You can do it, put your back into it. -Ice Cube
Good morning, sweet friends!
Do you have a big dream that you are afraid to get going because your overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin? It’s good to dream big, but if you can’t put the wheels in motion to get the idea off the ground, you’re wasting your time. Here’s an idea – have the audacity to dream big, but start small. Whether it’s learning a new skill, running a marathon, or building the business you know you were meant to build, just take one tiny step in the right direction. Why? Because when you start small, it’s okay to fail and try again, and in doing so, you will build a strong foundation on which you can grow and develop your dream. Here’s what I mean…
Years ago I had a goal of learning how to make fondant cakes for my children’s birthdays. Random, I know, but I thought it would be so cool to learn how to make pretty fondant cakes like the ones in magazines. Ha! The first fondant cake I tried to bake was TOO BIG, and I quickly found myself overwhelmed, exhausted, (sticky) and defeated. It didn’t take long before I realized that I should have started with a tiny fondant cake, mastered that, then progressed from there. Lightbulb! So, I started over with tiny cakes until I felt confident, and slowly advanced to the huge crazy cakes my kids wanted me to make like this one!
Far from perfect, but good enough to get the job done. If you are interested in learning how to make cakes like this, start with a mini cake like the one pictured, below. I baked this one in a 6 inch pan, and decorated it with our very simple fondant recipe….
Fondant mini-cake:
Fondant recipe: Simply put, a bag of marshmallows, 2 tablespoons of water and a box of powdered sugar. Microwave. Knead like crazy. Roll out and spread over the cake. Details in the recipe, here…
Our best marshmallow fondant recipe.
- 1 1/2 10 oz. bags mini marshmallows
- 1 2 lb bag powdered (confectioner's) sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup shortening (just to keep hands from sticking to fondant)
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Place bowl of marshmallows in microwave, and heat for 30 seconds. Once done, stir and heat for an additional 30 seconds until marshmallows are melted.
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Sift powdered sugar and spread about a cup on your counter to prevent fondant from sticking.
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Pour half of your powered sugar on top of your bowl of melted marshmallows (leaving some powdered sugar remaining for the kneading process).
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Dump the bowl of melted marshmallows and sugar upside down on your counter. This is messy, but that is normal!
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WARNING: THE MARSHMALLOW/POWDERED SUGAR MIXTURE IS VERY HOT AT THIS POINT. BE CAREFUL AND DO NOT ALLOW CHILDREN TO KNEAD UNTIL COMPLETELY COOL.
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Put a small amount of shortening on your hands and begin to knead the marshmallow/powdered sugar mixture on your counter. You may think it will never come together, but it will!
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Continue kneading. If the fondant is too soft, add powdered sugar and let cool in the fridge for 10 minutes.
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Add food coloring at this stage. Twist and knead, until combined.
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Knead until you have a smooth ball of fondant. You will get a good arm work out!
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With your surface still covered in powdered sugar, and your hands covered with a bit of shortening, roll ball of fondant out on the counter until you have a large flat circle of fondant about 1/4 of an inch thick.
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Make sure your cake is covered in frosting (i.e. buttercream or cream cheese to keep the fondant secured to cake), and drape your rolled out fondant over your cake.
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To get the sides of your cake nice and smooth, slowly push down on the fondant. As you push your hands down, it will adhere to the sides of your cake all the way around. Trim the excess on the bottom, and voila!
So no matter the goal, whether it be baking cakes or summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, have the audacity to start, even if your starting small. With each baby step you take in the right direction, you will skillfully draw closer to the the crazy big dream you have always hoped for. You’ve got this!
A couple of our other fondant cakes:
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