Making your own Homemade Fondant (without marshmallows) is an easy way to make better-than-store-bought fondant that tastes great covering any cake!
Fondant Recipe (without Marshmallows)
I've also added my homemade marshmallow fondant recipe! Either fondant recipe is a really tasty and fun way to decorate cakes and cupcakes - or make edible craft projects with your kids!
If you're wondering what fondant is, it is a sugar paste that can be rolled out to cover cakes, cut out to make shapes, shaped and molded into centerpiece quality art, as well as flavored with candied fruits and spices added into the fondant.
Rolled fondant is used to cover many wedding cakes, and is a wonderful way to help preserve your covered cakes!
The fondant that we made today will be used to cover a 9 inch 2-layer cake that we will be decorating with fondant roses.
The videos for how to make the roses (fondant petal roses and fondant ribbon roses) are linked on this page as well. Plus, the video recipe for the slightly easier version of rolled fondant using marshmallows.
To make your fondant you will need some very common pantry items, plus an item or two that are specialty items. I will provide the links to any items that are harder to find, but both gelatine and glycerin can be ordered from Walmart or Amazon and delivered to your local store. Gelatine can be found in your baking aisle at most grocery stores and is usually found with the Jell-O products.
The glycerin that you will need is 100% plant glycerin and is an item that I usually order online.
Once you have all of your ingredients on hand, making your own homemade fondant is much easier than you would think! It is cheaper than store-bought fondant and you can make as much or as little as you need.
Pro Tip: It is very important, if you are using fondant to cover a large project, that you have enough to color all of your fondant that you will need at once (so that the color is consistent). It is hard to match up colors if you run out, so always make enough ahead of time.
Every step of making classic rolled fondant is shown in the video in the recipe card below, so grab your ingredients and follow along as I make some fabulous fondant! Enjoy!
How To Make Cake Fondant Without Marshmallows
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, add the gelatine to the cold water. Set aside and allow to 'bloom' for 5 minutes (gelatine will be firm when you come back to it). Microwave for 10 seconds to soften and liquefy the gelatine, continue to stir until smooth.
- Sift the 2 pounds ( powdered sugar typically comes in a 2 lb bag, which is equal to 32 ounces or 8 cups ) of confections' sugar while waiting, using whichever method you prefer (you can sift manually as shown in the video, or use a food processor to quickly and easily sift all of your confectioners' sugar). You will be starting with 1 ½ pounds or 6 cups of the sifted confectioners' sugar added into the fondant mixture. The rest will be set aside to use during the kneading process, adding more as needed to achieve the right consistency.
- In a small to medium mixing bowl, combine the vanilla extract, light corn syrup (or glucose), glycerin, and the stirred gelatine. Stir or whisk until smooth and clear. Microwave in 10-15 second increments if needed to soften the gelatine more.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the first portion (1 ½ lbs) of the sifted confectioners' sugar. Make a well in the center of the sugar and add the liquids.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir the fondant mixture together until it is sticky (add food coloring at this step, if desired).
- Coat your fingertips with a portion of the vegetable shortening and work into the sticky fondant mixture, repeat until about half of the shortening has been worked into your fondant.
- Using a portion of the excess sifted confectioners' sugar, cover your working surface with a layer of confectioners' sugar. Transfer the fondant onto your working surface and begin kneading the fondant (keeping your fingers and hands coated with the vegetable shortening).
- Add more confectioners sugar to your working surface, as needed. Repeat adding confectioner sugar and coating your fingers/hands with vegetable shortening during the kneading process.
- Continue working the vegetable shortening into your fondant until all of it has been added, using as much of your excess confectioners' sugar as needed to reach a smooth, pliable consistency.
- Your fondant is ready to use as soon as you have a nice smooth appearance, and the surface is no longer sticky. Roll into a ball or log shape and wrap in plastic wrap then place in a Ziploc bag to store, and keep any unused fondant wrapped in plastic wrap while working with your fondant (it dries out easily).
📖 Recipe Card
Homemade Fondant (without marshmallows)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon gelatine (unflavored)
- ¼ cup water (cold)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or your preferred flavor)
- ½ cup light corn syrup (or glucose)
- 1 tablespoon glycerin (100% plant glycerin)
- 2 lbs confectioners sugar (sifted)
- ½ teaspoon vegetable shortening (white, in a small bowl that you can dip your fingers into easily))
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, add the gelatine to the cold water. Set aside and allow to 'bloom' for 5 minutes (gelatine will be firm when you come back to it). Microwave for 10 seconds to soften and liquefy the gelatine, stir until smooth.
- Sift the 2 lbs of confections sugar while waiting, using whichever method you prefer (you can sift manually as shown in the video, or use a food processor to quickly and easily sift all of your confectioners sugar). You will be starting with 1 ½ lbs added into the fondant mixture. The rest will be set aside to use during the kneading process, adding more as needed to achieve the right consistency.
- In a small to medium mixing bowl, combine the vanilla extract, light corn syrup (or glucose), glycerin, and the stirred gelatine. Stir or whisk until smooth and clear. Microwave in 10-15 second increments if needed to soften the gelatine more.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the first portion (1 ½ lbs) of the sifted confectioners sugar. Make a well in the center of the sugar and add the liquids.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir the fondant mixture together until it is sticky (add food coloring at this step, if desired).
- Coat your fingertips with a portion of the vegetable shortening and work into the sticky fondant mixture, repeat until about half of the shortening has been worked into your fondant.
- Using a portion of the excess sifted confectioners sugar, cover your working surface with a layer of confectioners sugar. Transfer the fondant onto your working surface and begin kneading the fondant (keeping your fingers and hands coated with the vegetable shortening).
- Add more confectioners sugar to your working surface, as needed. Repeat adding confectioner sugar and coating your fingers/hands with vegetable shortening during the kneading process.
- Continue working the vegetable shortening into your fondant until all of it has been added, using as much of your excess confectioners sugar as needed to reach a smooth, pliable consistency.
- Your fondant is ready to use as soon as you have a nice smooth appearance, and the surface is no longer sticky. Roll into a ball or log shape and wrap in plastic wrap then place in a ziploc plastic storage bag to store, and keep any unused fondant wrapped in plastic wrap while working with your fondant (it dries out easily).
Joni Barton says
How thin should fondant be rolled out? How much food coloring per what ounce? Any special instructions for using my stand mixer? Can I over mix and ruin it?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Your fondant will get thick enough that you'll need to remove it to a working surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar. It will need to be kneaded from there, using the vegetable shortening on your fingers as noted in step #6.
You won't over-mix the fondant, you'll know when the timing is right to remove it from your mixer.
The food coloring amount is up to your desired color. Add slowly and adjust until you get your desired color while mixing the fondant. Always make enough fondant that you don't run out. It's hard to match up colors after using all your fondant.
Roll the fondant (once set out to room temperature) using powdered sugar or cornstarch on your working surface. Keep the top as clean as you can - i usually spray a wooden rolling pin with non-stick spray, or wipe my marble rolling pin between passes. Alternatively, you can wipe the top of your fondant clean with shortening. The fondant should be 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick before covering a cake and I've found that slightly thicker fondant layers are easier to work with.
Thanks for asking and let me know if you have any more questions!
Janet says
Hi Angela,
I have known about fondant for a long time. And, I've just became interested. I think your recipe for making fondant for cakes and crafts will be a 🏆 winner. I priced fondant in Walmart and wow the price was steep. Your recipe is a blessing 🙌 🙏 for me.
I'd like to ask how do you learn how much fondant to make? Also, how do you know how to color the fondant?
Thank you, in advance.
Becky says
Thank you so much for the recipe, video and instructions! I am going to try this recipe, as it looks fabulous! I will be using it to ice sugar cookies. I assume it can be air brushed, but do you know if it will dry enough to stack the cookies? I have been using RI, but even after weeks of practicing, I just can't get that perfect surface on my cookies. Rolled fondant works great, but tastes so bad! Thank you for any advice you can provide.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Generally speaking, you can stack cookies that are decorated with flat fondant easily, however, the fondant will dry out after about 3 days. What are you trying to do with the decorating? You might want to try my glossy sugar cookie icing, it's flat, shiny, and hardens for stacking quite nicely. Let me know and I'll try to help 🙂
Allison says
Hi, can you make this without the glycerin? Also, can you use butter or coconut oil instead of shortening?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Hi Allison, for this recipe the answer to those substitutions is no. I have never tried any of those so I cannot speak to the outcome. The work-around for not having glycerin is to use marshmallows (my marshmallow fondant recipe) but it sounds like you'd like a healthier version with the coconut oil? I would love to have tested that with some organic coconut oil, and I'm sure that I will at some point. I'm sorry that I can't answer that for you now!