Playing with fondant

My love-hate relationship with fondant continues. But when one of my girls is marking her birthday, I set aside my differences with fondant and go ahead and make her a cake, covered with fondant and complete with 3D decor.

I may have a long way to go in terms of fondant decorating, but it's still better than my piping skills. And all cake needs a beautiful frosting finish. Without it, it's a bread. So, fondant it is for my Via who's turning 1.

It is difficult to make fondant. It takes time, and a very patient person to slowly stir in the icing sugar into the melted marshmallow. And that's already the easiest recipe. You want it as smooth and as white as possible. I have recently dropped the vanilla extract and replaced it with lemon to make it immaculately white. I have also skipped the salt to prevent it from feeling grainy. Then it is time to knead, and knead, and knead. This could be an enjoyable experience, depending on how good you prepped your fondant. The rest is child's play.

For Via's cake, I came prepared and watched videos online to teach me how to make alphabet blocks and a clown. It's another Gymboree party for our youngest!

And I think I got this one in the bag. 

Did you also know that fondant makes a good clay for your toddler to play around with?

When I am experimenting, I let Caitlin have some fondant for her to roll out and make into all sorts of shapes. That also means she lets me be because her hands are busy. 

Fondants aren't as bad as when I first began making it after all. I am growing to love it more than I hate it. And I hope fondant will love my daughters more and vice versa.

What are you playing with lately?

- Mommy Smiley

Baking tips

1. Always pre-heat your oven. You can not let your pastry wait for your oven.

2. Buy the right ingredients. If you're a first-time baker, follow every ingredient down to the dot. If the recipe says butter, use butter and not margarine. If it says brown sugar, do not use white, powdered or caster sugar. If the recipe says use iodized salt, do not use sea salt or rock salt.

3. Measure all your ingredients properly. Use measuring cups for the dry ingredients and use liquid measuring cups for the liquid ingredients.

4. Use measuring spoons and cups. Measuring spoons are not the same as your table ware spoons.

5. After measuring all your ingredients, place them in separate mini bowls and make sure you have the complete ingredients before starting to mix.

6. If your recipe states you have to cream the butter, you have to use a hand-held mixer or a professional mixer (like Kitchen Aid) for that. If you are using a hand-held mixer, you have to use the wire attachment. If you’re using your Kitchen Aid, you have to use the paddle attachment.

Hand held mixer with wire attachment.

Kitchen Aid with paddle attachment.

7. Crack your eggs in a separate bowl before combining them to your mixture. Do not crack eggs directly unto your mixture because you're not sure if the eggs are rotten or not. If in case you cracked the eggs directly unto your mixture and it turns out to be rotten you have to discard the whole mixture and re-do the whole thing.

Happy baking mommies!

- Mommy Raquel

Ps: I will send more tips soon. If you have questions send them over and I will try my best to answer your cooking and baking problems.