Marshmallow Fondant and . . . . a Pirate Birthday Cake!

My cute little nephew Brecken had a pirate birthday party and asked me to make his cake. So of course I was more than happy to and I was pretty delighted with how it turned out. I made the pirates out of fondant and brownies. You can buy the brownie pop pans . . . but I just used an ice cream scoop to form the pirate brownie bodies and then covered them in fondant. They were quite a bit of work . . . but turned out SO cute, each with its' own look and personality!!! All of the kids wanted to eat the pirates! I made pound cake since I knew that the boat needed to support the weight of my brownie pirates and filled the cake with a peanut butter filling and a chocolate fudge filling. I made the fillings pretty thick as well so that they would not settle and bulge out the sides. Heads up kids . . . working with fondant can be quite a work out!!! I am super sore today from rolling out the chocolate fondant!!! It was like rolling out a giant tootsie roll! I make marshmallow fondant and no matter how accurate I measure the ingredients it always seems to turn out either too soft or FIRM! But it worked . . . and turned out great in the end! The birthday boy liked the cake so I was a pretty happy aunt! Happy Birthday Brecky! I Love you buddy!Marshmallow Fondant
16 oz Mini Marshmallows
2 lbs Powder Sugar, sifted
4 Tbsp Water
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Shortening

1. Grease a large microwaveable bowl very well with shortening. Pour in the mini marshmallows and water. Microwave the marshmallows for 1-2 minutes, just until the top marshmallows are shiny and begin to puff. Remove from microwave and stir with a greased rubber scraper, add vanilla and stir again to combine.

2. Mix with a mixer: Grease a mixing bowl with shortening and pour melted marshmallows in. Add half the powder sugar to the melted marshmallows and mix using a greased dough hook. Add the rest of the powder sugar and continue mixing until the fondant is smooth. It may begin to stick to the bowl and dough hook a bit . . . just scrape fondant onto a greased piece of plastic wrap, and form into a disc. Wrap air tight and allow the fondant to rest at room temperature for at least an hour before using.

2. Mix by hand: Grease counter top with shortening. Pour powder sugar into melted marshmallows and stir with greased rubber scraper until it is too stiff to continue stirring. Pour marshmallow mixture onto greased surface and knead the fondant with greased hands until all of the powder sugar is mixed in and the fondant is smooth. Shape fondant into a thick disc and store fondant in greased plastic wrap allowing the fondant to rest at room temperature for at least an hour before using.

3. Grease a flat surface with shortening and or sprinkle a large flat surface with powder sugar to roll out fondant. Be sure to move fondant around on surface to prevent sticking and to keep surface sprinkled with powder sugar or lightly greased.

Heads up: cover your mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a towel to keep your kitchen from becoming blanketed with powder sugar!!! This is the reason that if I am at home I knead the fondant by hand and if I am at my mom's I use her Bosch (it's lidded . . . equaling little powder sugar mess). I do have a great Kitchen Aid that I love . . . and mixes fondant but tends to still make a bit of a mess.

Chocolate Marshmallow Fondant: substitute 1/3 cup cocoa powder for 1/3 cup powder sugar for a lighter color and lighter chocolate taste. Substitute 1/2 cocoa powder in place of 1/2 cup of powder sugar for a "tootsie roll" taste and darker chocolate color. Also add 2 teaspoons more of water to fondant.

Tips for working with Marshmallow Fondant:
- Make sure that everything is well greased to that the fondant does not stick to your hands, bowls, spoons, surfaces, etc.
-Keep fondant stored airtight to prevent it from drying out.
- If after resting for at least an hour fondant is too soft, add a little more powder sugar to make it more stable.
- Microwave fondant for 10-15 seconds to make it a little more pliable if needed, but remember that microwaveing it can dry it out too.
-Knead the fondant to make it more elastic, but don't over do it or you will have a melted sticky mess.

Also: Thank you Whitney for keeping me company and for helping out!!!