Mater Cake: Fondant Recipe

So...it's got some flaws...don't look too close, but this was my first time doing a cake with fondant...It was awesome! I made it from scratch using the tutorial from Make it and Love it. I used rubber gloves when I kneaded the fondant together and when I added colors. It worked great. I made the brown fondant by mixing some cocoa powder in. You may need a teeny tiny bit more water. I will say I think I had enough fondant to make two of these cakes using the recipe, so it makes a lot!

To form the cake I used 2 cake mixes.and baked them in loaf pans..one cake mix baked in each loaf pan. After the cakes cooled, I cut one loaf in half and placed one half on the end of the first and the other on the top to be the cab. I used choc. covered doughnuts for the tires, gum for the teeth, M &Ms for the head and tail lights, bottoms of candy corns for the top lights, twix for the tow bars (I should have cut them down a bit) and a rolled out tootsie roll for the tow rope. The mirrors are 2 Hershey choc. bar squares slightly melted together with toothpicks in the middle. Then you stick the toothpicks in the cake.

My kids were all super excited and it was much easier to work with than I had thought. We will be doing more cake decorating with fondant now :)

Fondant recipe: (go to Make It and Love It for the awesome tutorial with tons of great pictures!)

(This recipe will make about 3 lbs of fondant.)

Two pound bag of powdered sugar
16 oz bag of mini marshmallows
1/2 cup shorting (Crisco brand)-- put this in a container you can get your fingers into....like the measuring cup shown above.
2-4 Tablespoons of water (I used 3 1/2)

Clean your counter really well and spread 1/2 of your shorting in a thick layer on your counter about the size of a basketball.Sift your powder sugar into a pile on top of the shorting. I hate sifting when I bake but in this case it is really helpful. If you don't do it you will end up with clumps of sugar in your fondant.Make a crater in the middle of your sugar, keeping high sides all around and a layer of powder sugar on the bottom.

Place your marshmallows in a microwave safe bowl. Add your water. Start with 2 tablespoons. I used 3 1/2 tablespoons. If your fondant is dry (cracking) when you knead it later on, you know you need to add more water. Once you figure out how much you need you can add it during this step. Put your bowl in the microwave. Heat until your marshmallows melt. This takes about 2 1/2-4 minutes. They will look like this:
Fold the marshmallows until it is all incorporated and smooth.
Pour your mixture onto your powdered sugar crater, making sure to scrape and add the excess from the sides of the bowl.These next steps can be hot, please be careful.You can let the marshmallows cool a bit if needed.
Put on some rubber gloves and coat your hands with shortening. On the front, back, in between fingers, up to your wrists, everywhere. Ha! That which it's not coated will have fondant stuck to it. So take off your rings too.And I am sure there are many ways to do this.....but this is what works for me.Start to fold the powdered sugar on top of the marshmallows....
...and keep folding and combining it until it all starts mixing together.

Now I scrape the counter with a pastry scraper or spatula, put the extra sugar on the fondant.Apply a thin layer of shortening onto the counter to prevent sticking and keep kneading the fondant.

Keep going until everything is worked in and smooth. If it doesn't get smooth right away just keep kneading.
** If you still have some shortening left, work all but 1 tablespoon in.Now you're done.Use the fondant right away or coat your finished fondant with a thin layer of shortening and seal tight in a zip lock bag.
This can be left out for a few days without a problem or for several weeks in the refrigerator.Keep in mind that making your fondant ahead of time is a real timer saver.

Coloring Fondant:

I used my candy coloring I had that is made for chocolates and it worked great. Just start with a few drops and knead it in. Add more drops until you get to your color.

For chocolate I needed in cocoa pwd and added a tiny bit of water to work it in. (The fondant then tasted like chocolate)

You cover your cake in buttercream frosting to stick the fondant to, so here's that recipe:

Buttercream Frosting Recipe:

Recipe from Wilton

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk
Makes: About 3 cups of icing.

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.
For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.