MIX TOGETHER FOR DUSTING TABLE SURFACE:
1/2 cup Cornstarch
1/2 cup Confectioners' sugar
BEFORE STARTING
--- Prepare cake:
Sift 2 lb. confectioners'. sugar into a large metal bowl with round bottom; Make a "well" in center of the sugar for wet ingredients
------------------------SPRAY PAM ON TABLE & ROLLING PIN------------------------
PLACE IN [GLASS] MEASURING CUP:
1 tb Knox Gelatin; rounded. Use only Knox brand, others are different!
Cold Water to = 1/4 cup
SET MEASURING CUP IN 1" BOILING WATER, ADD:
1/2 cup WILTON glucose (now equals 1/4 cup)
2 tb Crisco; Dip spoon in boiling water, then measure Crisco.
1 tb Glycerin a 1/2 oz. bottle of Country Kitchen glycerin equals 1 tb.
ADD FLAVOR AND COLOR
1 lb More confectioners' sugar for dusting surfaces
3 cup strained apricots or piping gel to glaze cake with before covering, so fondant will stick.

• You need the 3# can for later to sit the cake up
• When using GRAYSLAKE gelatin, increase gelatin to 1 1/2 tb.
• If ingredients get to hot, it may take more confectioners'. sugar
• Don't substitute a different brand of any ingredients. in this recipe, unless you are familiar with this style!

DIRECTIONS:

1. BEFORE YOU MIX INGREDIENTS.: Spray the table where dough will be rolled out with PAM & dust table and rolling pin covered with a sieve with cornstarch / confectioners'. sugar mixture.
2. PREPARE CAKE: Bake cake & place on 2 STURDY foil-wrapped card boards the size of the cake. Also a fancy STURDY tray ready that is 3-4" larger than cake. "Curtains" break if cardboard flexes! A solid cake should be used, such as FRUIT, CARROT or POUND. Torte as usual. Set aside to cool several hours. I have used regular Duncan Hines white cake mix too. It was harder to work with, but if this is what you want, then go for it. Fill in any holes or uneven places with butter cream icing so cake is nice & smooth.
3. With your hands, rub something sticky on the cake for rolled icing to stick to. I use apricot filling -the kind baker's use. You can use piping gel for fake cakes.  Coat the cake just before making the icing. You wouldn't want this to dry.
4. Put 1 rounded teaspoon Knox Gelatin in a glass measuring cup; add cold water to equal 1/4 cup. Stir until gelatin is dissolved.
5. Set the glass measuring cup in a pan with 1" of very hot water in it. Add into the cup: Glucose , Crisco & glycerin (to = 3/4 cup in all). Stir with a wooden spoon just barely until Crisco is dissolved. DO NOT GET THIS MIXTURE MORE THAN WARM!
6. If adding flavor or color, do this now. I use paste or gel colors and for flavors I use Lorann oils.
7. Pour the cup of warm ingredients into the "well" of confectioners'. sugar. Stir with wooden spoon until too thick to stir anymore. Pour mixture out onto the cornstarch / confectioners'. surface, knead with hands & incorporate as much confectioners'. sugar until when you pinch the dough it doesn't feel sticky.

1. Roll out the dough 1/4" thick. <<<< NEVER TURN DOUGH OVER! >>>> Stop frequently & turn. Try not to get confectioners'. sugar on the top-side.
2. Use a RULER to measure. Dough should be large enough around for both the top & both sides of cake. For instance: 8" cake, dough should measure 14" in diameter if cake is 3" high. Is your table wide enough?
3. To drape icing on the cake: Elevate the cake on the Crisco pan. Now USING PALMS ONLY, pick up icing dough by sliding both hands underneath & lifting gently. Center icing on cake & gently let it down the sides. DON'T PLEAT! Cut off excess dough ABSOLUTELY level with bottom of cardboard that the cake is setting on.
4. Gently work out the "draping," by pressing gently with fingers. DON'T STRETCH THE ICING! And don't fold over the pleats. They will work out smooth. Now, using palms of hands only, rub gently in a circular motion to smooth. The longer you "rub", the shinier the icing will get. If there are any "bubbles" in the icing, burst with a pin at an angle.

If you cannot get porous dummies (not easy to find anymore), then trim the edge of the dummy at the top. Mark off an inch or less in on the top and on the side. I cut this off with sharp pointed scissors. You will have to be careful to make this rounded. If it isn't perfectly rounded the difference will show. So, then you should fix it round using royal icing. You can use a writing tip to pipe out icing on the edge and then use a dampened brush to make it nice and rounded smooth.

NOTE:

• If gel or filling gets on icing, use a bit of cornstarch / confectioners'. sugar mixture to rub off the shine.
• Too cold a room can cool icing off too quickly. NO AIR SHOULD EVER BLOW DIRECTLY ON THE ICING.
• LEFTOVER ICING: I can't begin to tell you how nice and handy it is to have a bit of this icing laying around for edible decorations FAST. It can be rolled out & cut with cookie cutters, etc., dry & use on other cakes. We use a "bib" cutter to make bibs, also booties, hearts, stand-up characters, all sorts of things. We use a lot of rolled fondant for our everyday novelty cakes. IDEA: We even formed a table cloth, draped over a small cake, then added rolled fondant place settings. Made chairs with graham crackers and piped little girls having a tea party.
• Keeps indefinitely sealed against crusting & refrigerated.
• Use for candy center; add flavors/color/nuts, etc. Can add butter to thin. Dip in coating chocolate.
• Make candy "rocks" marble-color & shape.
• It takes a good 2 weeks for icing to harden too much to insert something.

ON EITHER FAKE OR REAL CAKE: Use royal icing made with egg white, not meringue powder. Use very small decorator tips such as # 0 or # 1. ALWAYS re sift confectioners' sugar before making icing. Decorations will apply best when icing is a bit thinner than usual with such small tips. Use a small bag such as 8". Never fill the bag over 1/4 full.

• Use wax paper to make template pattern. All patterns should be even & line up. I also use calculator paper for making patterns for sides of cake. You can accordion-fold it & cut scallops, etc. Place pattern against cake & mark with a pin.
• MODES OF DECORATION FOR ROLLED FONDANT CAKES INCLUDE:

Lace pieces. (trace pattern with # 00 tip). Make ahead and apply after adding a very small 'bubble' border with tip 1 or 2.
• DO THESE IMMEDIATELY: RIBBON INSERTION, PATTERN PRESSING & CRIMPING. Other decorations can be applied anytime.
• RIBBON INSERTION; pieces of ribbon inserted to appear to be lacing in & out of cake. Cut small insertion slits with an exacto knife. Having all ribbons exactly the same length, coax ribbon into slots. There is also a special tool for doing this. Embroidery around the slits.
• "CURTAINS" #00 tip with smaller tip, less line breakage! First, build out a "bridge" of scallops at base by over  piping #13, then #4, 3, & 2. To pipe curtains; start at top on your marked pattern, drape to bottom & slightly under edge of icing "bridge." Curtains should be close (no wider than width of icing drape between.) Finish with #1 tiny "bubble" at top & base of curtains.
• CRIMPERS: use fancy crimpers to press fancy patterns into icing. TIP: If you fasten a rubber band on Crimpers, they will make more even crimps. There are many different Crimpers available. And also different styles. The crimpers I prefer are the ones that include the ring allowing the crimper to open just the right amount always.
• EMBROIDERY: DONE WITH #0 to #1 tips. Its like figure- piping. Draw tiny stems/leaves/flowers onto the cake. Easy - just wipe off any mistakes.
• LEATHER TOOLS/OTHER PRESSES: Use these to press patterns into cake. Hearts, flowers & many other patterns are available. Tandy leather tools are available at leather shops.
• Paint on egg whites when you want fondant to have a shiny look.

Back to my 'Recipes' Page
Back to my Home Page