Quick Pour Fondant Icing

Ingredients:

6 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, combine confectioners' sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches a temperature of 92 degrees F (33 degrees C.) Mixture should be thin enough to pour, but thick enough to coat cake. Stir in the almond extract.

2. To cover cake: Frost cake smoothly with buttercream and place on a cooling rack with a cookie sheet underneath. Pour fondant over iced cake, flowing from center and moving out in a circular motion. Touch up sides with a spatula.

Easy marshmallow fondant icing

Ingredients:

450g plain marshmallows

900g icing sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons water

butter or margarine, for greasing

Method:Place the marshmallows in a microwave safe bowl and set microwave on high setting for 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of water. Grease a large spoon with butter or margarine, stir the marshmallows and keep melting in 30 second intervals until marshmallows are smooth.

Begin adding icing sugar about 250g at a time, stirring between each addition, until the whole 900g is incorporated.

At this stage the mixture gets sticky, so grease your hands with butter or margarine and knead on a greased work surface until smooth and no longer sticky.

You can then grease your work surface lightly and roll the fondant out and place over cake that has been covered with marzipan or buttercream.

Marshmallow Fondant

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, 1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows, 1/4 cup water,

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 pounds confectioners' sugar, divided

Directions:

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. 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. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff.

3. Rub your hands thoroughly with butter, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. 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.

4.Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners' sugar.