Cake Series (Part 1 of 4): How to Make Fondant

Over the next two weeks I'll be posting a series about making this cake! Today I'm writing about making homemade fondant, and in the following posts I'll write about baking and storing the cake, torting it and covering it in fondant, and decorating it. Here's a peek at the final product (it's inspired by Peggy Porschen's design!):

Fondant. There are plenty of good options for ready-made fondant, but since I never use that much at one time, I've been looking for an easy recipe I can make myself (that still has the right texture.)

After a not-so-successful attempt with marshmallow fondant, I found this recipe by Michele Foster on CakeCentral. This is the second batch I've made and I love it!

Fondant

From Michele Foster's Fondant on Cake Central

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk 

2 tbs unflavored gelatin

1 cup light corn syrup

2 tbs food-grade glycerin

2 tbs clear vanilla extract

2 tbs salted butter

a dash of salt

about 3-1/2 lbs powdered sugar

Step 1. Mix milk and gelatin in a microwave-safe bowl. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, until gelatin blooms (becomes firm.)

Step 2. Microwave mixture for 1 minute, then stir. If gelatin in not melted, microwave for a little longer, just until it melts.

Add corn syrup, glycerin, vanilla, salt and butter to bowl and stir with a couple strokes. (Butter will not be melted yet.)

Microwave for 2 minutes, then stir until butter is completely melted. Set mixture aside and let cool completely.

Step 3. Place 2 lbs powdered sugar in the bottom of stand mixer bowl. Strain cooled mixture into the powdered sugar, then mix by hand until combined.

Step 4. Attach bowl to stand mixer and add 3-4 cups powdered sugar. Using dough hook, mix on the slowest setting. As powdered sugar in the bowl is incorporated, continue to add more. Keep mixing and adding sugar until mixture forms a ball. 

You will know that it is thick enough when the fondant no longer slips down the dough hook (when mixer head is tilted up.)

Step 5. Transfer fondant ball to a non-stick surface and knead fondant until smooth. (I use a commercial size Silpat for this step and for rolling it out when I'm ready to cover a cake.) If fondant is still sticky and difficult to knead, dust with powdered sugar.

Wrap fondant ball in plastic wrap that has been coated in vegetable oil, then place in a plastic bag or container for storage. Let fondant rest overnight. 

Fondant should keep for about a month at room temperature. Michele also suggests (in her CakeCentral post) adding white or semi-sweet chocolate to the corn syrup to flavor the fondant. I think I'll try the white chocolate next time around!

Up Next: Baking and Storing Cake

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Although I am still a cheesecake novice (this is #2), I loved this pumpkin cheesecake. It has more texture than a New York-style cheesecake and the gingersnap crust was easy and yummy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

from Kitchenaid Best-Loved Recipes 

Ingredients for crust:

about 24 gingersnap cookies or 1-1/4 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs

1/3 cup pecans

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

Ingredients for filling:

3 packages cream cheese (8-oz packages, softened)

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 cup canned pumpkin (plain puree, not pumpkin pie filling)

Gingersnap Crust. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In food processor, pulse cookies, pecans and sugar until mixture forms crumbs. Pour in butter, pulse a couple more times until combined evenly. 

Pour mixture into 9-inch springform pan. Press crumbs to form an even crust (the flat bottom of a drinking glass works well for compacting the crumbs!) Bake crust for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown, then let crust cool completely.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling. In bowl of stand mixer, beat cream cheese on medium until fluffy.

Add brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and mix until combined evenly. Add eggs and egg yolks one-by-one, mixing after each is added. Mix in pumpkin.

 Pour batter on top of the crust in the springform pan. Bake for an hour - until edges are but a small circle in the center is still moist (center jiggles). Turn off the oven. Open oven door for 1 minute, letting the heat out, then close and let cheesecake sit in oven for another hour. Then remove cheesecake from springform pan by loosening the edges with an knife. Refrigerate overnight or up to two days before serving.

Note: I put a pan of water in the oven while baking the cheesecake, but still got a couple small cracks. Next time I will try adding a little cornstarch to the batter.

Hummingbird Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes with Red and Blue Fondant

I'm glad that this recipe only makes 8 cupcakes, because I had to make it twice! The first time around I made it into more of a traditional recipe - but it turns out I shouldn't have doubted the recipe. They turn out great if you just follow the steps as they are!

Vanilla Cupcakes

from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

a little less than 3/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

3 tbs unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Step 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In bowl of stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter with paddle on slow. When the mixture forms a sandy consistency (this will happen pretty quickly), slowly pour in half the milk. Stop mixing once combined.

Step 2. In a small bowl, whisk the other half of the milk together with the egg and vanilla (this will just take a few seconds.) Pour into flour mixture and mix until smooth (no more than a couple minutes.) Scrape the bowl as you are mixing.

Step 3. Pour into a muffin tin that is lined with cupcake wrappers. Each wrapper should be no more than 2/3 full. This will make 8 cupcakes. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 325 degrees F. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Vanilla Buttercream

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook's Vanilla Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

3 cups powdered sugar (approximate)

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs milk (approximate)

Instructions. Beat butter for a couple minutes on high, using paddle attachment. Turn mixer to low and slowly add powdered sugar. Add vanilla extract and slowly add milk. Increase speed and beat for another minute or two, until fluffy. For thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar. For thinner frosting, add more milk. (Added: This is an Ateco 867 tip.)

Note: If you are adding fondant or gum paste decorations, wait to make and pipe the buttercream until the decorations are ready.

Decorations. These are fondant decorations, but a 50/50 mix of fondant and gum paste would also work.

Red. The red fondant was made with Wilton Red and a tiny bit of AmeriColor Yellow. For the red daisy, roll fondant out to 1/8 inch. Cut daisies using Large Daisy Cutter. To get smooth edges, run your hand or the rolling pin around the edges of the cutter.

The red fondant is also used to make the centers of the small white daisies. Make small balls of red fondant and use mold or mesh sieve (shown later) to emboss. Note: The mold shown here is only big enough for small daisy centers.

White. The white fondant is used to make the small daisies, using a small daisy cutter, and the flower centers for the large daisies. To make large flower centers, roll a ball of white fondant, then press it against a mesh sieve, just enough to emboss the lattice print.

Blue. Roll blue fondant to 1/8 inch and cut circles using a cookie cutter that is just larger than the small daisy cutter.

Let pieces dry. The pieces for the medallions can dry flat, and the red flowers can dry in cell formers. Once dry, assemble pieces using an edible adhesive - I used a mixture of gum paste powder and water.

Pipe buttercream and attach fondant decorations to the cupcakes!

The Basic Cake Pop (Plus Other Tips)

Cake pops, a Bakerella creation, are a lot of fun to make because they can take on so many personalities. When I made Penguin Pops in August, I loved the decorating, but I was a little frustrated with the process - the dough refrigeration seemed to cause problems.

I've done some experimenting since then, and here is my updated tutorial. Highlights -  refrigeration causes cracking and moisture, and cake pops can be made just as easily at room temperature.

Supplies

Boxed cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge, 18.25 oz)

Can of frosting (I used Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate, 16 oz)

Candy Melts (I used Wilton White Candy Melts)

Vegetable Shortening

Lollipop sticks

Decorations (these are just some sprinkles I already had)

Small bags and ties for packaging (optional)

Step 1. Bake cake mix according to instructions on package. Let cake cool completely.

Step 2. Melt the Wilton melts. This can be done in the microwave (heat in 30 second to 1 minute intervals, stirring between each interval) or in a chocolate melter (keep on "melt" setting for melting, mixing and dipping.) The advantage to a chocolate melter is that it will keep the chocolate at a constant temperature during the entire dipping process.

When chocolate is melted, it will still be thick. To thin the chocolate, add small amounts of vegetable shortening, mixing between additions, until the chocolate is smooth. For a 14 oz package of melts, you will need a total of 1 to 2 tablespoons shortening. (Don't add too much or it may end up tasting like shortening.)

Step 3. Transfer the cooled cake to a bowl, and break into crumbs using a fork. 

The dough is made by mixing frosting into the cake crumbs. Start by adding 1/2 can of frosting. Mix until combined, then test to see if you can form a ball with your hands. Squeeze the dough together, then roll between your palms. If the ball cracks or falls apart, continue adding small amounts of frosting until a ball can be formed. (This will be about 3/4 of the can in total, but the exact amount depends on the specific cake and frosting.)

Be careful not to add too much frosting, or the dough will become sticky and difficult to work with. (And will have a funny texture when eaten.)

Step 4. Roll dough into cake balls with clean hands and arrange balls on a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Each ball should be about 1-1/4 inches in diameter.

Step 5. Attach a lollipop stick to a cake ball by dipping the tip of the stick in the melted chocolate, then inserting the stick into cake ball (about 3/4 of the way into the cake ball.) Let the chocolate set so that the balls won't fall off the sticks during dipping.

Step 6. Dip cake pops in chocolate until chocolate covers the entire ball. Take pops out of the chocolate and tap the cake pop stick against the side of the bowl or melter while spinning, to remove excess chocolate. Add sprinkles while chocolate is still wet.

Place the pops in a Styrofoam block or in a small cup to allow them to dry before packaging. (Let them sit for at least an hour in a cool spot of your kitchen.)

A Few Other Thoughts on Cake Pops:

• Consider this "cake dough" on a stick - it won't have the same texture as cake.
• Wilton melts are already tempered - the shortening is only added to change the consistency. Adding vegetable oil does not work as well as shortening.
• Chilling finished cake pops can cause the chocolate to become soft at room temperature (and make a sticky mess when you try to package them.)
• Avoid getting any water in your melted chocolate (check food coloring ingredients if you plan to dye the melts) or the chocolate will seize up and become grainy.
• You can substitute home-made cake and frosting, but the proportions for the dough may be different.
• Chocolate bark can be substituted for the candy melts, though you may have to play around with how much shortening you add. 
• Cake pops should be good for up to a week (no refrigeration needed.)
• Check out Bakerella's site for all sorts of fun decorating inspiration!

Pocket Apple Pies

I've been meaning to make some of these cute little pies ever since I saw the molds at Williams-Sonoma!

Usually I use half butter and half shortening for pie crusts, but I went with the recipe on the box for these pocket pies since the dough has to be more flexible.

Pocket Pie Crust

Adapted from the back of the Pocket Pie Mold box

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cold salted butter (or 1 cup unsalted butter + 1 tsp salt)

about 8 tbs ice water

1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tbs water (this is the egg wash, used later when forming pocket pies)

Instructions. Pulse butter and flour in food processor until mixture forms course crumbs. Add ice water tablespoon-by-tablespoon, pulsing between additions, until dough sticks together when pinched. (Unplug food processor before testing!) 

Form two balls, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Pie Filling

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook

 4 large green apples

3 tbs flour

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

dash of salt

Instructions. Chop apples up into small pieces (about a half-inch long) and put them in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in mixture of flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

Rolling and Cutting Dough. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Take pie dough out of refrigerator. Using rolling pin, roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thick on a floured surface.

Use the back side of the mold to cut out pairs of apple shapes. Collect cutouts on a plate and repeat process with other ball of dough. Collect scraps in a ball and re-roll.

Note: This should make 7 or 8 pies, so there should be enough dough for about 14 to 16 cutouts.

Forming Pocket Pies. Using the inside of the pocket pie mold, place a bottom cutout (no vent hole) in the mold, and stretch to fit mold. Fill with pie filling and brush edges with egg wash. 

Place top cutout (with vent hole) over filling and stretch crust to make edges meet. Close mold and press firmly to seal the edges.

Place pocket pies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush pies with egg wash (this gives the pies that golden/shiny look, but isn't necessary.) Bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees F, until filling begins to bubble and crust is golden.

Let pies cool on racks for at least 10 minutes before eating.