PlumBumMum, I have been looking at fondant recipes all day &

[lucysmam]

they all seem very time consuming & a bit complicated to me. But, as far as I can tell from a bit more research, icing sugar is the same as confectioners sugar, is the same as fondant powder. They appear to be called different things depending on what they are going to be used for iyswim?

If it were me, I'd stick to colouing the white fondant icing & save trying to make it for when I had the time to play around with it to get it to the right consistency etc but, I have found loads of info. If you want some links let me know & I'll find them out again

lucysmam this is probably one of the links you've found, but I have a lovely recipe for fondant icing made using marshmallows - very easy and not at all complex. PBM, if you want it, let me know.

Is it on cakecentral.com fruit? I was looking on there yesterday & came across the marshmallow recipe. Am going to give it a whirl, just out of interest as it's the simplest one I found

Just seen your msg, but have to go clean up first will be back in awhile

Well have no marshmallows, so have decided going to make her quite a plain b'day cake, I kept thinking had loads of time to get in ingredients and book,
but this a practice run for her Communion cake so I have plenty of time to get myself organised for May, although shes picked a simple cake for her Communion, one with a styrofoam castle on top, although hoping to get Debbie Brown book so that might change

Thanks for having a look, might have a wee mees around with the fondant anyway, will let you know how I get on

I have no marshmallows either, or icing sugar I discovered this morning. So will be picking some up in town at the weekend so I can have a go. It'd be worth it I think, if you could get the consistency right, sounds a bit sticky to me but am still going to play around

It may be the same one, LM, I got mine from an American website a few years back, can't remember what it was called now!

Here it is (imperial measurements, I'm afraid):

White vegetable fat (eg Trex) for greasing
8oz of marshmallows (recipe states white but I have used all pink when I wanted pink icing!)
0.5tsp clear vanilla flavouring (optional)
1 tbsp water
1lb icing sugar, sifted

Thickly grease a microwaveable bowl with the Trex

Put the marshmallows, water & flavouring (if using) into the bowl and microwave on High for 60 seconds (my m/w is a 1000kw beast of a thing so I did it for 20 secs at a time as I didn't want it to burn - took about 40 secs in total) or until the marshmallows have completely melted. Stir well in between bursts.

Put the icing sugar in a big bowl, fit a dough hook to your mixer (or use a wooden spoon but this will take forever!), pour in the liquefied marshmallow mixture and churn on a low speed until incorporated, then turn up the speed and allow the dough hook to knead the mixture until it all comes together and starts looking like proper fondant icing.

If still sticky, add more icing sugar as required.

Wrap in clingfilm and allow to cool before using. Roll out on a board and rolling pin greased with more Trex, as this will keep it lubricated, less likely to crack and if you're colouring it, you won't get those annoying streaks of icing sugar in the fondant when rolling/moulding either.

This makes TONS of icing, more than enough to cover a 10" cake (the original recipe specified double the quantities - I used it for the one on my profile that looks like 2 wrapped presents (a 10" and a 9" square cake plus trimmings but hadn't learnt the Trex trick then so it looks a bit 'dusty' with icing sugar), had enough left over to cover an 8" stacked cake afterwards and STILL had shedloads of the stuff!).

HTH

And if all else fails I thoroughly recommend Morrison's own brand of white icing - of the 4 I've tried (Asda, Sainsbos, Tescos) it is definitely the nicest tasting, softest and most malleable. The Tescos' own is hard like a brick and dries out as you look at it...

I don't have a dough hook any more, it went missing when we moved & hasn't been seen since! Could I do it with a normal whisk attachment? On the slow speed setting?

Right borrowed the fondant icing (tate &Lyle)
Thought I would give it a wee go
So easy and now I have a ball of green icing, play dough consistency,
450g of fondant icing + 3tbsp hot water

I put food colouring in the water, knead,
Imixed with a spoon first, a little sticky so added icing sugar until got the right texture

fondant sugar is icing sugar with with dried glucose syrup added
Although imagine your recipe will taste nicer, this packet was sitting in my little farmers wifes cupboard and I imagine it tases and smells of their house

but anyway need to get back to dinner and then will decorate cake after,
farmers wife said if I use a cotton bud to use food colouring to die some of my white icing to get my pink

*dye

either a cotton bud or, I used toothpicks to do mine.

Off to scour the rest of my cupboards & have a play with your way after tea, if I can do it like that then there's no need for faffing around for ages!

Can you get all white marshmallows? I'll re-write that cos I can't be bothered to delete so it makes sense . . . . can you get bags of all white marshmallows rather than white & pink?

Well sucess, well for a first time, dd loves it, she said I'm the best mummy in the world, so that made it worth it

Only had pink green and white, so white stable, 2 pink horses, green roof with pink rose buds (well buds) and a few pink buds around the bottom. had no dark icing so horses are just sticking out of the stable

next time I'll be more prepared, think my mum got me the Debbie Brown book today, she was in town