I officially HATE fondant....

Okay, so I LOVE the cakes they make on Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes, etc. Thought I give it a try. I even made my OWN fondant from scratch (I was feeling over ambitious!). Needless to say, this was an all day undertaking. And 8 hours later--here's the cake. Yes, it leans a little, but as you can see from her face, my daughter Havilynde is THRILLED to have such a "Beautiful" cake as she called it. I guess it's more what you put into it and and the thought that they are so happy with. Just like our facepainting, we do our best, and even if it's not perfect, it's the smile on their face that tells it all...just thought I'd share. PS--I will never do this again!!!!

I love it! I bake in my spare time as a hobby, and my specialty is cupcakes. But I have never been brave enough to try fondant. Great job!

That is lovely!!! I did one cake with purchased fondant, never again. Can't even imagine having made it even more complicated by making your own fondant!!!!! It's *much* harder to work with than it looks on those shows, LOL! Worst part is, I didn't even like eating the fondant, I tasted a little bit and then peeled the rest off before I ate the cake.

You did great!

First time? And you MADE it yourself??? Fantastic job. It is NOT easy to work with and making it yourself is over the top.

It would never make it onto Cakewrecks for sure!!

i think the only thing missing here is her face painted to match her cake haha
...i think it looks great!...i wish i could bake!..but idk...food and i get along juuust great! but me+kitchen+cooking= (add the worst thing you can think of LOL ) ....i guess once i move in with my bf..maybe get married..ill start thinking about cooking and baking haha....for now ill just enjoy your cake!

Thanks to all! This actually is one of the best tasting fondants I've tasted--I think because it was home made. The bottom layer cake is chocolate with chocolate Raspberry ganache frosting, and the other 2 are spice cake (her fav) with hazelnut creme frosting. I love to experiment with flavors. I had fun, but a LOT of work....Thank God for bdays only being once a year...

Wow! you are awesome and you made the fondant yourself? I am not brave enough to even buy a pre-made one LOL Your cake is beautiful and the best part is her smile, she is gorgeous!
I want cake now

Good tasting fondant? Would you mind pm-ing me the recipe?

First off: I think it looks phenomenal for your first time using fondant! Much better than mine!

I started cake decorating in 4-H and I now do cakes on the side and have worked with fondant a lot. Trust me, it takes PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE! Duff didn't get so good at fondant after just one try, or even 10 or 100 tries. He's made thousands of cakes and he still has issues every now and then.

Personally, I never mess with making the fondant myself. I just buy pre-made stuff and add wilton vanilla and butter flavorings to it so it tastes good and wilton icing colors to make it pretty. The trick to fondant is to roll it really thin, thinner than you would think it could hold up and have cookie cutters or something to cut the shapes with. That, or an exacto-knife that you use specifically for fondant. Also, coat your rolling pin with cornstarch to keep it form sticking... not powdered sugar! That will just dry out the fondant and cause it to crack.

Just keep trying, don't give up. Trust me, it takes practice and with practice you will learn little tricks to help you along the way. Keep up the good work!

@shannon - LOVE LOVE LOVE cakewrecks!! That is one of my all time fav sites!
@photomomma - Awesome job and Shannon is so right! It's good for a cake and FANTASTIC for a home made beginner! You rocked that right outta the park!
You are a braver man than I Gunga Din! I soooo would be unlikely to go there!

Thanks PUnky, I'll use that tip about cornstarch next time I make it...if that ever happens??
Homemade fondant:
1 Tbsp of unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup light corn syrup (I made my own with 1 1/4 sugar and 1/3 cup water, boiled until syrupy--corn syrup is SOOO bad for you!!!)
1 Tbsp glycerin
2 lbs 10X powdered sugar
1/2 tsp white veg shortening

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small bowl and let it rest for 2 minutes to soften. Place bowl in microwave for 30 seconds on high until the gelatin dissolves. Add almond extract, sugar syrup, and glycerin and stir until the mixture is smooth and clear. Sift 1 1/2 pounds of sugar into a large bowl. Make a hole in the sugar and pour the liquid mixture to it. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes sticky. Sift some of the remaining 1/2 lb sugar onto a smooth work surface and add as much of the remaining sugar as the mixture will take. Knead to form a smooth pliable mass. Rub the vegetable shortening on your thumbs and knead it into the fondant. Wrap in plastic and place in tightly sealed container. If it dries out, pop into microwave for a few seconds then knead back to life!

There you go! Hope it works out for anyone who wants to try! Good luck!

Thanks! Gonna have to try it!

this is something I've wanted to try for AGES now! you did very well

Wow I think its absolutely Lovely...Are you serious its your first time?

Beautiful cake, too pretty to eat

Yeah, it was pretty, but as soon as we started cutting into it, it just all fell off. So I gladly took the rest off and just served the cake. It wasn't hard to MAKE--it was all the rolling and getting it ON the cake that was hard. Butjust the first layer. The 2nd and 3rd were easier. I still hate fondant.

Yeah fondant is hard to work with. My friend gave me a recipe for Marshmallow fondant and that was a pain to make. It felt like it was never going to get to the right consistency. Finally, after my knuckles hurt from kneading it, it got to the right consistency. Then getting it on the cake was another mission. I always say I will never do it again but then I want to do something nice for someone again.