fondant is fabulous
07 Jul 2011 1 Comment
in cake, lemons, recipes, strawberries Tags: cake decorating, dessert, edible glitter, fondant, sugar flowers
i love everybody especially you
the purpose of the trip to the bakery store was edible glitter to bring along to faerie land for a future cake. however,
the velvety allure of pure white fondant demanded of me an immediate cake.
so a buttermilk cake was made- a reliable base of solid butter cake to uphold the white dream coat. also a stand-up foil for the lemon curd filling. because lemon curd is wicked good and far simpler than the glorious schmear makes itself out to be. the farmers market gave us teeny strawberries too, so halved those to lay within the filling. 
made enough batter for one heart shaped layer.
once cooled, split it horizontally to be filled, which is french styled according to Julia Child.
to ensure the fondant lays as smoothly as possible, first thinly ice the cake with buttercream frosting, lemon buttercream, for a crumb coat.
the fondant came in a white block, like shortening or porcelain. and you wedge it just like clay. working it against the counter top against the palms of your hands until it is warmed and smoothed and ready for the rolling pin. slice off a wedge to roll to cover the cake; remainder can be rolled and cut freehand or with cookie cutters.
roll out the fondant into a circle, working from the center out and turning turning and flipping the icing. when expanded beyond the edges of your cake with enough extra to drape down the sides, gently lift it with the rolling pin and drape it over your cake. gently press the draping into place then burnish the top and sides by hand until it all softly glows.
spent hours piping royal icing decorations that harden like sugar plaster and keep presumably eternally. although joy only had directions for microwaving the royal icing (!!!!), the egg whites can be whisked in a glass bowl over a simmering pot of water steam punk style until warmed thoroughly. add powdered sugar and a dash of clear vanilla extract and beat until stiff stiff stiff. spatula into a pastry bag- readied with coupler- standing point down in a glass with the bag edges folded over the rim.
pipe shapes to heart’s content. for these, i colored some of the icing green and blue and added it into a bag with white. after drying them out on parchment paper and oh so delicately releasing them, i dusted them with silver dust. then rubbed silver dust on the fondant too.
delicious, yes. yet and still the pretty of it was profoundly satisfying.
