Marshmallow Fondant Recipe
Marshmallow Fondant Recipe. Sometimes birthdays call for special cakes. This was one such birthday my daughter shared with her best friend who happens to have a birthday just two weeks later. You might remember them from their rainbow birthday party documented here. Did you click over and see that rainbow cake??? How do you top a rainbow cake? With fondant!
Sound scary? I thought so too – so I asked my friends Janet and Emily to help and I took lots of photos to show the process and found out it is not as hard as it sounds.
Let’s start with the Marshmallow Fondant Recipe ingredients:
16 ounces mini marshmallows (good brand)
2 – 5 Tbls. water
2 lbs. powdered (C&H brand) sugar
Crisco (little for hands while kneading)
How to Make Marshmallow Fondant
First melt marshmallows and 2 Tbls. water in a double boiler or in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time. It should look like this:
1&2. Stir 3/4 of the powdered sugar into the marshmallow mixture, then knead in the remaining 1/4 until it is all incorporated into the mixture. Note: be sure to grease your hands and counter before dumping mixture from bowl
3. Add color to your fondant. Then Knead Knead Knead! for about 7 minutes until it is soft and shiny. If it starts to feel a bit dry, add 1/2 Tbls. water at a time until it feels soft and pliable – then keep kneading.
4 – 6. Grease the outside of the ball and double wrap in saran wrap, then put in a ziplock bag to keep it moist.
Frost Your Cake Before Adding Marshmallow Fondant
Now it is time to frost your cake (or rice krispie cake). If you are using a cake, it is easier to frost if you freeze it first (For pictures and steps on making cake level, see this post)…so take it out of the freezer and get frosting!
Make sure to get the frosting smooth and beautiful so the fondant will look smooth and beautiful! 🙂
Now that your cake is prepped, it is time to put on the fondant.
-Dust your counter with powdered sugar. TIP: if your fondant is a bit hard, throw it in the microwave (still covered) for 5 – 10 seconds until more pliable.
-Roll out your fondant until it is about 1/8 inch thick making sure it is large enough to cover your cake, sides and all.
-Roll it back onto the rolling pin then drape it over the cake.
-Pull the fondant out while smoothing to avoid folds until the sides are perfect.
-Using a pizza cutter, cut the excess around the sides.
-Use a spatula to move the cake.
This tool has amazing reviews and supposedly works wonders with smoothing the fondant.
Decorating with Marshmallow Fondant
Now the fun part! Decorating. We chose polka-dots but you could cut out whatever shapes you want for this part. Simply roll out some fondant, cut the shape, add a dab of water to the back to make it sticky, then gently plop it on.
A little extra effort to make your little one feel special on her special day! Or just to learn something new! Thanks, Emily and Janet for teaching me!
We cut the rice krispie cake into slices and served them in cupcake wrappers. It was so much less messy for kids and they loved it just as much!
Here is a SNEAK PEAK into the Fancy Nancy Party food. I will post the rest of the party in a future post. 🙂 It was such a FUN theme to plan a party around!
Marshmallow Fondant Recipe
Need some decorating inspiration, now that you know how to create such delicious fondant? Try these cute beach toppers for starters. Step by step instructions:
And here are 20 UNBELIEVABLE cakes you just HAVE to see. Inspiration galore!
Britney Mills says
Awesome! Thanks for posting….I’ve always been scared of fondant.
Andrea Roche says
Holy Cow! I love this! Now, let’s see if I’m brave enough to try….
Robin says
I have used a recipe like this for years. It’s easy to make and tastes great, but can be a little messy and sticky.
Andrea says
could you use a stand mixer for kneading or does it have to be by hand?
Christi P says
I’ve used a stand mixer and it makes it so much easier. I made it by hand until I got a mixer and your hands start to hurt with all the kneading and it’s so messy. Make sure to crisco the bowl and dough hook really well before putting in the marshmallows and powdered sugar.
Jen says
I have used this recipe for a few years now, and I love it! I do the kneading in my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook. You just need to make sure you grease the hook and the bowl really well with shortening. Also, sadly, brand of the marshmallows and powdered sugar do make a huge difference. I have found generic versions result in poor quality.
Daphne says
I don’t really care for marshmallow fondant. It’s easy to make it too sweet. I found the perfect alternative…. Use candy melts & Karo syrup! It’s more of a modeling chocolate, but it tastes a millions times better & is easier to work with than fondant 🙂
Amber says
What is your recipe for that??
Alyssa says
I too prefer modeling chocolate to fondant for covering cakes. The recipe is 12 oz of candy melts or white chocolate chips, melted and 1/4 C light or clear corn syrup. mix with a spoon until combined and then kneed until smooth. Let rest on paper towel or newspaper to soak up the oils, then wrap in saran or wax paper and let rest for 24 hours to cure. Works great every time!
Tannis Owens says
Do you let it sit out or in the fridge to rest? Also if I make the cake the day before, is it ok in the fridge or on the counter until the next day?
Karen says
Can you add a few drops or bit of paste food coloring to this?
Becky M says
What a wonderful idea! Do you just add the two ingredients until they form a clay?
Alyssa says
12 oz candy melts or white chocolate and 1/4 C light corn syrup.
AmyKC says
I have used this fondant recipe before. It looked great but the fondant is VERY sweet. I didn’t really care for it. The cake was very pretty, though.
Mindy says
Wow! That cake is Awesome Missy!!! I’m so impressed! I’ve wanted to try fondant forever and now I think I will. Thank you for the step by step…this is awesome!!
Nesleirbag says
Holy polka dots that’s a gorgeous cake! Beautiful post, Missy! You make it look easy!
Shelley says
Fondant over a rice krispie cake?! BRILLIANT!! I’m so impressed how it turned out. My last fondant attempt was not so hot, but I’m totally trying this approach next time. Thanks for the fun inspiration.
Emily says
So cute! It seems like such a long time since we did this. It was super fun and easy, promise!
Stephanie says
My daughter was sitting on my lap viewing this post with me and she has a birthday coming up. She said, “Mom, can you make me a polka dot cake just like that for my birthday!?” I think you just got a two thumbs up from my 4 year old!
Amber Lawrence says
How much fondant does this recipe make? just wondering how much I would need to make to cover my 3 tiered cake? Thanks!
Ruth Briggs says
You have inspired me! I have never worked with fondant, but it looks like I could do this . . maybe, we’ll see Thanks
Sandra says
Beautiful work! This makes me want to try fondant again.
frannie says
Love your comment about crossfit. SO true!
Gina @ LifetotheFdegree says
This is so awesome, and looks manageable! I can’t wait to try it. Your cake turned out great!
Allyson says
I am planning on using your recipe for my sons garbage truck themed birthday that we are celebrating this Saturday. I have never worked with fondant before but you said anyone can do it! How soon can I make the fondant and when can I decorate his cake? Thank you for your help!
Missy says
You can make the fondant anytime, it keeps for a LONG time. Just be sure to wrap it in plastic wrap and a ziplock bag for storage and put it in the fridge.
For decorating the cake – that depends on how fresh you want that to be… but give yourself plenty of time for rolling it all out and cutting shapes. i would at least do the day before so you won’t feel rushed.
Have FUn!
Allyson says
Thanks so much! I will try to make it up before going to bed tonight!
Marilyn says
I would love to see photos of your garbage truck cake and first attempts with fondant. Until I read this, I didn’t even realize that you can make fondant. I thought it was an ingredient that you buy already made! Please email me with a link to your pictures. [email protected] . Thanks and have fun!
Julie V says
Wow! I love this. How fun. This is a must try!
Erin says
This may be a silly question but do you use the whole 2lbs of sugar? That seems like alot, also how sweet is this and can you put this on a regular box cake not just rice crispys?
Missy says
If you are making a smaller cake, you could half the recipe. This batch was enough to cover this three tiered cake. It is really sweet (marshmallows and powdered sugar:) But I like it!
Ashley says
Darling cake Missy! I need to try this next week for my daughters birthday.
Brittney says
If you are making a whole batch just one color try coloring the marshmallows first.. make it way easier than all the pulling and stretching to get thr color just rigjt.
Missy says
good idea!
Shalifa says
Can this be stored? If so how should I store it and how long can I keep it? Thanks! 🙂
Missy says
Just wrap as I showed above in plastic wrap and a ziplock bag to keep all the air out and it will keep for a long time!
Andrea says
Can the marshmallow fondant be kept in the fridge? I was going to make it a day before I made the cake?!?!? Thanks
Andrea says
Guess I should have read the above post! Thanks!
Reen says
Thank you so much Missy,for sharing your recipe. Readymade Fondant in my country is very expensive and tastes like elastic(horrid)! with 4 grandchildren now, I certainly will attempt it, never mind if its not perfect, small kids are so easy to please! Thanks once again and God bless Reen from Malaysia, Asia
Jenn W says
If I wanted to use this recipe for shapes on cookies, how would you recommend attaching them?
Michele says
I’ve made this using marshmallow fluff – if you put the fluff in the fridge overnight, it makes it easier to get it out of the container. I’ve found that key is to really knead the powdered sugar in – if not, it will get stay sticky and hard to roll out. I love doing with with my girls and having them use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
Also – if you want the fondant super shiny, brush it (lightly!)with vodka the night before. The alcohol will dry out overnight and leaves the fondant shiny.
Monica says
I was wondering about marshmallo fluff how much do you use for a 3 tiered cake or the above recipient? Thanks
Monica says
I was wondering about marshmallo fluff how much do you use for a 3 tiered cake or the above recipient? Thanks
Larissa says
I used this recipe to make poppy flowers for a cake. It worked perfectly. It can be slightly sticky, but as long as you use plenty of powdered sugar while rolling it out, you can form it just find with fondant tools.
Shana says
I am wanting to make embellishments with this fondant for my son’s Mario birthday cake. Will it dry hard like regular fondant?
Frances says
Can’t wait to try this!!! Planning my son 1st birthday
Kelly says
I just made this fondant and it turned out perfectly! Can you tell me what I should use to color it? Does regular food coloring work well? I was afraid it would add too much liquid.
Missy says
We used the gel colors – but the others might work, maybe just reduce the amount of water you add.
Becky says
Have you ever used this recipe to make flowers? If not what did you use.
Ashley says
Usually gum paste is used for flowers. It drys harder than fondant, making it better for things that stand up, like flowers
T Shively says
Was wondering how to and how long the fondant can be stored? In refrigerator or shelf.Also do you think you could add the coloring with water, instead of at the end? Could you use a flavoring too?
Missy says
You can store it in the fridge for a long time
Sarah says
Wonderful idea! I just tried making this tonight and while it flowed over the object I wanted very nice I had some issues with it. No matter how much i kneaded it I still ended up with little lumps from pockets of powdered sugar. Any pointers on how to get rid of these or avoid them? I used the exact products you suggested so it’s not from using inferior products. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Missy says
Try sifting the powdered sugar really well – that should solve the lump problem.
Kat says
With all of the posts of different ways to make this fondant, which would you suggest for a fondant thats not too terribly sweet but doesn’t stray from the taste of fondant and icing for a cake? With all the comments I don’t know which to try!
Rebecca says
Would this fondant be enough for a two tier cake or do I have to make another batch?
Monique says
About how much does this recipe make?
Missy says
1 batch will for sure cover the bottom tier of the cake we made. We only used two batches for the whole thing but depending on your cake size and how thin you roll it, this will vary.
Tami G. says
I love this recipe…I made a special owl birthday cake for my granddaughter…it was outstanding fondant and tasted so much better than what I was purchasing at the store and much easier to work with. I would love to post a picture of the cake, but unsure how to do that here. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Tami G. says
I was wondering if you have ever made decorations from this fondant and frozen them for a future use on a cake?
Missy says
I haven’t ever frozen it, but it does keep for a long time in the fridge if you keep it air tight. Let us know if you have success with freezing it.
Rebecca says
Do you use homemade buttercream frosting to get the fondant to stay to the cake pie something different?
Missy says
yes! Any frosting would work…you just need a thin layer to smooth everything out.
crystal says
Ok so I just tried this and it did not work for me 🙁 so I’m wondering if I did something wrong. For example when it says 16 oz does that mean 1 1/2 bag of marshmallows, or measure out 16 oz which would be 2 cups? But when I tried to mix it with some of the sugar is was not forming together like it should. Really would like to get this right for my daughters birthday cake tomorrow.
Alisa says
16 oz measured by a cup is liquid ounces and it will not be the same for weight, if the marshmellow bag is 32 ounces then use half the bag, So i am guessing you did not use enough marshmellows.
lnrikez says
now I can learn to use fondant, thanks for this post
Steph says
Hi Missy this cake is gorgeous! I want to make a similar one for my niece’s birthday this weekend. I know how to usually stack cakes but with the fondant what technique did you use to stack the cakes?
Thanks!
Missy says
I am no pro – we just put them on top of each other. 🙂 But we used rice krispie cakes and not regular ones so I don’t know if that makes a difference in stacking…?
Alisa says
When stacking actual cakes you need to use cake sticks through the layers to keep them steady. and do frost the bottom layer of cake before adding the top layer on top of it the frosting will act like glue and help to keep the layers together.
mary says
Would love to see the post on the food from the fancy nancy party……?
Ari says
I just finished making a cake with this and it worked perfectly! It looked really nice, was very easy to make, and tasted good too! This is the first time i have worked with fondant (or with cakes really) and it turned out really nice! Thanks for posting 🙂
Cydnie says
Great recipe! What kind of icing do you use before the fondant?
Hannah says
How do you store the fondant??
Breannah Andersen says
I have been scared to make fondant! now it is so much easier to make
Neva @ Retire for the Fun of it says
I got tired of spending so much on store bought fondant. Then I found your recipe for the Marshmallow version and had to thank you personally. I make theme birthday cakes for my grandchildren and in gratitude, I linked back to your site for my “When Pokémon and Birthday Cakes Collide” post. I hope you like it.
Diane C. says
Hello, that cake you made was wonderful!! I made this fondant, was the first time I ever worked with fondant and it turned out fantastic. It set off my in-laws into having me make a LOT of cakes. now I have a great hobby/obsession making cakes.
One question question though, some people just do not like the flavor of fondant is there any way I can flavor this differently? I have to make a handbag cake and I don’t think modeling chocolate will cover it enough with one batch. I think your fondant would be a better value for the amount I need.
Thank you for giving me my start in cake decorating! 🙂
Caitlin says
I have a couple questions… 1) can you split it up into a couple different balls and make a few different colors with the same batch? 2) can I freeze the left over and use a couple weeks later?
Diane C. says
@ Caitlin…hello, I have made it plain with no coloring then just break off how much i need colored and work in some color paste, with latex gloves on so I don’t color my hands…as for freezing I have never tried that but I just wrap it in plastic very well then place in a zip lock and keep it in a cool dry place it lasts for a long time. 🙂
Zion says
Tried this with vegan Marshmellows. Let’s just say I’m never trying that again. Marshmellows toffee anyone?
shawnta luther says
How long can you keep marshmallow fondant after making it
michelle says
this is lovelyy its verry easy thought thankls lisa and emily
Stacy Harvick says
I just had a quick question. When I’ve worked with fondant before I’ve had an issue with the powered sugar, that is on the counter while I role out to fondant, dulling the color of the fondant. So I was wandering how to brighten the color up after rolling the fondant on to the cake?
Christina says
I used this to make a Winnie the pooh figure for baby shower. I have never done fondant before and it was easy to do once I got the dough mixed. I did a week prior since I needed it to dry in a sitting position. Worked great.
Leah says
Hi, how big of a cake will this cover? i am making a guitar cake for my brothers birthday and it will be around the size of a normal cake pan but a little bigger. I was wondering will this recipe cover it???
kristie says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I use it again and again!!! Yummy and easy to work with.
Joyce says
Just need to know what do you use for different colors? I do believe its not food coloring.Gonna try this…..Looks like I can do it,But just need to know about the colors……Thanks So Much
Debbie says
Can I store marshmallow fondant in the cupboard in a air tight bag? And if you can how long will it last?
grace says
do you have a cook on decorating with fondant marsmallow?
Carole wheatley says
Just wondering can I stick on my fondant flowers onto marshmallow fondant will they hold its for a wedding cake many thanks
Billie says
i’m not looking to cover the whole cake in fondant…I’ve actually never used it at all…but have some embelishments that call for it. I don’t think I’ve ever liked fondant covered cakes. I can’t remember ever having it but it’s in my head so I must’ve. Anyway, I think this would taste good so I’m trying it! Wish me luck! I’m hoping it tastes as good as those stupid sugar decorations you buy…that’s always my kids’ favorite part!
Angel says
Can you refrigerate to use for the next day?
Jen says
Thank you so much for this amazing tutorial! I’m making a 1st birthday cake for my niece this weekend and the cake my sister wants required fondant. I was a little nervous but this tutorial really helped!
Jordyn says
I have used this recipe before and loved it! I was wondering if buttercream icing flowers will stick to it? Like cascading down the side or will they slide off? Thanks!