Homemade Fondant - How to Make Fondant Icing

This homemade fondant recipe not only teaches how to make fondant icing from scratch, it is packed with tips and tricks for best fondant results. Learn how to make delicious fondant of various flavors with this easy fondant recipe. 

Fondant is a very versatile icing. It has taken cake decorating to a whole new level with its ability to not only be used as a cake covering but also to make stunning 3D sugar figurines and flowers. Fondant is often used to decorate wedding cakes and other celebration cakes.

Despite this, there are often not-so-positive reviews on its taste. Most commercially purchased fondants are expensive. Where we find cheaper ones, they usually taste so bad that people just peel and throw them away.

The good news is, fondant can be made at home from scratch, with just a fraction of the cost used to purchase it. And the plus point is, this fondant is so much better in taste when you make it on your own that you would actually want to eat it!

Two Methods of Making

There are 2 ways to make your own homemade fondant. One is a quick method using marshmallows. The other is a make-from-scratch method using gelatin and sugar that is on this page. Both will give you pretty much the same results. With marshmallow fondant, you would melt the marshmallows and knead icing sugar to it until it reaches a dough-like pliable consistency. This is a quicker method but would be using commercially made marshmallows, which then makes it not so made-from-scratch anymore.

With the homemade rolled fondant, the process takes longer, but you know exactly what goes into your fondant.

What is Rolled Fondant?

Rolled fondant is fondant that can be rolled and shaped. It is called rolled fondant to differentiate it with poured fondant, which is of a pouring consistency.

Why Make Your Own?

Here are the pros of this homemade fondant recipe against commercial fondant:

• The cost of making the fondant is just a fraction of buying a good quality store-bought fondant. 
• You know exactly what goes into the fondant, so you can consume it without any doubts.
• The fondant works extremely well in humid weather, which is heavenly for people living in humid countries. 
• It holds its shape very well, making it absolutely suitable to make 3D decorations without the need for CMC powder or tylose.
• It can be made in small batches, so you don't have to waste money buying a whole tub for a small project and see it expire away.

How to Make

Ingredients

• Powdered sugar (icing sugar or confectioners sugar)
• Gelatin powder
• Water
• Liquid glucose
• Glycerin
• Rose essence

Step by step process

• Start the process of making this homemade fondant by sprinkling the gelatin on water. Dissolve it in the microwave at 30 seconds interval or over a double boiler. 
• Once the gelatin dissolves, add the liquid glucose and glycerin. 
• If the mixture is still hot, leave it aside to cool down slightly adding the flavoring.
• Pour the gelatin solution into icing sugar. For easier handling, the icing sugar should sifted and filled into a large bowl with a well formed in the center. Pour the gelatin solution into the well. Mix with a large wooden spoon until some of the icing sugar comes together in a dough form. If using a mixer , it is best to use a dough hook or the 'K' beater attachment. The smaller handheld cake mixers are too fragile for mixing this fondant, so it is best not to use them.
• Once the fondant starts coming together, turn it onto a clean work surface (dusted with icing sugar). Knead until it is no longer sticky and comes together into a smooth ball of fondant. 
• In its right consistency, the fondant should not be too hard nor too soft. 
• The fondant can be used immediately. Alternatively, it can be kept for later use. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place in a Ziploc bag and then in airtight container. 
• The fondant can be chilled and frozen. It should be brought to room temperature before removing it from its wrap and kneaded slightly to soften before using.

Notes

Ingredients

• The main ingredients in my homemade fondant icing recipe are icing sugar, gelatin, liquid glucose, water, glycerin, and rose essence.
• Icing sugar is the main ingredient and for soft fondant, the sugar must be 100% pure. If there are other ingredients added to it, such as corn starch you will end up with the fondant becoming really hard after covering on cakes that it is almost too hard to cut the cake. 
• The gelatin used in this recipe should be in powder form. Dissolve it completely before mixing in with the icing sugar. If the gelatin is not completely dissolved, you will see tiny specks on your finished fondant.
• Liquid glucose works in the same way as corn syrup. You can purchase it from any groceries or cake decorating supply shops. If you are unable to find liquid glucose, you can always substitute it with corn syrup in the exact same quantity.
• Glycerin helps avoid the fondant from drying out, so it is essential that you add some into the fondant. 
• Rose essence is just for flavoring. I like using rose essence as it gives my fondant a delightful smell. You can replace this with any other flavor of your choice – vanilla, butter, mint, etc.

Adding color

• It is always advisable to use gel coloring to color fondant. Water-based coloring is often too watery, and that can affect the consistency of the fondant. Gel-based colors are very concentrated, and you only need to add them in minimal quantities, which do not affect the texture of the fondant.
• When making a large batch of colored fondant, it is best that the coloring is added to the gelatin solution before mixing it with icing sugar. That way, you don't have to mess up your hands, trying to knead large amounts of color into the fondant.
  If you need to color only small amounts of fondant, the only option is to knead the color into fondant once is it done. Food coloring can stain your hands, and you should wear gloves when kneading the colors in. Change the gloves each time you change the color, or you could end up with the colors getting mixed up in your fondant.

Adding flavors

• I use rose essence in my homemade fondant recipe above, and you can use any other flavoring like vanilla extract if you like.
• Add the flavoring to your gelatin solution before mixing it with icing sugar, as this is the best way to get the flavoring evenly in your fondant.

How to handle?

• Working with fondant can be quite a sticky affair, and you would need to use solid vegetable shortening or icing sugar to handle it with ease. 
• I have only used icing sugar when handling this fondant, but I do know some recipes that call for the use of shortening like my marshmallow fondant recipe. If you prefer shortening, by all means, use it. 
• When working with fondant, dust your workspace with icing sugar before turning the fondant over to knead it. Dust with more sugar when rolling the fondant to cover cakes. If you are using the fondant to make 3D decorations or small cutouts, you can use either a little of bit of vegetable shortening or icing sugar to prevent it from sticking.

Rolling Fondant

• To roll your fondant, you need to knead it first. The kneading process is to allow it to soften a little and to remove creases, making it smooth . Once it becomes pliable, dust your working surface generously with icing sugar, place your fondant on it, and roll with a rolling pin. When rolling large amounts of fondant, it is best to use a large rolling pin . Constantly lift and reposition the fondant to prevent it from sticking to your workspace. Dust with more icing sugar if necessary.
• For large fondant pieces, it would be difficult to lift and reposition them by hand. Loosely roll one side of the rolled fondant onto your rolling pin, dust the workspace underneath with icing sugar, and unroll the fondant. Repeat the process for the other sides of fondant without totally lifting the fondant off your workspace and continue to roll the fondant to the desired thickness. 

Covering cakes with fondant

• To cover cakes with fondant, start by covering your cake with buttercream or chocolate ganache ( and if you are decorating a dummy, brush it with either royal icing or water). Once the base coat is done, measure the height of the cake and its diameter. 
• Next, take a reasonable amount of fondant and knead it well. Place it on a rolling mat dusted generously with icing sugar and roll it to ⅛ inch thickness. To make sure it is large enough to cover the entire cake, check that its diameter equals the diameter of the cake plus 2 times of the height of the cake.
• Gently and loosely roll the icing onto a rolling pin. Lift it carefully, and quickly unroll it onto the cake, making sure it covers the sides of the cake adequately all around. Press it lightly with your palm to stick it to the cake. Start from the top edges and move towards the base, slightly lifting and adjusting the fondant to avoid creases. Cut off excess icing all-around at the base of the cake.
• Use a fondant smoother to smooth the icing all over the cake. If there are any noticeable cracks or creases, use a fondant smoother to smooth it out.

Here is a video demonstrating the steps to cover a cake with fondant. This is an excellent video for beginners, and don't worry if there are creases on the cake when you do it for the first time. It will definitely get better as you do more and more of these cakes. If you want to practice, use a styrofoam cake dummy.

Like this homemade recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out

• Homemade Marshmallow Fondant Recipe - A Quick Recipe
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Chocolate Icing Recipe
• Salted Caramel Recipe (How to Make)
• Buttercream Icing Recipe for Cake Decorating
• Butter Icing Recipe
• Royal Icing Recipe - 2 Easy Recipes

Recipe (Printable)

Here is the full printable version of the homemade fondant recipe. One best points about this homemade fondant recipe is that you can use it to make 3D figurines without any additional CMC or gumtex. It holds shapes very well and is really easy to handle. 

📖Recipe

Homemade Fondant Recipe

This homemade fondant recipe not only teaches how to make rolled fondant from scratch, it is packed with tips and tricks for best fondant results. Learn how to make delicious fondant of various flavors with this easy fondant recipe.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 50 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Yield: 1 kg

Author: Priya Maha

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Metric - US Customary

For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 kg icing sugar sifted
• ▢ 3 teaspoon gelatin in powder form
• ▢ ¼ cup water
• ▢ ½ tablespoon liquid glucose
• ▢ 1 tablespoon glycerin
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon rose essence

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Pour water into a heatproof bowl. Add gelatin and mix. Double boil the mixture until gelatin is completely dissolved and the mixture turns opaque.
• Add liquid glucose and glycerin. Stir well. Remove from heat and leave aside to cool slightly.
• Sift icing sugar into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the gelatin solution in the center and using the back of a spoon, stir the sugar into the gelatin slowly.
• Once the sugar starts coming together in a dough-like consistency, turn it over onto a clean workspace and knead until it is no longer sticky. The fondant can be used immediately or stored for later use. To store the fondant, wrap it tightly with cling wrap and keep in an airtight container.
• Keep unused icing covered or it will dry up and harden.

Nutrition

Calories: 3963kcal | Carbohydrates: 1006g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 56mg | Sugar: 981g | Iron: 1mg

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Hope this was useful. 

Happy decorating 🙂