And they don’t always have to be made by Mommy or the bakery.
Daddy’s can do it, too!
My brother, John Cody of Kyle, graduated with a degree in fine arts. I have to tell you that so that when I tell you that he free-formed the Spiderman cake that he made for his son’s fourth birthday last month you’ll believe me.
It was pretty impressive. And it was huge.
He said he just looked at the graphic that he liked and copied it - in cake. Easy, right?
He’s always loved graphic art so it is easier for him than it would be for me who drew Barney once for my tiny daughter and the only way we really knew it was him was the purple chalk we spread in the middle.
But John’s an artist and he likes making his children’s cakes. This year he tried something new: fondant.
He made his own from Peggy Weaver’s recipe at http://whatscookingamerica.net.
Its primary ingredients are marshmallows and powdered sugar. I don’t like marshmallows, so I was surprised to find the icing tasted good.
In the week or so before his son’s birthday, my brother said he made a trial run to be sure everything was going to work. Here are his tips:
-“It’s really, really sticky. One of the tricks is to grease up your hands really well for the first few minutes. After a while, it will start to stick to itself.
-“If you’re going to color it, it is easier to put the food coloring in when the marshmallows are still melted. It’s harder to mix it in later.
-“Make the icing the night before you need it and keep it in the refrigerator. When you want to work with it, you’ll have to heat it up in the microwave for 30-45 seconds.”
The recipe below is off the Web site and the directions are paraphrases of what Ms. Weaver says there. She also gives detailed instructions on how to actually use it on a cake (including that you’ll have to use a think layer of butter cream frosting as an adhesive). But you’ll have to go there, or to another similar site for those directions.
MM (Marshmallow) Fondant Recipe
16 oz. white mini-marshmallows (use a quality brand)
2 to 5 Tbs. water
2 pounds icing sugar
1/2 cup shortening (in a bowl you can stick your hand into)
Mix marshmallows and 2 Tbs. in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds, then stir it, repeat these steps until the marshmallows are melted (about 2 ½ minutes). If you are going to add color, do it now.
Place ¾ of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallows. Generously grease your hands and your work space (and regrease them as necessary). Dump the mixture onto the counter and knead it like dough. When it is mixed in, add the rest of the sugar and keep kneading (about 8 minutes) until you get a firm, smooth, elastic ball that will stretch without tearing (if it tears, add a little bit of water). There should not be any tiny bits of dry powdered sugar.
Peggy Weaver says,“Prepare the fondant for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic-type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible.” She adds that it will store in the refrigerator for weeks.
