Fondant for Beginners: Tools

The real reason I went into baking was because fondant cakes fascinated me. I saw this cake at a baby shower I attended and found out I couldn't afford it. So, I told myself that I will try my best to learn how to do it. This is the first fondant cake I've ever made.

I'll write a series of posts of the tools, ingredients and how-to's of how I started instead of writing all of them in one post. I don't want to overwhelm you with information. I just want to help you get started and kinda get a feel of whether or not this is something that you want to venture on.

Here's a few more things I learned from my mistakes when I made my first cake:

1. Fondant loops or bows should be done in advance for it to dry and hold it shape.
2. DO NOT use facial tissue to hold the shape of the bows because the paper will stick to the fondant. Use paper towel or wax paper instead instead.
3. DO NOT refrigerate the cake once it is covered with fondant. The condensation in the refrigerator will make the cake sticky.

TOOLS

• 2 - 9" round cake pans from my bakeware set to bake the cake

• Big and Small Rolling Pins - this is used to roll out the fondant. I used a regular rolling pin. Later on, I bought the Wilton Fondant 20" Rolling Pin (about $20)and the Guide Rings ($4-5) that helped roll out fondant to the right thickness. I also had a small rolling pin I used to roll out small pieces of fondant for the decoration. I'm not even sure where I got it. It's almost like a toy. You can stick with the big rolling pin but for convenience I recommend the Wilton Fondant 9" Rolling Pin.

• Rolling Mat - a nonstick surface for rolling out fondant. It's also pre-marked with circles and one-inch square grid which is a big help for measuring, rolling and cutting fondant. It's about $10.

• Round Cut-outs - helped me cut the circle shapes. The set is $3 from Michael's.

• Star Cut-outs - cookie cutter for the star shapes.

• Easy Glide Fondant Smoother - essential tool. You use it to smooth the fondant onto the cake when you cover it.

• Ruler - helped me make the ribbons and loops. Later on, I bought the Wilton Ribbon Cutter and Embosser set for around $15 at Michael's.

• Cutter/Embosser - this is what I used to make that zig-zag mark on the fondant bow and ribbon.

• Pizza Cutter

I used home-made marshmallow fondant to cover the cake and make the decorations.

Stay tuned for the remaining posts in this series:

• How to make home-made Marshmallow Fondant
• Preparing your cake to be covered
• How to cover cake with Fondant
• How to make a Fondant Bow