What is Rolled Fondant?
Rolled fondant is cooked mixture of sugar and water with a consistency of a stiff dough. It can be rolled out into a smooth thin layer, then draped over a cake to create a very smooth, flat coating. If you plan to refrigerate a fondant covered cake, here are some rules and guidelines you should know.
1. Certain types of fondant respond better than others to refrigeration. Some don't do well all at all. Wilton is an example of a fondant that does not do well with refrigeration, while Satin Ice does very well. The best way to find out about your fondant is to experiment.
2. Bakeries use low humidity commercial fridges that run at the right temps. This is not to say that you cannot just use your fridge at home but you will want to test out your fridge first. If your fridge is too cold, it might freeze spots of the fondant creating dark splotches. Keep your tiers or cakes clear of anything that could touch/drip on it or of any inside fridge vents.
3. Immediately after you lay your fondant, get it in the fridge! This will solidify it in its intial shape and prevent cake bulging. If you need to decorate it, do so after it has chilled and then return it to the fridge.
4. Most fondant types will "sweat" after being removed from the fridge. Do not panic. This is normal. It will dry and be back to normal, usually 15-20 minutes after being removed. Bringing it out into an air-conditioned room with circulating air can help the process along. The main thing to remember is NOT TO TOUCH IT. Touching it will smudge it permanently. This is a perfect time to add decorations onto the fondant, but be careful as once you put a decoration on you cannot pull it off or move it.
5. Remember to give your cake time to sweat and dry( about an hour) before it needs to be at an event.
6. Remove stickiness that can lead to sweating by sprinkling 1 to 2 teaspons of powdered sugar or a combination of half powdered sugar and half cornstarch on your work surface and rolling pin before rolling fondant.
7. Wrap a fondant-covered cake in plastic wrap before refrigerating, if it has a fruit filling that requires refrigeration to prevent spoilage. Bring a refrigerated cake back to room temperature in a cool room before removing the plastic wrap. This will slow warming and prevent moisture in the cake from seeping through the fondant.
8. Freeze a fondant-covered cake by allowing the fondant to harden just slightly before wrapping it in plastic wrap. Set the cake in your freezer for 20 minutes, then remove, wrap and return the cake to your freezer. Thaw a frozen cake in your refrigerator and then bring it to room temperature before removing the plastic wrap.
1. Always wear gloves when handling fondant. This keeps the fondant safe to eat, and provides a barrier to slow down the heat transfer from your hands to the fondant.
2. Always make sure your work surfaces are clean. Fondant will attract anything that it comes into contact with.
3. Knead the fondant with a little shortening to soften it before rolling it out or shaping it.
4. If colouring fondant, only use concentrated food colouring such as Wilton’s and knead in a bit at a time until desired colour is achieved.
5. Always wrap fondant that you’re not working with in cling-wrap to prevent it from drying out or absorbing too much moisture from the air.
How to Win the Battle Against Heat and Humidity in Singapore When Using Fondant
1. Always work with fondant in an air-conditioned room and try to make sure the cake is displayed in a place with air-conditioning
2. When rolling fondant out, use cornstarch instead of icing sugar to prevent the fondant from sticking to the table.
3. Try to cover the cake with fondant on the actual day it will be eaten, to avoid the need for refrigeration.
4. If you really need to refrigerate the cake after covering it with fondant, place it in a cake box and cling-wrap the box or loosely wrap the cake with cling-film before refrigerating.
5. When removing fondant cake from the fridge, place it in a cool air-conditioned room still in its box or with the cling-wrap still on. You want to make sure the change in temperature is not too sudden or it will start condensing on the surface of the fondant. Also, keeping the cake from being exposed to air will prevent the fondant from absorbing the moisture in the air.
6. For fondant cut-outs, ribbons, and figures, use a 50-50 mixture of fondant and gum paste. Gum paste dries harder than fondant and will speed up the drying process.
7. To apply cut-outs, brush on alcohol or a flavouring that contains alcohol instead of water. Alcohol evaporates quicker and reduces the amount of water in contact with fondant.
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