To infinity… and beyond!

Since the majority of my cake decorating has revolved around my two daughters I haven’t done many boy themes.  This was my first superhero cake and it was a lot of fun!  I was asked to make a Buzz Lightyear cake for a little boy’s third birthday party.  His mom sent me a picture of a cake very similar to this one and I copied the design.  It’s a simple two-tier cake with marshmallow fondant covering and decorations.  The wings are made of gum paste and covered with fondant.

Showing off his wings!

One of the big requirements for the cake was my marshmallow fondant.  I have talked to a lot of people about how much they hate the taste of fondant.  I don’t know why people bother with the store bought stuff.  It’s expensive, hard to work with and nobody will eat it.  I make marshmallow fondant, which is cheap, easy to work with and tasty!

Here’s how you do it:

Dump a bag of marshmallows into a microwave safe bowl with about 2 tbs of water

Heat for 30 second intervals- stirring in between- until the marshmallows are melted

Start pouring powder sugar into the bowl and stir until the mixture pulls together like bread dough

Dump the whole mess onto a greased surface, coat your hands with Crisco and start kneading

Add sugar as needed- you may use up to 2 lbs for the batch

Once the fondant is mixed and no longer sticky you can color it or use it as is.  It will be warm and pliable.  It does not tear easily because the marshmallow give it an elastic quality.  You can also make it a day or two in an advance and store it in a resealable bag.

If you cover your cake with fondant and want to add fondant decorations like the stars on this cake all you do is brush some water on the decoration and gently press it to the cake.  Don’t use too much water or it will run!  I use a damp pastry brush and the fondant gets very sticky.

I would love to hear from others who have tips and suggestions about working with fondant.

Front view