Wilton is the cake supply company that is most famous for its Ready-To-Use Fondant. Life is probably a lot simpler for the novice cake decorator that uses the pre-made type of fondant. To use it you simply roll it out like pie dough on a board. The fondant drapes in your hand yet is strong enough to allow you to tie bows with it, drape a long length of it over a cake and even tie bows.

Fondant is sold in one color – pure white. The re white color of Wilton Ready-To-Use Rolled Fondant Icing can be easily tinted any color using Icing Colors. Add icing color, a drop at a time and knead into icing until color is evenly blended.

Wilton Ready-To-Use Rolled Fondant Icing has a mellow flavor, which can be enhanced using Wilton Vanilla Extract, Almond Extract, Orange Extract, Lemon Extract or Peppermint Extract. Knead flavor/extract into icing until well blended.

This icing is rolled out and used as a covering for a firm cake such as pound or fruit cake, which is traditionally first covered with a layer of marzipan to seal in flavor and moistness of the cake. A light layer of buttercream or apricot glaze may also be used. Cakes covered with rolled fondant can be decorated with Royal or Buttercream Icing. Wilton also has convenient, Ready-to-Use Rolled Fondant for easy-to-handle fondant with no mixing.

To create a perfectly smooth fondant cake, the surface of your cake must also be perfectly smooth. Any imperfections in your cake’s architecture or surface will show up under fondant. This is the reason you must level the cake and glaze it to make the surface for icing as flat as possible. Your next step is to plaster the cake with butter cream icing.

Ice the cake with a thin layer of butter cream icing, covering all holes and imperfections. Think like you are plastering wall. Buttercream icing is the only icing recommended for this part of the procedure. After you are done icing the cake let the cake icing stand long enough to harden.

To determine the diameter you need to roll fondant for covering the cake: measure opposite sides and top of cake across center; roll out fondant to that size, 1/4 inch thick. For example, an 8-inch, two-layer cake, with two sides each 4 inches, equals 16 inches diameter.

Before rolling out fondant, knead until it is a workable consistency. If fondant is sticky, knead in a little confectioner’s sugar. Roll fondant with rolling pin, lifting and moving as you roll. Add more confectioners’ sugar if necessary. You must keep fondant from sticking to your rolling surface or it will tear when you try to lift it up. Dusting the surface with confectioners sugar helps prevent sticking.

Gently lift fondant over rolling pin, or lift with the support of both hands, taking care not to tear it with your fingernails. To cover the cake simply drape a single piece of fondant over a cake that has been set on a cake board. Tuck and trim any excess with a sharp knife to encase the cake in a perfect fondant package.

In general, the less height on your cake, the easier it will be to cover with rolled fondant.