Here is my Marshmallow Fondant Recipe
(Let me tell ya, its very tasty)
This recipe should yield approx. 3lbs
1 bag of small white marshmallows (the bag is equal to 10.5 oz or 297g)
2 tb water
2 lb bag of Powdered sugar or Confectioners sugar (Which is equal to approx. 8 Cups)
1 tsp of flavoring of your choice, I use vanilla and sometimes almond flavors
1/3 cup of shortening
Approx 1 cup of shortening to prepare your work surface and cover your utensils and hands.
Melt the marshmallows and the water in a pan (make sure you constantly stir, you don’t want it to burn. I cover all utensils that I use with shortening before I start so that it is easier to get the marshmallow off when you clean them). You can also heat in the microwave if you would like however I think it is easier on the stove.
Heat and stir until all the marshmallows are melted.
I scrub down a space on my countertop, then place a basic sandwich baggie on your hand, use that hand to rub shortening all over the countertop space that you will be using.
Pour half of the sugar in the center of your work space. Make a well (hole) in the middle. Pour the melted marshmallow in and begin to mix with your hands. Be careful it will be hot!!!! (I always cover my hands with shortening so that the mixture will not stick while you are kneading). As you are kneading, the mixture will become sticky, this is when you will add the shortening to the mixture little by little as needed. Don’t worry if you do not use all the shortening that the recipe calls for it is just to get rid of the stickiness as you go.
Add remaining sugar and continue kneading by hand, it will seem like a lot of work but it will be worth it in the end. Knead it until it is soft and pliable.
Additional Tips
Make sure your wrap the fondant in saran wrap very tightly, I also place it in a ziploc baggie as well.
You will need to put the fondant in the fridge for at least 3 hrs to allow it time to setup then use without any problems.
Please note that if left in the fridge for along time it can become way to hard to deal with.
If the fondant is too hard when you go to work with it, you can be put it in the microwave for five to ten seconds (start off with 5) and it will soften right up for you. I store my marshmallow fondant in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.
If you notice that it is a little dry or is cracking you can always just add some shortening to it and it should become more pliable for you.
Donna’s Tip —— When I work with fondant or Gum Paste I always have a small container of shortening available so that if my fondant or gum paste gets dry I can just add a little shortening to it and it takes care of the dryness. The weather can have an affect on fondant especially in areas that have high humidity.
Happy Kneading!!
Donna
The Sugar Lane 
Hi I am just wondering what kind of cookies you should bake if you were to use marshmallow fondant
Hi Donna,
Thank you so much for the recipe. I have not yet tried it, I will this weekend though.
I live in Australia and sometimes it is hard for me to get used to the different names of ingredients that are used across the globe
I wanted to know what the difference between Cellogen and Tylose powder is. Are they the same?
So if I make a Marshmallow fondant I do not need to use any Cellogen, do I? As I believe it is used to make the gum paste more pliable?
Should more Cellogen be added if it is needed in comparison to Tylose? Is the end result still the same?
I am planning to make a Container Truck cake for a friend’s birthday and wanted to know if using the marshmallow fondant to cover and make shapes on the cake will be good?
Thanks again for the nice recipe
Kind Regards
Priyanka
Hello Priyanka…….
Cellogen is egual to Tylose Powder so yes it can be used to make gumpaste, if you want to create different shapes out of the Marshmallow fondant
you would add the Cellogen since it will strenghthen the fondant so that it will hold its shape…..if you are just covering a cake you do not
need to add the Cellogen to your fondant for that purpose, but for shapes figures and such you will need to add the Cellogen and you will need
to add double what you would use with the Tylose powder. So if a recipe calls for 2 tsp’s of Tylose Powder then you would add 4 tsp’s of Cellogen.
I hope this helps and make sense to you!
hi donna,im new in baking i tried this recipe but it turned out to be too sticky.my figures sinks and flop.and when i tried to roll them thinly it cracks (i coat my board w/ chortening and cornstarch) so i ended with a thick cover…any suggestion for a dummy like me?tnx
Jane…..When marshmallow fondant is too sticky, I would wrap it in a saran wrap and place in the fridge allowing it to set overnight, then see how it is in the morning. To be honest marshmallow fondant is not the best to use for creating figures and shaped pieces. You should use a regualr fondant or a commercial fondant for those things, and it is best to add a small amount of tylose powder to your fondant so that it will hold its shape for your figures. Please know that your no dummy Jane, anything in cake decorating and sugar sculpting takes time to learn and just as important is having the correct tools and such to be able to do your best! If you ever have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask me!! All my best to you my friend!
Hi Donna,i love your site,and i really want to make doll dress with MMF,And make it model sample cake in store.i want hard fondant. but the first time i tried recipe from other site,it becomes glossy and look like melting when i finish to set,and after an hour it so soft.i want to try your recipe but i was wondering how many cups of 1small bag marshmallow?i buy a retail mallows in a local market here in Phillipines.thanks for your kindness for sharing your knowledge.im just new in baking and just self study.So i will be lot of thanks if you help me.please…
hi! thanks for sharing your recipe..i tried it yesterday for my son’s 7th month ths saturday..i created figures and letterings znd would stick it to a meringue icing…hope it hardens soon and would not hve any problem..thanks again…
I found this post a year ago & have to say “WOW!!!”!!! I absolutely LOVE this recipe, it’s simple, quick to make, taste amazing & stores sooo well!!! I have made TONS of beautiful cakes using this fondant & I am soooo thankful to you for publishing it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Rebekah….
.thanks sooo much my friend, for your sweet comment. I am soo happy to hear that this recipe has performed so well for your cakes.
Hi I love the mm fondant but I do seem to have trouble when rolling it out. It always wants to stick to my table. If I put crisco down on the table it still sticks and then it looks greasy. If I dust the table with powdered sugar it doesn’t stick as badly. Also when I make colored fondant and then roll it out how do you get it smooth on the cake without leaving a little white dust on the cake.
Melissa I am so sorry that you are having such a tough time with your marshmallow fondant…..try adding a little more powder sugar to your fondant while kneading, it sounds like it is still too wet when you go to roll it out., give that a try and let me know how it goes for you. To remove excess powder sugar on a covered cake I use a damp paper towel or large paintbrush (that is only used for cake decorating) to wipe over the fondant carefully and it takes the powder away like a charm. I wish you the best, hope you get things all settled and can move on to the fun part of cake decorating.
Hi there! My name is Shawniece, I have covered a few cakes using pre-made, rolled fondant (Wilton). For those cakes, I roll the fondant out thin, of course use icing to the fondant adhere and I usually lay the fondant on the cake within 30-60 minutes of the cake coming from the oven. Of course that’s a little early,and the cake is still warm, but it causes the cakes to be extra, extra moist 🙂 And the pre-made fondant doesn’t melt or anything or is ruined. I would like to try your recipe for marshmallow fondant, but I want to still lay it before the cake cools…This may be a stupid question…. but I’ll still ask! 🙂 Will the marshmallow fondant melt or be ruined if I layed it before the cake cools? Thanks in advance for your reply :)) This is is lovely website by the way.
Shawniece thanks for your kind words!! I dont like to put fondant on a cake that soon but I do agree it does give you a very moist cake cake cause the fondant seals in the moisture thats in the cake. Using the MM Fondant to put on your cake right away could melt and to be honest I have never tried….so what I would do is next time you have some extra cake batter make a small cake and give it a try that way you do not experriment on a cake that is needed for an order and such….this is the way that I have learned what I know about cake decoratin…I just jumpi in and try different things. Actually I think it is soo much fun to do these sort of experiments, hehe….Please know that there are no stupid questions in cake decorating, we have do things differently and thats what makes each of us great at what we do. I hope I was able to help and wish you the best with your little experiement. Once you give it a try I would love to know how it turns out for you.
I made the mm fondant recipe but when I rolled it out, it seemed alittle greasy. When I tried to transfer the shapes to my cake the shapes lost their shape. What should I do? Should I add powder sugar when I roll out my forndant? Should I let then dry before placing them on the cake. Help please!
Hi Gaby…..
Try adding a ittle more powdered sugar to your fondant and see if that takes care of the issue. Also try cutting out your shapes on a cookie sheet and put the cookie sheet in the fridge after you cut them out to set-up for approx 10 minutes, then transfer then to your cake and this should eleviate your shapes loosing their shape.
Hi Donna- your website is amazing ! AND very inspirational ! ! Thank you. My question is on MMFondant. I am trying your recipe that you posted which looks great ! I am making a cake for my niece b-day. My cake will be covered in buttercream frosting. I want to roll out the MMfondant flat and cut out heart & circle shapes and place them on the buttercream frosted cake. 1.How can I get the shapes to stay on? 2. How far inadvance can i make these shapes before they get rock hard, if they do? 3. How long are they edible for? 4. will they shrink in size?Can this be done?? Anything else I should know?? Please respond soon, her birthday is coming up in a week.
Thank you for your website it is AWESOME !
Hello Linda, thanks for your kind word regarding my site I truly appreicate them so much my friend!! As for your questions…..you can do your shapes up to a month or so ahead what I do to keep them from getting hard it cut them all out and cover a piece of cardboard with wax paper and place the fondant pieces on that, then place the cardboard into a ziplock baggie to keep them soft and fresh (you do NOT need to put them into the fridge, just keep in a cool dry place till you need them for your cake)….They are edible for quite some time I have stored them up to a month in advance! They should not shrink in size, I have never had that sort of issue with mine……To attach to your buttercream cake what I do is turn the fondant piece over and use a paintbrush to apply a thin layer of water then allow it to set for a few minutes and put into place on your cake, make sure to hold youe piece with your hand for a minute of so to make sure that it does not slide down your cake at all.
I have a few questions about MM fondant. Here we go! lol
1. Should I color the MM before I add the sugar?
2. What if its too dry and cracks? Do I microwave it?
3. I have heard that you should only use “name brand” marshmallows. Is this correct?
So glad to have found your website. Videos and recipies are great but, sometimes you need to ask questions!
Kelly thanks so much for your nice comment on my blog site!! I hav no problem with you asking questions…..there is soo much in the world of cake decorating to learn!
1. I add the color then put the sugar in
2. If its too dry and cracks….try adding a little more shortening to your MM fondant….you can microwave fondant if it gets too hard to work.
3. I have heard that as well….but to be honest, I have used both and did not have any issues that I could not handle.
I hope this helps to answer your questions and wish you the best my friend!!
After trying many different recipe I finally found one that work for me: Great taste, good appearance and easy to make and use. Thank you so much! 🙂 I used it on a cake this week-end and everyone loved it!
I’m soo happy everything went well for you Joannie…..You are very welcome my friend!!!!
Hi,
I made my first marshmallow fondant yesterday. it did roll out fine, i was quite able to roll it really thin(on a pirex boll upside down…lol–used some buttercream undreneath too). The problem is that i do not like the way it looks. it does not have a flawless smooth finish. After i rolled it, i did notice that it did have a lot of tiny tiny holes on the surface. please help. I did cheat and did not sift my icing sugar and i used vegetable oil instead of crisco since i could not find any crisco in Romania.
I just stumbled across your website and i can say that your cakes are just ..beautiful. I love the smoothness of the fondant. i want to get there too…lol(i know it takes practice)
So please help with my tiny holes on the fondant(not air bubbles)
Thank u
Hello Linda…soo sorry you are having problems with your fondant!
I have never heard of anyone getting holes in their fondant sounds like maybe you rolled your fondant too thin possibly.
Also It would be best if you could order regular shortening that is in solid form it does NOT have to be the Crisco brand
that is what I use here in the United States. You can use any brand that you have available and it will make a huge
difference in your fondant.
Thanks soo much for your kind comments on my cakes I do appreciate it soo much!!
Best of luck to you my friend….keep practicing, and I would love to see your cake pictures some time.
I just made 2 batches of this, the white turned out perfect! but the black has little holes as well! Mine are comparable to a kitchen sponge type holes. i made the 2 mixes within 10 mins, the only thing i can think of is maybe the color affected it?!?!?!?!
Hello Julee
It sounds like the black coloring caused your MM fondant to break down a bit. When trying to get a good black color in MM fondant you can run into issues like this
I had soo many problems with this in the past that I no longer make my own fondant that is red or black in color since these are the 2 that just seem to always give
me soo much stress. With other colors you don’t need much food coloring added to the fondant so you usually do not run into problems.
This is good to know. I’m having the same problem making red MMF. I was trying to figure out what to do. I’ve read that the sponge holes could be from too much Crisco but this problem seems consistent with making batches of colored MMF… or I guess with dark colors. Is there any way to save it?
Hi,
Thank you so much for posting this…i’m a newbie at working with fondant and need all the info I can get. I’ll let you know how it works out :)!
Hi,
I live in Australia and ‘Shortening’ is not available for me to purchase. we do however have a substitute ‘Copha’ which is basically the same thing. Copha is solid, I’m not sure what consistency your shortening is like, so would I melt the 1/3 cup before adding to the fondant mix or would it be better adding it when it has the consistency of softened butter?
Hope you can help
Thanks
My shortening is in a solid form….no you do not need to melt your Copha, just add it in its original form and it should mix in just fine!
Hi Donna, I live in Cancun,Mexico, and I use the MMF to decorate my cakes, but the humidity is very high most of the times.
One time I was making a bow using the Wilton gum paste mix, and it was soft for two days until finally the night before I had to deliver the cake, the weather changed 🙂 and the paste hardened.
Is there anything that you can recomend or something I can add to the recipe to make the fondant more resistent to the humidity?
Yes…..purchase a product called Tylose Powder and add it to your fondant it is made to help with dealing with the humidity issues you are having, and will most certainly make that fondant dry much quicker. I wish you the best my friend!!! You can purchase typlose powder online, just do a search for it and you will find many places that sell it…..
still getting lumps… boo hooo.. even after all your wonderful help.
Ohh Nancy I am soo sorry that you are having all these issues with the Fondant!!!! Maybe you should try mixing the fondant a little longer to see if maybe it will help to work out all the lumps you are getting…Also would you mind typing out exactly what ingredients you are using so that I can help you more in figuring out the issues you are having…..
When you prepare your powdered sugar for making fondant I would first sift it directlu intl a bowl then begin the process of making the fondant. When I sift I end up with a very smooth mm fondant. I hope this helps Nancy, i wish you the best on your next batch!!!;
hello, our MM fondant ALWAYS has tons of sugar lumps in it. we spend hours trying to pick them all out. Any thoughts on how to not get them in the first place or a quicker way to get them out? thanks a bunch!
When you prepare your powdered sugar for making fondant I would first sift it directly into a bowl then begin the process of making the fondant. When I sift I end up with a very smooth mm fondant. I hope this helps Nancy, i wish you the best on your next batch!!!
Thanks~ I will try that tonight with my next batch. Thank you so much for taking the time to write back!
Donna,
I did your MM Fondant and I let it sit in the fridge. When I took it out to use it, it was SOOOO Hard! I think I added atleast a cup of shortening to make it soft then it changed the color of it darker. I followed your directions to the T. I think next time I will make it and just put it directly onto the cake. Also I got air pockets several hours later and couldn’t get them out even with pin holes. It was a bad first try. Do you have any advise? I am also in the Kansas City Mo area and have high humidity, would that be a problem?? Thanks, Sarah
The key to getting the marshmallow fondant to work perfectly is to try and use it approx. 3 hrs after it has been in the refrigerator it seems to be the perfect consistency to work with. After several hours in the fridge it does get pretty hard, but I just allow it to come to room temp on its own. Using the fondant immed. after making will sometimes pose problems as well. As far as the air pockets I am not sure what the issue with that could have been. Anytime you are dealing with high humidity it always seems to cause issues with cake decorating, so yes that couls have been alot of the issues.
Hi Donna,
Just found your website…have to make bridal shower cake…golf theme…have small golf cart…want to make figurines to place in cart and need ideas for decorating cake…please help!
Thanks!
your website is amazing! how much fondant does this make-how much cake will this cover?
Donna,
Thanks for this receipe it is so much better than the store brand. The first time I made this it came out beautiful. Ever since I keep making a taffy like texture fondant that just stretches on forever so it is not good to role out, make figurines or cover a cake. What am I doing wrong? Not enough powdered sugar, not enough crisco?
Any help is greatly appreciated. I promised a friend I woud make a cake for her because my first try worked so well but now I am in trouble and don’t want to resort to the store brand.
Hi Donna! A friend and I got started working with fondant a couple of years ago, and we have learned a lot even though we aren’t anywhere near as talented as you! Your cakes are such an inspiration! Thank you for publishing such a helpful website!!
Even after 1.5 years of practice, we still have so many questions! We tried your fondant recipe for our last cake and the texture was amazing, (thank you for posting it!) but it still took us at least half an hour to get our fondant to come together.
What are we doing wrong?
Oh… We have also had the same questions as Jen… We had a much better experience with your recipe, but we have always struggled with getting little tears in the fondant – especially around corners!
Thanks again!!!!!
Hi Donna, you are amazing!! I like your kindness and your fantastic cakes. Regarding the mm fondant, when it is recommended to place the fondant on the cake the same day?or it can be place a day before? Is it going to be sticky on the cake or it will be dry and smooth as other fondant? I currently use Wilton fondant, but it expensive I’m trying to save more money.I try another recipe for mm fondant and it was lumpy and not smooth at all besides sticky … Thank you so much, I really appreciate your work. God bless you!
This has been so much help. Thank you
Hi there Donna, I live in Singapore, it is really humid here, may I know, after I have laid my fondant over the cake, do I have to refrigerate it again? Or do I have to leave it in the open? My weather here is around 27-31 degree celsius.
p.s,
i intend to lay the fondant over the cake two days before my son’s birthday. Do you think that is possible? Or should I lay it on the day itself?
Thank you very much for your help!
hello donna 😀 what is the weight of one small bag of marshmallows? i am looking forward to your on-line decorating classes. thank you for those free videos and decorating tips. God bless you always
i was wondering the same thing. Im not sure how much a small bag of marshmellow weighs
any help?
hi donna, i just found your webbsite i have been surfing the web site for info i am so glade i came across yours it has been so helpful. i took 2 cake decorating courses and they never covered anything like this… i am trying to make a 2 tier cake for my grandson the theyme is elmo i hope it urns out as pretty as your figures.. great work
Donna,
Hope you are well. The question on comment #8 by Jen is also the same problems we are having with the MM fondant can you help this south louisiana couple out since we have been known to have humidity problems here. Thanks
HI!I came across your site and love it! I am making a birthday cake for my two year old son next week! I think the marshmellow fondant is a great idea for his little taste buds!
I am hoping to make a mickey mouse clubhouse themed cake. Is it easy to create cookie cutter/hand made shapes from this fondant recipe? Also..is there a certain line of food coloring that you recommend?
Thanks so much! 🙂
Rachel I will email you directly to answer your questions!!
Hello Donna,
I am currently trying to get into fondant/gum paste. I understand that gum paste is much harder/firmer than fondant. Do you always use the mm fondant for your figures? Does it always turn out well? Do you have to include another item to make it stifer for making images/people/etc? What about mixing colors into it…does it mix well. I know I have a ton of questions and you are a busy lady but if you could help me out it would be awesome!
p.s. I live in AL so the humdity is high.
Hi Donna
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us! I am a true newbie and am very grateful to you.
Could you please share how to make a cute fondant mushroom for a fairytale theme cupcake?
Blessings, Lynn
Your website, tips and instructions are so helpful Donna!
I have tried using marshmallow fondant before and it seemed to tear easily. Can you give your advise on how to lift it onto your cake without “stressing” it? And how much frosting do you apply first to the cake so there is enough but not too much under your fondant? I can never find really good instructions that answer these questions. Thanks very much.
Tina
Thanks so much for such kind words, and thank you for writing to let me know you enjoy my site. People like you are the reason I share my cake decorating knowledge online with others. I am so blessed and love to share with others. Please feel free to contact me anytime with your questions and I will do my best to answer your questions, if I do not know the answer I will find out the answer and get back to you.
I am sooo sorry to hear your mother is sick, that is very tough to deal with, do you mind if I pray for her?
You are not disturbing me ever, I love to hear from others!!
I am going to be doing other giveaways so don’t worry that you missed this one, there will be another one very soon, and I will post it on the front page of my blog when it starts. I will talk with you soon Tina. Have a blessed week!!
Donna
Hi Donna,
just open up the PC today, and i saw this yearbook, what a pity i was not able to join, I was a bit busy with my mom, she kinda sick, I’m a great fan of yours, I’m from the Philippines. I gave my classmates your site, told them i admire you’re kindness to share your techniques on the net.
Would it be alright if sometimes i will be asking questions about baking? hope I’m not disturbing you.
Thanks
Tina
Hello Tina
I am soo glad to hear that my video helped you!! The gumpaste that I use is actually the satin ice fondant which I purchase online and then mix it with tylose powder which is an active ingredient that helps the fondant to harden very well over time, it also helps in areas that have high humidity. You can also use the marshmallow fondant and add the tylose powder to it. Or another thing that I do is to buy ready made gumpaste at michaels craft store. It is sold by Wilton. When I have alot of cracking I add shortening to the gumpaste and then roll and knead it but don’t over knead it. I sure hope this helps you Tina.
Hi Donna
Im so happy that i happen to see your site, I was amazed at how you make your rose the one on the video, i just want to know the recipe you used for your gumpaste, is it the MARSMALLOW FONDANT RECIPE. I just finished my Cake Decorating Course but didnt learn this techniques. The gumpaste that we learn cracks so easily.
Thanks
Tina
Good for you It is so good to hear that you are making your own fondant.
Thanks for this post. I will be making my first batch of mm fondant tomorrow after years of using that nasty store bought box stuff.