Alright, enough pirate talk. If you ever walk to talk like a pirate though, you can use the English-to-pirate translator…seriously! It be a lot o’ fun!
Last year I used a homemade fondant to decorate the boy’s Cars cake, and I really enjoyed working with it. It coloured well, shaped well, and held up well. This year, I just wanted to try something different. So, I scoured Cake Central for recipes, and ideas. If you are ever looking for ideas for ANY themed cake or cupcakes, you should definitely take a peek through the gallery there, there are a ton of ideas!
Looking through the recipes, I came across one for a Homemade Fondant that Tastes Like Buttercream.I’m in! The recipe was simple, easy, AND it tastes like buttercream! Perfect!
Homemade Fondant that Tastes like Buttercream
Author: Jeanine Friesen
Ingredients
- up to 1/4 cup Crisco shortening, used for kneading the dough
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, used for greasing the bowl for melting marshmallows in
- 8 cups mini marshmallows, very loosely packed
- 2 1/2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract (gf)
- 2 1/2 teaspoon clear butter flavoured extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon white corn syrup, helps with pliability
- 2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons powdered Dream Whip (optional)
Instructions
- Grease the inside of a large microwave safe bowl with butter
- Place marshmallows, vanilla & butter flavoured extracts, salt and water in the bowl. Microwave on high for 60 seconds. Stir. If marshmallows are completely melted, you are ready to proceed, if not, return to microwave in 30 second intervals until completely melted. Add in corn syrup.
- Fit stand mixer with the dough hook and pour in powdered sugar and Dream Whip. Mix well. Carefully add the melted marshmallow mixture to the powdered sugar mixture. Mix at low speed until incorporated. Turn mixer up to low/medium speed to knead until most of the sugar is blended in.
- Turn fondant onto a flat surface that has been lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Knead fondant until smooth and pliable. Coat hands with Crisco if the fondant is too sticky, and continue adding powdered sugar until you have a smooth dough.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap followed by a zipper seal bag. Let dough rest for at least an hour before using it. If the fondant has become too stiff to work with, you can soften it by microwaving it for 10-15 seconds, then rub your hands with Crisco and knead until pliable again.
- The fondant can be made up to 2 weeks in advance, as long as it it wrapped and sealed properly, to prevent drying out.
To Change flavours, use different extracts:
Coconut – add 2 tsp coconut extract, and use 3 Tbsp coconut milk in place of the water
White Chocolate – Use 7 cups of marshmallows and 4 oz. melted white chocolate in place of the 8 cups marshmallows.
Chocolate- Use 7 cups marshmallows and 1/2 cup melted baking chocolate in place of the 8 cups marshmallows. Use 1 teaspoon each vanilla extract and butter flavoured extract instead of 2 teaspoons.
Notes
Source: Cake Central
Thanks for sending this recipe to me!! I made this recipe for a baby shower this weekend. I LOVED it and so did everyone else! I made 24 little turtles to use as cake toppers. I had enough left over I could have made about 15 more, but I didn't have the extra two hours.
The only change I had to make to the recipe was to add about 2-3 extra cups of powdered sugar to get the fondant to a non-sticky smooth texture.
Last night the kids and I sat down and played with the leftovers. Good, sweet, fun!
WOW. These are so cute! I've never had the opportunity to try fondant, but it never looks very good. I'd rather try this first! What a lucky boy!
oh those lil pirates…they're beauties!
My biggest beef with fondant is that it doesn't taste very good. You've obviously solved that! Yay!!
I will have to try this. I've worked with packaged fondant and never cared for the taste.
Your pirate cupcakes are so adorable.
Thanks,
Amy
Adorable cupcakes! My oldest had a pirate party a few years back, these would have been perfect!!
This is very impressive! And the thing I dislike about fondant is the taste; so I bet I'd love this!
Thanks for submitting to Gluten Free Feed, too
Those pirate cupcakes are amazing! Glad I met you on Tasty Kitchen.
Awwww – these lil pirates could not be any cuter.
Working with either rolled or poured fondant is a fun activity to do. I will try to make different variations of design using fondant! The cupcakes sure are lovely!
Thanks, guys! I liked the taste of the fondant (compared to some others), and I liked how it worked out, plus, it was super easy to make.
Fondant really comes very handy to create unique and cute designs for cakes and pastries. I wish I have same hands and creativity as yours. The pirate is super cute and adorable!
I've just spent an hour wandering through your past recipes…it's been time well spent:) These cupcakes are so darn cute! I can't wait to try the fondant, the packaged stuff is not the best.
@Rhonda Thanks, Rhonda! I'm glad that you enjoyed your time, there are quite a few recipes to go through.
These cupcakes were a lot of fun to put together, pretty easy to work with.
LOVE your pirate cupcakes – what did you use to cut out the nose and eyes? – such a cute idea -
@Holtnotes, Thank you! The nose, eyes & pupils were all just little bits of the fondant rolled into balls and then flattened slightly with my hands. My little guy (and his friends) sure thought they were cool.
Have you ever tried mixing this fondant with gumpaste to create stiff(er) details?
Brooke, I never have tried it, but don't see why it wouldn't work.
I have never made fondant before or even tried working with it. I know the stuff in the store is no good as my mom tried it for my sisters wedding cake…they ended up not using it thankfully. Thinking about trying now and like the looks of this recipe since you say it tastes like buttercream. However, I have never heard of Dream Whip, I know you say it is optional but was wondering what it does for the fondant and how much difference it actually would make. Also, I will be covering a single layer 10″, 8″, and 6″, would this recipe make enough for that.
The first fondant cake that I tasted was not that good compared to buttercream icing, sure the cake look good and the centerpiece of the party, that’s why I googled “delicious fondant” and here I am. I will try your recipe for my daughter’s 7th b-day and IT WILL BE my first fondant cake! Just two questions I hope you will reply… only large mallows are available here, I’ll go ahead with 8 cups? Is extract the same with essence?? Because that’s what in the store here too, flavourings are all labeled essence…
Khen, if you can only get the large marshmallows, I would just take and cut them into 4 pieces and measure them that way. As for the essence, is that what you use in all your baking? Whatever you use in your baking is what I would use for the vanilla. Happy 7th birthday to your daughter!! My son is turning 6 soon, so time to think about what kind of cake to make him again.
I have heard that fondant cannot be refridgerated because the moisture will disolve the fondant. Is that the same for this recipe, or can this recipe be refriderated?
I’m not sure, I haven’t tried to refrigerate it, sorry!
I was thrilled to find this recipe! I’m planning to make a castle cake for my son’s 5th birthday next week and wasn’t sure how I was going to do it with regular icing, but I can’t buy fondant here (we are living in West Africa for a few years) and have never liked the taste of it anyway. One question…do you know if there’s anything I could use in place of the clear butter flavored extract?? I know that’s important, but I won’t be able to find that there. Any ideas? Thanks!
Hi Lauren, I’d try using either almond or coconut extract if you can’t get the butter flavour. It obviously won’t taste like a buttercream then, but it would still be delicious!
Thanks, Jeanine. I’ll see if I can find either of those. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
For this recipe, how big of a cake would it cover, do you know?
I would say for sure a 9″ round, 2 layer cake,with extra to colour and decorate the cake with. Good luck!
What do you use to colour the fondant?
I used gel food colouring, I believe it’s from Wilton.
When do you add in the food coloring?
You can leave it white, or you can add colour as you use it, at the end. I take off a piece at a time, and colour it the colour that I need it to be. I find gel colours work best. HTH!
My cake decorating teacher gave us this recipe last week…I made it today…LOVE LOVE it! I m about to color it and prepare for my final cake. I was surprised at how much it made. The taste is wonderful…I ran out of clear vanilla so I used mexican vanilla which has a stronger taste than the typical vanilla…it still came out very white and with a wonderful wonderful flavor.
I LOVE Mexican vanilla, Cindy! Great substitution!
Do you know of a brand that makes the clear vanilla? I’m having a heck of a time finding it in any of the grocery stores I regularly use in AZ. Thanks!
Do you have anywhere that sells cake decorating supplies? Or even Mexican vanilla? I’ve used both. Wilton makes a clear vanilla just for cake decorating, and I’ve also gotten a clear Mexican vanilla as well. HTH
walmart sells clear vanilla
If this actually tastes good than you’ll be my hero, I have refused to use fondant since I hate the flavor but my GFCF son wants a Little Big Planet cake for his birthday and using fondant to make continents on the globe seems the easiest way to do it.
Well, I thought it tasted quite good, but my kids still prefer buttercream. However, it’s nice to be able to do different, fun things that you can’t do with buttercream. Another option is doing a frozen buttercream transfer: http://cakecentral.com/tutorial/how-to-create-a-frozen-buttercream-transfer
Hi! This was my first ever fondant, and I really had no idea what I was doing. The thing is, it takes yummy! It’s just that I had to add a ton of crisco to make it pliable, since it was dry and crumbly. Did I do something wrong?
I know it is optional. If we cannot find Dream Whip, do you have another suggestion? Write back soon!
I’d just omit it.
It should work just fine!
If the corn syrup already contains real vanilla in it, is vanilla extract still needed?
You might not, I’ve never heard of it being flavoured. Might be enough, or you can add 1/2 the amount.
Can you keep the fondant for later use? How long can you keep it before it is no longer usable? Thanks.
As long as you wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap, you can refrigerate it and store it for using it later, you just have to bring it back to room temp before using it. I’ve used it with a week of making it. If it still seems too dry, microwave it for a few seconds with a few drops of water to help moisten it again. HTH
Quick question is it easy to roll out? I need it to cover a 8 inch cake so if someone could right me back soon . I would greatly appreciate it
I found it easy to roll out…you may have to sprinkle a little cornstarch or icing sugar down, but sometimes I’ve wiped my counter with crisco too. Depends on what you’re doing.
Hi! This recipe looks great – thanks for sharing!
I’m wondering how far in advance I can make the figurines I’m planning on making using this fondant?
Will they become gummy if I put them in the fridge for storage or is it better to store in an airtight container?
Any info would be great!
Thanks
Hi. I just made the fondant and it tastes so good. Thanks for the recipe! I won’t be using it for a couple of days, should I refrigerate it?
You could, but either way it is best to wrap in a few layers of plastic wrap and a zipper seal bag. You’ll have to let it come to room temperature before using it if you refrigerate it.
At he risk of looking silly, is that Crisco SHORTENING, or oil? LOL.
Not a silly question at all.
Shortening!
lol!!! Thank you! Do you have a ballpark figure as to whether this could cover a 12 inch round cake?
I think it would if it’s one layer, but if you’re starting to stack layers, I’m not sure. Might be safer doing 1.5x the recipe then.
How would you go about coloring this? I’ve never worked with fondant before and I am making a Seahawks (football team) cake for a friend. I need several different colors.
I use gel colouring, there are a few different brands available, Wilton and Amerigel are 2 that I can think of off the top of my head.
Then you just knead it in until you get the right colour?
Yes! Just be sure to wear plastic gloves for that part.
It can get a little messy.
I am looking forward to trying this recipe but as I read it I have a question… In step 2 you say to add the salt to the bowl for the ingredients that need to be microwaved but in step 3 it says to add salt again too. I’m confused. Do i add 1/2 teaspoon each time or is it just a typo?
Sorry, a typo, thanks for catching that.
Thanks for the quick reply
Cannot wait to try this!!! 
I’ve never worked with fondant either..since this one is made of marshmallow,..I’m assuming it will be stretchy?? will u have to work really quick so it doesn’t shrink back?? if that makes sense
It’s not really stretchy – think of it as play dough.
Hi!
We don’t have Crisco here (any shortening). Do you know what I can use instead?
Thanks!!
Hmm…that’s a good question, Talia! I’m not really sure what you could use – possibly unsalted butter?
I made this just now actually …its my first try at fondant and my hubs is super picky about cake… but its tastes great im sure ill be sticking to this recipe =) and buying it just cost way too much for us! THANK YOU!!
This looks so promising! I’m making a Princess Tiana cake for my niece, and I knew I would need to use fondant (the taste of which I despise). Thanks so much for sharing!
Quick question, I don’t have a stand mixer. Would I be able to somehow make this just by kneading the dough or using a hand mixer?
Hmm…you might be able to use your hand mixer until it gets too thick, then finish off by kneading by hand. I’ve never tried it though, but don’t see why it shouldn’t work.
Wow, thanks for the quick response. I’ll be sure to let you know if it works. Thanks again!
My pleasure! Good luck with the cake.
I cant find butter flavoured extract, can I replace it with something?
Hmm…if you can’t find butter extract, it won’t have a butter flavour, so it won’t taste like buttercream. But, you could replace it with clear vanilla extract, or even 3/4 – 1 tsp almond extract.
Wilton has a butter flavoured extract, I’ve found it at places that sell cake decorating supplies (Michaels, Bulk Barn, etc). Hope this helps!
What is Dream Whip, and why is it optional to add to the recipe?
Dream Whip is a powder that you mix with milk to make “dessert topping” (like a whipped cream knock off). But the recipe works just fine without it.
http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/products/d-f/dreamwhip.aspx
How big of a cake does this cover?
I would guess a 9″ round, 2 layer cake,with extra to colour and decorate the cake with.
Just wanted to say that this recipe is absolutely amazing!!! I’ve worked with other fondants and they always had that bitter aftertaste that drove me crazy. This recipe is absolutely delicious. I used it to make an Angry Birds birthday cake and cupcake toppers for our daughter’s birthday. It was such a hit that everyone had seconds and thirds of cake! I will never use another frosting as long as I live! Seriously, nothing even comes close to how great this recipe is! The only drawback is trying to fold the coloring gel into the fondant, but I got a great upper arm workout in the process, and the end result was totally worth it. Was so proud of the results we took many many pictures! THANK YOU so much for this recipe!! The next project is an Adventure Time cake for my son’s 8th birthday in 2 weeks. Can’t wait to use this recipe again! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
That’s fantastic, Erin! It is a lot of fun to play with, isn’t it? Like using edible play-doh.
Glad to hear that your family likes it!
WIll it be ok to add food coloring such as I want my fondant to be blue during the mix? I want to use this to cover a 6 inch cake but I want solid blue color. Thanks in advance.
Absolutely! If you want it all one colour, you can do that in your stand mixer, and not have to worry about getting your hands coloured.
Can you tell me what I’m doing wrong! I just tried making this an followed the instructions. The powered sugar an marshmallow mixture clumped up an didn’t form in to anything but I mess! Help!!
I’m not sure what happened, Beth. I haven’t had that problem before, and I’m not sure if you did anything differently. Did you follow everything to a “T”? Because it seems to have worked for me, and others. Hmm…
I didn’t use the dream whip. But everything else I used an followed by instructions. I’m going to try it again this afternoon an see if I can do it right!
One of the posters said she had to add an extra 3-4 cups of sugar to get it to be the right consistency. No one else said that. What do you think could cause a discrepancy like that? I want to try it and wonder about what it should look like when I begin kneading it. I made a marshmallow fondant and it was still very dry with a lot of the powered sugar not yet incorporated when I removed it from the mixing bowl…then I kneaded it until smooth. Is that what this one is like as well?
It is sort of like that, Donna. You want it to be pliable, but not too dry, or it will crack. It is very similar to the marshmallow fondant recipe. But, if it gets too dry, then just add a tiny amount of water. Too wet – more confectioners’ (icing) sugar.
I am making graduation cupcakes for my sister and I was going over the instructions and I was wondering when you add the vanilla extract. Is that during step two?
The vanilla is in step 2.
Hey, I want to make this recipe for my son’s first birthday that’s coming up in August.
But I was wondering how much all these ingredients would cost. Would you be able
to give me an estimate? I will need to buy everything but the butter, water (obviously),
and salt. So how much would everything cost ? If I buy it at their cheapest price.
Thanks so much!
Sorry, but i have another question. Do you have to use clear butter, and vanilla? or can it just be the normal butter and vanilla extracts?
The clear is to help keep the fondant a pure white colour – using tinted flavourings will ‘muddy’ your white colour.
You’re on your own for that one, Juanita. Grocery store prices vary drastically from one place to another.
I used this recipe for the first time for some Sesame Street character cupcakes & an Elmo cake.. it worked very well.. it does help to put crisco on your rolling surface & your rolling pin to get it nice and thin.. also warm the piece of fondant you’ll be rolling in the microwave for just a few seconds.. (more than 8 seconds and you’ll have burns on your fingers 8) ) I was able to cover 24 cupcakes & an 8 inch cake with decorations with this recipe… tastes good too – just dont eat too much while you’re making it or you’ll have a woozie stomach in the morning!
Sounds awesome. Where did you buy the clear butter extract at?
the corn syrup says light corn syrup, is that okay?
or does it have to say white corn syrup, it is clear looking,
Light corn syrup is the white corn syrup – the dark corn syrup will colour the fondant, making it an off white colour.
wilton makes a clear butter extract, it’s by the cake decorating supplies. (found mine at Walmart)
That’s awesome, Erika! I wonder if I didn’t see pics of them on Facebook… I saw some sesame street themed cupcakes and a cake somewhere…can’t place exactly where though. So glad that it worked well for you!
If I don’t have an opportunity to find butter extract, could I substitute butter for part of the shortening to get the buttery flavor?
I’m thinking it wouldn’t be the same. The shortening is just to keep it from sticking. You’re welcome to try though.