Here is a little “How to” on how to make marshmallow fondant also known under the name MMF or chocolate MMF. You can use it to cover cakes. If you want to make flowers and figurines you will just have to knead in some Gum Tragacanth or Tylo powder so they dry up hard.
This is what I use:
1 bag of white marshmallows (8 oz)
Water (2 tbsp)
Icing sugar sifted (1 to 2 pounds)
Crisco
Heatproof bowl
Spoon
Sift
Food colors or cocoa powder
Flavouring optional
Note: you can offcourse use your kitchen mixer when mixing in the icing sugar. Just remember to grease the bowl and paddle attachment well with Crisco.
Step 1:
Put the marshmallows in a heatproof bowl and add the water. Put the bowl in the microwave oven and heat it for approx. 2 mins. until the marshmallows puff up like on the photo.
Step 2:
Stir the marshmallows until they get smooth. This is the time where you can add your chosen food color/cocoa powder or give it flavour.
Note: Color the mixture a bit stronger than desired. You can always make the color lighter afterwards by mixing it with white marshmallow fondant.
Step 3:
Now add the icing sugar and stir the mixture with a well greased spoon. Keep adding icing sugar until it looks like a dough. Turn out the “dough” on a greased work board and with your hands greased with Crisco start kneading the marshmallow fondant. Keep adding a little icing sugar at a time until it is not sticky anymore.
Be careful not to use all the icing sugar as to much icing sugar can makes it too dry. It is ready when it feels pliable and ready to roll. If you are not using the marshmallow fondant straight away then rub a bit of Crisco on it and wrap it in cling-film and seal it in a airthight bag.
Note: Some uses the marshmallow fondant right away but I prefer to let it rest for a day before use.
If your marshmallow fondant feels very hard you can always warm it up in the microwave for a few sec. at a time. Then it should be more pliable to work with. If it feels dry then knead in some Crisco or if it is too soft add more icing sugar. I hope you can use it.
Happy Caking
Louise
March 30th, 2008 at 3:24 am
Thanks for this tutorial! I can’t wait to try it! I am always looking for new fondant recipes! You make it look so easy!
March 30th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Hi,
Thanks for this, I was going to contact you right now about MMF but I saw your post!I tried making Chocolate MMF and failed miserably and I am not sure why. I followed the instructions and still the suff hardened so much. I just added melted chocolate to the sugarpaste…it worked ok but cracked a bit (you can see the chocolate ribbon on my blog). The recipe I used calls for 16oz mini marshmallows to 2 pounds of sugar. I just have a question, does it dry well by itself or do you need to add gum tragacanth to harden it up to use for flowers? Thanx a million..
March 30th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Louise
The marshmallow icing looks very interesting. What do you use it for? How does it set on the cake? Does it harden or stay soft? I have never heard of it before… at the icing classes and sugar craft classes i did a couple of years ago i dont think we had time to cover MMF… or is it american? Can you tell me a cake that you have a photo of in your gallery that you have used it on?
many thanks
jo
March 31st, 2008 at 3:09 am
I have tried this technique and I want to assure you guys out there that it is as easy as Louise says it is!!! There are marshmallows that are already pink and have a strawberry scent and taste. I have to buy two bags because my daughter and I eat at least one of the bags!!! There are marshmallows that are already chocolate as well. I have found them in my local supermarket and even at Target and Walmart stores!! I hope this helps!!
Louise thank you tremendously for all your great tutuorials!!
Paula in Texas!
March 31st, 2008 at 7:40 am
Hi to all of you,
The 2 pounds of icing sugar to 8 oz of mm is just to be sure that you have enough icing sugar. You may not use all of the 2 pounds.
Amy NY: It is really easy to make
Bakerette: The first time I made the Choc MMF I also used both melted chocolate & cocoa http://www.cakejournal.com/?p=69 and it cracked more so now I only use cocoa powder. You can add 1 tbsp of Crisco to the melted mixture before you add the cocoa. If is is too dry and crack then you will need to knead in more Crisco or a bit of water may also help.
If you want to make flowers you will have to use gum.trag.
Jo: You can use the MMF to cover your cakes with and make flowers ect. It will harden slightly on the cakes. The first icing that I heard of was rolled fondant. I dont know if it is american…? but I know many americans who uses it for their cakes. I have some danish friends who only use MMF and their cakes looks fantastic. I myself tend to both use rolled fondant and MMF. It depends on what kind of cake I am decorating. You can see here: http://www.cakejournal.com/?p=69
Paula in Texas: I know that you have strawberry & chocolate mm ummmm.
I am glad that you liked it
March 31st, 2008 at 10:49 am
Marvellous! Thanks for sharing Louise… Fondant is underrated and is coming back into vogue thanks to you!!
Looking forward to giving this a bash!
I hope you don’t mind that I added you to my Cupcake Goddess Hall of Fame.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Your welcome Bev. Thank you for the add
March 31st, 2008 at 1:37 pm
yay! thank you so much for this tutorial!
March 31st, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Louise, when adding the chocolate powder, do you reduce the amount of powdered sugar you add? I’ve made mmf in the past, but never chocolate. Can you make it using all chocolate powder?
April 1st, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Doreen: No, I only add the cocoa powder to get the right brown color I want. Then I add the powdered sugar.
April 2nd, 2008 at 2:16 am
I am definitely going to give this a try. Sounds yummy.
April 2nd, 2008 at 4:36 am
HI louise! i want you to know you got a fan here in papua new guinea! it’s been months since i (luckily) stumbled upon your site. and still am an avid reader of your blog. question about mmf, i can’t find crisco here, can i use butter/margarine or vegetable oil instead? i want to try this out for my daughter’s 1st birthday next month.
thanks!
josh
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:04 am
Josh: If you cant find Crisco. Then I would use white coco fat. If thats not to find then a neutral vegetable oil can be used in small amounts. Dont use butter or margarine.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:29 am
i think i saw “copha” coconut shortening here from australia.. i’d try it out.
again thank you so much!
josh
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:14 am
You can use Copha instead of Crisco!!!
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:14 pm
that’s great news, i was afraid to buy copha, because i wasn’t sure what it’s for. question again you think i can use that whenever a recipes calls for shortening? like in some cookies and cakes?
I hope you can make tutorial on buttercream icings too.. i like the way you do tutorials, you make it look so easy to do and instructions with pictures are clear.. i hope i’m not asking too much..=)
thanks again!
josh
April 4th, 2008 at 8:40 am
josh: Yes use Copha when your recipe calls for shortening. A buttercream icing tutorial sounds good:-)
April 8th, 2008 at 5:48 am
Do i have to melt the copha to be able to use it?
By the way Louise, I am in awe of how beautifully you decorate all your cakes and cupcakes. I’ve been baking for years, so am quite a good baker. I’ve only just recently gotten in to the decorating side of things, so am picking stuff up from your website!
Quick question, how much of the hardener would I have to add to the MMF when making flowers?
April 9th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Lisa: You dont have to melt the copha unless its very solid. Then you can melt it. It will be just as good.
Try 1 tsp. of hardener for around 8 oz of MMF. I am glad that my site and cakes can help you making new things.
April 9th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
hi louise,
thanx alot for your help and advice on cakes. I live in a humid place,am supposed to make a cake thats gonna be ‘travelling’ over night to another place,how do i make my icing stiff enough,and if i use fondant then how do i make it so that it doesnt melt? the cake i want to make is in shape of an open book representing a bible, i dont have a special tin for that, any tips on how to trim it to make a perfect book shape with a book mark? thanx in advance and God bless. tina
April 11th, 2008 at 2:42 am
Oh I’m excited about this! I had no idea you could make something like this out of marshmallows. I’m not a fan of fondant because it’s not really edible but marshmallows I love to eat! I can’t wait to try this. Thanks for sharing!
April 12th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
tina: when we have hot and warm weather tends the fondant to sweat. Also if cakes have been refrigiated they can sweat when you take them out. The best to do is if you dont have any fragile filling such as a cream mousse. Use a nice buttercream and keep the cake in a cool place or use an electric fan to keep the cake dry is it starts to sweat. When you are travelling with the cake then keep it in a large cardbord cake box.
I would bake two sheet cakes and sandwich them with buttercream. Then with a serated knife carve the middle of the cake in a V shape only down to the filling. You can see the shape here from Wilton http://www.wilton.com/recipes/recipesandprojects/spring/inspiredinscription.cfm#
When the cake is carved and crumb coated roll out your MMF and cover the cake.
April 14th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
thanx louise,
as usuall you are such a blessing! i will try it out.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:36 am
If i were to cover a cake with this mmf would i need to coat it with anything first such as jam? and what kind of texture does it have as i am not sure if it should set or softish.
Also is it best to store it in the fridge?
thanx
April 15th, 2008 at 8:01 am
samara: If you are going to cover a cake with mmf then you will need to crumb coat your cake with buttercream. I would not recomend to use jam because it can melt the mmf of rolled fondant. The mmf will harden slightly on the outside but still be soft on the inside.
Unless you have a fragile filling that contains cream I would just store it outside. Not in direct sunlight and not in a very warm place. If you do put it in the fridge then remember that the mmf will likely sweat when it comes out again because of the tempreture change. It will “dry” up again but it can take some time though.
April 17th, 2008 at 1:56 am
hi louise ^_^
ur blog is great
just a quick question though, so is it not a good idea to coat the cake first with whipped cream since it’s so soft and requires refrigeration?
thanks =)
April 17th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Hi Louise - I’ve been given the job of making a birthday cake and i’ve chosen to do cupcakes which i’m going to cover in MMF. I was just wondering though, how much does this recipe make? I am going to make about 50 cupcakes - how many batches of MMF would you recommend i make?
Thanks!!!
April 17th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Tammy: I would rather use buttercream or chocolate ganache to coat the cake before covering it with mmf.
Sarah: I guess that you will cut out discs of the mmf to put on the CC? If you make 3 batches then you should have plenty for both the CC’s and the cake unless its a really large cake
thats if you are making cake aswell?
April 19th, 2008 at 2:07 am
i made marshmallow fondant for the first time and it turn a little of white color how do i make the fondant real white?
April 20th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Hi Louise,
am a big fan of your blog! I’m really excited to try and make the MMF..questions..how long will it keep in the fridge? can i make it the night before?
Thanks
Sleepless
April 20th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
maria: When I make mmf I wait untill the next day where I can knead it more white than it was.
Sleepless: Thank you! You dont have to keep it in the fridge. Just double wrap it in cling film and put it in an air thight container (3 month) You can make it and use it the same day if you like. I like to make mine the day before because I find it better to let it rest and then the next day knead it well and see if it can take some more icing sugar.
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:11 am
fantastic… cant wait to make my first mm fondant..
April 25th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Kim: Your welcome. Let me know if you get any problems with it.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
What a great tutorial and such a great site as well, I’m impressed! I have never tried MMF, but I am going to now. I like the idea of chocolate MMF, does it really taste like chocolate? Approximately how much cocoa powder should be used?
April 30th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
cakehelp: It will get a nice cocoa flavour. The amount of cocoa powder depends on how dark you want the MMF to be. If you use a good cocoa powder you will still get the nice flavour.
May 1st, 2008 at 9:08 am
i used this recipe and made some pink mmf and i loved it, i was just wondering now how and what would be needed to coat a cake with buttercream crumb first? thankyou so much for answering all our questions.
May 1st, 2008 at 1:42 pm
samara: You could crumb with buttercream or chocolate ganache.
May 1st, 2008 at 2:36 pm
If I coat a cake with chocolate BC, will I be able to see the brown color underneath the MMF?
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Lesley: It depends on how thin you roll out the MMF dont roll under 4mm.
May 4th, 2008 at 5:52 am
Hi- great recipe. Would that quantity cover a 20cm diameter, 10cm high cake? I need to use it for a birthday cake tomorrow but not sure if I have enough. Thanks!!
May 6th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Iz: sorry this reply came out late. I would make two batch of the MMF just to be sure that there was enough to rool out.
May 12th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Hi Louise,
I just made this mmf for a baby shower cake. I’m planning on doing a vanilla cake with strawberry mousse/creme filling covered with mmf. Since the filling uses heavy cream, I have to keep it in the fridge overnight. How long does it take for a cake to “dry”up from sweating? The shower is not until 3pm. If I take out the cake in the morning, will it be ok? Do you know of any strawberry buttercream recipe that is similar to a mouse?
Thanks!
May 19th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Dear louise,
can i top cupcakes with mmf? after doing that if i want to decorate with some flowers but hardener is not available in my area, what i can use so that the fondant will be harder and i can make flowers or other decor? i want to make this for 3 persons birthdays so would greatly appreciate your advice.
Thank u for your inspiring work and helpful tutorials!
Soo ying
May 19th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
[...] La copertura è invece marshmallow fondant realizzata seguendo i consigli e la ricetta di Louise [...]
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:08 am
Hi Louise,
I took a cake decorating class at a local vocational school (5 wk course) and the week we were doing fondant the instructor told us to go buy the pre-made fondant and everyone did of course except me, I (being the odd ball) decided to make the MMF. I had never made it only read about it on the internet and it was easy!!!! I colored it as well… During class she wanted us to taste our fondant and everyone spit theirs out! Well, except me and when they all heard that I had made mine they wanted to try it and they loved it and wanted to know where I had learned to make it. Of course I shared the info but,, I will never forget them all trying to find a trash can quickly after eating the pre-made stuff.. It was soooo funny. Thanks for the chocolate tip though, I had never heard of it. I will make it tomorrow for another class in fondant. Thanks again,,,, Kelly
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Hi Kelly,
I am glad that my recipe for MMF could help you make some tasty fondant to use in your decorating class. Dont you think it is great making something that taste great????
I hope that the classes was great!
Louise
May 24th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
hi i was wondering, just to make sure. to make chocolate fondant you just add cocoa powder to the melted marshmellows? thats it? and i read on some of your other pictures and such that chocolate fondant is harder to make because it tears?
so how exactly do you make it? thanks!
May 26th, 2008 at 10:47 am
christina:
The first time I made chocolate mmf I added some melted dark chocolate and it did crack & tear. Then after talkin gto one of my friends she said that she only used cocoa powder.
I add the cocoa powder when the mmf mixture is melted like in the photo above. I add until it has the brown color I want and then I add the icing sugar.
May 26th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Help! I tried a MMF recipe with melted chocolate and it keeps cracking. I made 2 batches of this and then tried one without the chocolate and used only the cocoa and the texture is much better. Is there any way to salvage the other fondant? I would hate to have worked that hard and end up wasting all of it. Also, I cannot seem to get a deep brown color. Any suggestions? I am making a wedding cake for a friend, and obviously I want it to be perfect. Thanks!!
May 27th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Cathy: That whats happend to me aswell with the melted chocolate. I am not sure that you can save the ruined batch of mmf
You could maybe use it on some sugar cookies?
There are many different brands of cocoa powders. But to get a nice dark colour you should use a good quality brand like Hersheys. The thing is not to end up having used a whole pack of cocoa powder to the mmf so try look for some darker cocoa powder.
Good luck with the wedding cake project.
May 28th, 2008 at 4:42 am
i forgot to ask! sorry. but how much cocoa powder do you put to make cmmf?
1/2 cup? 1/3? help thanks!
May 28th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
HI Louise,
I made the MMF and it looks fine although I’m storing it for a few days. If I cover the cake in MMF, is it ok to store the cake overnight in the fridge? Its for my kids birthday and I dont think I have time to decorate the cake on the morning of the party.
Thanks
A Faithful reader from Brunei
May 30th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
hello louise, thanks for the help thru your site. im mailing u from Nigeria. pls how can i get my mmf to be real white. i used MR BBQ brand of marshmallow and it gave me a cream coloured fondant.is there something i can add to make d mmf wjite, in case there no other brand.
June 1st, 2008 at 8:36 pm
christina: I dont know I just add until it have the dark color I want.
nimi: My mmf also looks white to start with bu when I have knead it well it will get more whiter. But you could try add some white food color to the liquid mixture to see if that helps.
June 1st, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Sleepless: If you store any cake with either rolled fondant or MMF it will begin to sweat when you take it out of the fridge. Mostly when the weather is very warm. I always keep my decorated cakes in the fridge because I use mousse fillings sometimes I put the cake in a cardboard cake box and then in the fridge that can help so the cake wont start to sweat when I take it out.
If you just have a buttercream filling I would not put it in the fridge just store it in a box away from direct heat and sunlight.
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:00 am
hi, i just attempted to make the MMF,
but i forgot to rub crisco over the fondant before i wrapped it,
will this affect the fondant in anyway?
i believe, i will be using it in roughly 3 - 5 days
June 5th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
hi louise, pls ao can i cover a two tier cake with fondant easily.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:40 am
diana: No it wont affect it. I always knead it a bit with crisco just before use.
nimi: Yes if you cover them seperately offcourse:-)
June 14th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
hi louise i am from australia and i have a recipe that calls for marshmellow fluf is this mmf the same and if not would you have a recipe that i can use cheers susan
June 15th, 2008 at 12:19 am
susan: No mm fluf is for a piping kind of frosting. Do you need a recipe for marshmallow fondant?? if so then have you tried the one in this post?
June 24th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Hi
I tried making mmf for the second time today and I have to say it’s frustrating for me. This time after it was smooth I added my chocolate powder to it and then a little bit of the sugar and the whole thing was already “dry” looking and stiff. I did not even add 1/2 of the sugar! I don’t know why I haven’t been able to make it right. What am I doing wrong?
June 24th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I should tell you I don’t have a microwave so I am melting my marshmallow in a double boiler — Thanks.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Renata: When I make choc mmf I dont add alot of cocoa powder and I still need to knead in more icing sugar. Do you have Crisco on your hands all the time when kneading? Try add only 1/4 cup of cocoa and the icing sugar and see how it works just remember the crisco.
It should not make a different if you melt it in a doble boiler. I hope it woek for you:-)
June 27th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
if i wanted to use this recipe to cover a cupcake (but i want to use an embosser on the mmf), should i add the tylo powder or will the embosser work fine without it?
June 27th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Christine: No dont add tylo! Just use your embosser.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:00 pm
hey Louise,
Thanks for the recipe, i tried it on the weekend n it worked great!! I added some tylon power so i can make some flowers. This recipe dry slower so I got more time to play around with shaping of the flowers which I just love.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:48 am
viv: Great!!!
July 5th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
hi louise thank you for your reply. i need a recipe for marshmellow fluf would you have a recipe or know a wed site that i could get one please
cheers susan
July 6th, 2008 at 4:31 am
Can you use this fondant on cookies? What would you use underneith it in order for it to say on.
July 12th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Hey Louise,
I have never tried fondant and I have been wanting to give it a try. when you roll fondant out how thin should it be when you put it on the cake?
I want to make a whimsical cake this weekend an I would like to use the fondant.
July 12th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Susan: http://www.recipezaar.com/75813 this should be a clone to the MM Fluff.
Felicia: Yes you can use MMF on cookies if you like. When I use MMF or the reg. rolled fondant icing I simply brush my cookies with some corn syrup. try take a look here: http://www.cakejournal.com/archives/how-to-decorate-cookies-with-rolled-fondant/
Michelle: I would never roll out thinner than 4mm but some do it with 3mm.
July 15th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Hi Louise..I’m making a wedding cake and the bride wants two of the layers artificial…so would I put buttercream on the foam first before putting the fondant on it? I hear it helps to make the fondant slide around easier and attach better? thanx for your help..Angel
July 15th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Angel: I have never used bc when I should cover dummy cakes. I use Tylo glue. But why not try with bc:-) It wont be eaten anyway lol!
July 16th, 2008 at 4:23 am
Thanx for getting back to me so fast Louise..I was getting panicked as I wasn’t quite sure what to do…I thought it would probably work too if I made it a bit thinner..made it sticky…I’ll let ya know if it works out..my first time making the MMF and only my second time using fondant period..:S..(iced lots of cakes)…so wish me luck…making a shower cake for tomorrow with the MMF so should have a good idea how it works (I hope) ..if it doesn’t work out I guess she’ll get good ole icing..hehe..anyhoo..thanx again Angel
July 21st, 2008 at 4:00 am
Hi Louise, I’ve tried the marshmallow fondant recipe a few times and after a few failed attempts, I think I’ve finally got it. But I’m wondering what type of cake recipe to use, do you have any suggestions? I’m not sure if the ready made mixes in a box are ok, but a homemade cake from scratch covered with MMF sounds so much better! Any information is greatly appreciated!
July 21st, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Nicole: Whatever kind of cake you choose to make is up to you. That said I always prefere scratch made cakes. So search online for great baking recipe sources, cake forums, books and I am sure that you will find a cake that you like and that will works great with the MMF.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Hi there, I tried this recipe out last night and it turned out great. I skipped the sifting process, though, so I got little bits of confectioners sugar all over my cake. However, The cake is very beautiful, for my first fondant covered cake!
July 25th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Caty: Sounds great. Maybe next time a sifting is required so you avoid the bits of CS in your MMF?
July 26th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Finally a fondant recipe I not afraid to try! Thanks for all help and recipes! You are the BEST!
July 31st, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Rhonda: THX!
August 6th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Hi Louise, if I dont have Crisco what can I use as a substitute? thanks!
August 6th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
gail: you can use a light neutral oil as a substitute.