Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A
Should I refrigerate fondant?
I have had a few problems with fondant splitting lately whilst covering cakes- usually it is the weight of the sides pulling on the edge in the seconds before I press it in place. It happens mostly with fondant I have coloured, I do use gel colouring and not water based ones but it does still seem to have an impact on the mix ratio and soften the fondant slightly.
I noticed during the tutorials that the fondant looks much more firmer to work with than mine, has it been refrigerated? Would this be the answer to my problems and make the fondant more firmer to work with, or would refrigeration just add more moisture?
I would greatly appreciate anyone’s thoughts or advice 🙂 thanks
I have had a few problems with fondant splitting lately whilst covering cakes- usually it is the weight of the sides pulling on the edge in the seconds before I press it in place. It happens mostly with fondant I have coloured, I do use gel colouring and not water based ones but it does still seem to have an impact on the mix ratio and soften the fondant slightly.
I noticed during the tutorials that the fondant looks much more firmer to work with than mine, has it been refrigerated? Would this be the answer to my problems and make the fondant more firmer to work with, or would refrigeration just add more moisture?
I would greatly appreciate anyone’s thoughts or advice 🙂 thanks
Hi Katie7
Refrigerating the fondant would make it sweat, the moisture would make the problem even worse.
Adding lots of colour does change the consistency regardless of whether it is gel or water based.
If your fondant is very soft, kneading in gum strengthener such as tylose powder, CMC powder or gum tragacanth will help firm it up. Knead in 1 teaspoon of gum strengthener to 500g of fondant and let it rest to activate the gum. CMC usually doesn’t require resting period, however if you prepare your fondant the day before you want to use it the gum will have activated. Don’t add any more than 1 teaspoon to the 500g because the fondant can turn into gumpaste depending on the heat and humidity of your environment.
I find ready coloured fondant has a better consistency than colouring at home,. Commercially made colours such as red, black and purple certainly have better consistency .
I’ve recently change my fondant brand from Satin Ice to Carmas Massa as seen here:
It’s a much firmer paste and also be bought ready coloured from online cake decorating stores.
The fondant seen in the tutorials has not been refrigerated, even Paul has problems occasionally with stretchy fondant. He is seen sometimes adding tylose to some fondants which he is working with.
One more tip – don’t roll your fondant out too thin or too big as the weight pulls and stretches it causing tears and rips at the edges of the cake.
Hope this helps.
