Saturday, November 21, 2009

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!!!

14 comments:

neil and aubs said...

Emily-This is the best cake ever! I even love how there is a lone pirate on a raft! Amazing Job! You have some lucky Nieces and Nephews!!

Brandi said...

Em you are amazing! We were all commenting on how talented you are! That was the absolute cutest cake I have ever seen...felt so bad eating it! :)
We are lucky to have the most amazing cake decorater EVAH in our family!
P.S.-Brayden wants to have a Mario party next year! HAHA

Marie Rayner said...

Oh Emaline, that cake is amazing!! How wonderful! I think you are sooo talented! My grandson would love a cake like this. He just loves Pirates!

teresa said...

you need to start a business, seriously, this is incredible!

Sandy said...

Awesome! I love it! You are so talented.

Julie Smith said...

Brecken is still so happy about his birthday! Thanks for the cutest cake ever. It makes being a mom easy when the aunt does the hard stuff!

Marci said...

You don't know me, but I'm a friend of your sister Ami and I check out your blog every now and again. I think this is your most amazing cake yet! You really are so talented...I can't imagine the time and creativity it took to make that adorable cake! Nicely done!

HilaryDEI said...

Hello Emaline!

My name is Hilary and I’m writing to you on behalf of C&H® / Domino® Sugar. Everyone knows the holiday season can be a busy time of the year, and we’d like to give you a head start on your holiday baking and gift planning by offering you a sweet treat!

Each week a select group of food bloggers will receive a $20 gift card to use toward purchasing ingredients to make holiday goodies and gifts. All we ask is that you make something fabulous from our website, and within a week post about it on your blog. Also, make sure to mention that you received a $20 gift card from us, to help with the expenses, and include a link to C&H in your post!

To help you out, I have a fun and cost-saving blog post idea for you—you can use the Gift Ideas section on our website (http://www.dominosugar.com/giftideas) and show us what you were able to make with the money from the gift card! Write one or two blog posts, each describing the homemade gifts you made for $10 or less. Take pictures, we want to see your creativity!

If you’re interested in participating, send me an e-mail with your full name and mailing address and I’ll be sure to get the gift card to you as soon as possible. I can’t wait to read your post to see how you spent your gift card and what delectable creations you’ve made!

Thanks!

Hilary
hilary.ratner@deiworldwide.com

sabrina said...

so cute em. you are amazing!

April said...

You are amazing! and better then Duff ;)

Gourmified said...

This pirate cake is INCREDIBLE!!!!! What an amazing talent you have! Wow!

The Double Dipped Life said...

Your cakes are simply amazing! I have a hard time just using regular frosting!

Anonymous said...

i am so so so happy that your blog came up when i was searching for pirate cake ideas....
i love your cake and am going to do my best to do one as close to this one for my sons 5th birthday party.....
nice to meet a fellow member of the church while searching online for cakes...... he he he

Jameela said...

Really cool! Is there a tutorial on how to make the pirates anywhere?