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Picking out a birthday cake for me to make Anna is a fun tradition, and one she takes very seriously.  Since early February, we have been discussing possibilities for the cake.  An Okapi (an animal that looks like a horse and a zebra) was the favorite idea for a while.  Then there was a person cake, a goldfish cake (like her 2nd birthday) and also an elaborate 3 tired cake – similar to a wedding cake.  

We settled on the idea of an Easter Egg cake when we were planning the Easter Egg hunt.  

I was relieved.  

There was going to be no way to make a cute Okapi cake. 

 After looking at a few pictures online, I decided it was time to tackle fondant.  I had made it a long long time ago with my girlfriend Jen, but I couldn’t remember how well it worked.  The Easter Egg shape was pretty simple and I wanted it to have a very smooth texture.  

I found this recipe, which I changed a little bit and it worked great!  The fondant was easier than I thought to make and manage and it was really fun to decorate with.  I feel like there will be more many more fondant cakes in my future. 

The key was letting it sit for the entire night before you want to use it.  This takes planning.  🙂  But if you follow the directions, it should be no problem.

Then you can use the fondant as play dough.  I rolled it into thin pieces and cut it with cookie cutters and fun scissors!

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 Easy Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

adapted from allrecipes.com

This recipe makes over 2 lbs. of fondant. 
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 package miniature marshmallows
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, divided
  1. Place the butter in a shallow bowl, and set aside.
  2. Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. 
  3. Carefully stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. 
  4. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be stiff.
  5. Rub your hands thoroughly with butter, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. 
  6. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes.
  7. Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. 
  8. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

Tip:  When you fondant starts drying out while you are working with it, throw it in the microwave for a few seconds (NOT LONG) and the marshmallows will start to melt and make it easy to work with again.