Over the past few years my readers have seen me work with fondant. From birthday cakes to glitter stars, when I've had time outside of my 'other' job I've enjoyed using it to make beautiful cake creations for family.
The week after Christmas we have 4 family birthdays; two are extended family and two are my own two daughters. This makes for a lot of celebrating and double and triple the cakes.I started to plan the cakes I would make this year for my daughter's birthdays, one of which was going to use fondant - but when I priced it at the store I was not impressed. Fondant is just so very, very expensive in the stores now that television shows have make cake decorating so 'in'. When things are in style or we are in the midst of a fad, you can tell because the prices go up! Sure enough, the price of fondant has risen - as much as $3 per package at one popular store.
In the end the cakes the girls got for their birthdays this year did not require fondant and I never purchased it, but it did lead me to track down some of my old "faux" recipes - yes, even faux fondant. I've never tried this one so I'm not sure how it compares to the real deal, but it's worth keeping in the files for a future day. This one comes from a Southern Living recipe back in 1998.
8 (2-ounce) squares vanilla candy coating
1/2 cup whipping cream
Assorted colors liquid food coloring
Microwave vanilla candy coating and whipping cream in a 1-quart microwave-safe dish at MEDIUM (50% power) 3 minutes and 30 seconds, stirring once. Divide and tint with desired food colorings.