforus]

Thanks for that NThomas. Great post and thanks for taking the time. I watched baking shows with fondant and really had never tried working with it. Will give it a go!

 

[ACSAPA]

What tips and tricks for decorating can you offer for people like me, who are are uncoordinated or lack the artistic flare?

You could just buy some stencils and sprinkle powdered sugar or sprinkles through the stencil to decorate the top of the cake. Some people who aren't coordinated go that route to make decorating easier.

 

[bakeryoo]

I'm a decorating dummy and l think using stencils would be the best thing for me to use l'll still probably make a mess!

 

[Christine Mlinek]

I can't decorate like pros at all, Lord knows I try I like the piping on the edges, but when it comes to straight lines, my unsteady hands wreck it for me. Stencils is a good idea, I like that.

 

[tspires2]

I love the stencil idea! Will that work on cookies as well? My decorating skill are more in the lack there of category! I would love to make some Christmas cookies using cut outs then maybe ice with sprinkles. Would that be possible with the stencils?

 

[MyDigitalpoint]

It's not that hard working a decoration with whipped cream using the aid of a pastry bag with a variety of plastic tips.

Or course, you may not get a professional-looking decoration at first, but you will have fun trying it out, and eventually you can gain confidence to decorating with it.

 

[janineaa]

It's nice to keep the decorations simple. You can just sprinkle some powder on top, or add colorful sprinkles and/chocolate chips on the edges of the cake. You can also add colored icing and then just use a piping bag. Swirls are nice to add too.

 

[jlynn71]

It's nice to keep the decorations simple. You can just sprinkle some powder on top, or add colorful sprinkles and/chocolate chips on the edges of the cake. You can also add colored icing and then just use a piping bag. Swirls are nice to add too.

I agree with this post, keep it simple. When you can, just practice the other things, most of what is done in decorating is technique, not necessarily artistic ability. A little swirl here and a bit of sprinkles there can make a cake look elegant and pretty. If you are making something at home for those you love, it should look homemade anyhow. If they wanted perfect, your family could just get a cake at the bakery. Its the love you put into it that's the most important ingredient.

 

[Joshua]

This website is so useful and resourceful! I love that people post and share recipes and tips on cooking. All these new recipes are definitely going to have an influence on my recipes when I bake. The tips that everyone is giving will definitely be noted in my head. Decorating for dummies is such a clever idea!

 

[sweetkymom]

I'm such a dummy when it comes to fondant. I'm so going to look into this marshmallow fondant as I have a first birthday cake to get practicing for. Thanks for the great recipe that I'm so going to look into!

 

[jlynn71]

Fondant is hard to work with, period. Those people on the cooking shows on TV make it look so easy. I would like to work with fondant and marzipan on cakes more often, ans would really like to try to make gum paste flowers. Practice makes perfect. There are several recipes on YouTube to show you how to work with these things, but the rest is just practice.

 

[LetThemEatCake]

^ I agree, marzipan and fondant are tricky! It does take lots and lots of practice- I've been working on it for years and it still doesn't always look quite right, but the YouTube recipes do help!

 

[ACSAPA]

Have you guys seen the decorating tip where you put a marshmallow on top of a cupcake and melt it to make frosting. I think I would make a total mess trying it.
I'd probably burn the marshmallow.

 

[Tina Nord]

I am not good at the decorating, but have been practicing and think I am getting a little better at it. I lack patience when things to not turn out right the first time and it is so hard to correct a frosting mistake. I did some cake decorating for work when I got out of highschool and then quit that job and have not done much decorating since.

 

[aas1277]

I never thought about stencils, what a great idea. Sometimes I just buy something to put on top. Last year my daughter had a surf birthday so I got little surf boards and the year before my other daughter had and Olivia party so I got a small Olivia toy and put it on the cake....

 

[NThomas]

The have spray food coloring . A very simple frosted cup cake can be jazzed up quickly by spraying with a
complementary color and then sprinkled with edible glitter or sprinkles.

 

[cmiller]

I would say to use a stencil. Also just practice just like with most things the more you practice the better you will get at it.

 

[Prettyinpink13]

Have you tried Marsh mellow fondant it is really simple to make and produces beautiful results. You can make some truely unique toppers with this. Marshmellow fondant is great for beginners because it is extremely forgiving and holds up well. This is also very inexpensive to make, so marshmallow fondant is perfect to experiment with for cookies and cupcakes.




Yield: 1 1/2 lbs fondant
Ingredients:

• 8 ounces miniature marshmallows (4 cups not packed, or half of a 16-ounce bag)
• 1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups), plus extra for dusting
• 2 tbsp water
• Food coloring or flavored extracts, optional

Preparation:

1. Dust your counter or a large cutting board with powdered sugar. Place the marshmallows and the water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, until the marshmallows are puffy and expanded.
2. Stir the marshmallows with a rubber spatula until they are melted and smooth. If some unmelted marshmallow pieces remain, return to the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until the marshmallow mixture is entirely smooth and free of lumps. If you want colored or flavored fondant, you can add several drops of food coloring or extracts at this point and stir until incorporated. If you want to create multiple colors or flavors from one batch of fondant, do not add the colors or flavors now. Instead, refer to step 6 below for instructions.
3. Add the powdered sugar and begin to stir with the spatula. Stir until the sugar begins to incorporate and it becomes impossible to stir anymore.
4. Scrape the marshmallow-sugar mixture out onto the prepared work surface. It will be sticky and lumpy, with lots of sugar that has not been incorporated yet--this is normal. Dust your hands with powdered sugar, and begin to knead the fondant mixture like bread dough, working the sugar into the marshmallow with your hands.
5. Continue to knead the fondant until it smoothes out and loses its stickiness. Add more sugar if necessary, but stop adding sugar once it is smooth--too much sugar will make it stiff and difficult to work with. Once the fondant is a smooth ball, it is ready to be used. You can now roll it out, shape it, or wrap it in cling wrap to use later. Well-wrapped fondant can be stored in a cool room or in the refrigerator, and needs to be kneaded until supple before later use.
6. If you want to add coloring or flavoring to your fondant, flatten it into a round disc. You might want to wear gloves to avoid getting food coloring on your hands during this step. Add your desired amount of coloring or flavoring to the center of the disc, and fold the disc over on itself so that the color or flavor is enclosed in the center of the fondant ball.
7. Begin to knead the ball of fondant just like you did before. As you work it, you will begin to see streaks of color coming through from the center. Continue to knead until the streaks are gone and the fondant is a uniform color. Your fondant is now ready to be used or stored as outlined above.
.

I have been looking for a easy fondant recipe and I am so happy I found this. I'm going to make a cake and try it this weekend! It sounds too easy!