Last week, I made a cake for my niece’s 14th birthday. After a great deal of deliberation and online searching I decided on a hat cake. I had found a recipe for homemade fondant made with marshmallows and I could not wait to try it!
You know that tasteless, cardboardy coating on a cake that looks edible but isn’t? Well, this fondant is nothing like that. This tastes like marshmallows. And to my amazement, it was very easy to work with: easy to roll, pliable and workable.
Now, as usual when I find a recipe I have to try immediately I am caught unprepared in some way – I didn’t have tiny cookie cutters. So I used my niece’s and nephews’ playdough toys (after a thorough washing) and created far more shapes than was needed for one cake.
This is Easter week so I am going to call this version the Easter Bonnet Cake. It’s hard to pinpoint Easter desserts – something lemon, anything with Easter eggs on top, anything made in pastel spring colours. In my childhood Mom made Easter tarts for us; a sugar cookie-type crust, spread with pastel icing, coconut and jelly beans on top. Back then, we didn’t have chocolate eggs and were blissfully content with jelly beans.
Happy Easter to all.
Easter Bonnet Cake
11” round flat cake
6” or 7” rounded cake
Ribbon to make a bow
Icing of your choice
Marshmallow Fondant cutouts to garnish
Marshmallow Fondant:
Half a bag of 400gr. white mini marshmallows
2-1/2 cups icing sugar (approx.)
1 tbsp water
Food colouring
Shortening or butter for greasing
Put marshmallows into microwaveable bowl.
Add water and toss until marshmallows are moistened.
Microwave for 30 seconds or so, then stir with a greased spoon.
Microwave a few seconds longer until all is melted.
Stir in icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until fondant looks kneadable.
Sprinkle a little icing sugar on the counter top and knead fondant until smooth and no longer sticky. You may not need all of the 2-1/2 cups of icing sugar. Or, if it is too dry, add a few drops of water.
Decide how many colours you want and divide fondant accordingly. Knead food colouring into each amount until you like the colour. Go easy on the food colouring – liquid or paste colourings work but require different amounts.
Wrap each portion of fondant into greased plastic wrap.
On a surface sprinkled with icing sugar, roll out a portion to about 1/8” thick. Cut out desired shapes and place on waxed paper to dry. Let them dry at least 24 hours at room temperature, uncovered.
Instead of rolling the fondant, you can use it to create anything, anything at all for cake decorating.
Unused fondant can be stored tightly wrapped for 3-4 months and then kneaded again until pliable.
