Poured Fondant Icing
Poured Fondant Icing is an all purpose confection used to ice sweet-breads, cakes, petit fours and napoleons.
What is poured fondant icing?
Not to be confused with Rolled Fondant, the sugar dough used to cover cakes, Fondant Icing is pourable and is used to glaze cakes and pastries with a thin sheen of sweetness.
True Fondant is, in fact, more candy than icing. Fondant is what you find in the middle of my all-time favorite candy, a Peppermint Patty. Making true fondant is an unforgiving process of controlled crystallization.
This is where simple, powdered sugar fondant icing comes in…
Even though I will readily admit that this simple Fondant Icing is not really a true fondant, and it honestly doesn’t have the beautiful sheen of a real fondant icing, it is a good compromise for the home baker who wants to make Petit Fours, Napoleons or a glazed Bundt Cake.
It tastes great, it’s easy to make and it’s very easy to use.
Ingredients
- Water
- Light corn syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Confectioners’ sugar
How to make poured fondant icing:
- Simple Fondant Icing is made with powdered sugar.
- Pour the boiling water mixture into the sugar and stir.
- The icing should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Add more sugar if it’s too thin or more water it it’s too thick.
Storage
- Pour the icing into a bowl and sprinkle a few drops of water over the surface. This will prevent the surface from drying out and forming a crust. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
- Poured fondant icing can be held at room temperature for 2-3 days, refrigerated for up to a week and frozen for up to 3 months.
- Pour the water off the surface of the icing before using.
Fondant Icing is used to ice Classic Petit Fours, napoleons and donuts.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.
Poured Fondant Icing Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz water (½ cup)
- 3 oz light corn syrup (¼ cup)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 20 oz confectioner sugar (5 cups)
Instructions
- Combine the water, corn syrup, vanilla and salt in a medium sauce pan, bring to a boil.4 oz water, 3 oz light corn syrup, ½ tsp vanilla extract, ⅛ tsp salt
- Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the sugar.20 oz confectioner sugar
- The icing should be slightly warmer than body temperature and the consistency of thick cream. If you dip a spoon into the fondant it should cover with a slightly translucent finish. Use the fondant immediately or store in the refrigerator, well covered.
- If the fondant cools below 100°F, rewarm gently. If the icing gets too thick add a few drop of water at a time until it's thinned to the proper consistency. If it gets too thin, add a little more sugar.
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What is the lemon extract for if you want almond flavor?
There is no lemon extract in this recipe, but there is vanilla for flavoring. If you want to make almond flavored icing you can add almond extract instead.
Could you use this for cake pucks instead of chocolate?
I asked someone who makes them and they were quite rude saying they would taste foul!
I don’t know what cake pucks are. Can you describe them?
Can this be used for cake pops? I have a friend who’s allergic to chocolate and I want to make her cake pops but wrapping each individual cake pop with fondant seems tedious! Lol
Yes!
Hi,just wondered if I added white colouring it would be less translucent.
Hmmm, I couldn’t say. I haven’t used white food coloring.
Once the cakes are covered do they freeze successfully fully decorated?
Thanks
No, I would not freeze a cake with poured fondant. It’s very likely the fondant would pick up moisture and become runny.
I don’t necessarily want to leave a rating, per se. Unfortunately, despite following the recipe exactly, these did not set up. They are wet HOURS after being coated. I was making the petit fours for mother’s day, so it’s kind of a bummer.
I’m wondering if we were meant to bring to a boil and hold for a certain amount of time? The recipe just says ‘bring to a boil’. This is the first time I’ve had a recipe go so poorly. (Like, don’t worry, they still TASTE good, but they’re very squidgy now, which is just..you know, not the intended outcome.)
I can’t say what could’ve gone wrong. I’ve never had trouble with this icing setting up. Did you weigh your ingredients? Were the petite fours possibly frozen when they were iced?
This is a glaze recipe, not a fondant. It will not have the nice chew you probably wanted and it will get runnier the more layers you add. You need to do the soft ball fondant recipe or better yet Amazon sells a super fine sugar product you add water to and it is what donut makers use for Their cake donuts (not the glazed donuts). Petit goes are a pain to make but you can’t take a shortcut on the fondant. Good luck.
You can, in fact, take a shortcut on the fondant icing. As seen in the photos in this post that’s exactly what I did and got nice results. As a pastry chef I’m well aware that this icing is not the same as a real fondant. As I stated in the post “Even though I will readily admit that this simple Fondant Icing is not really a true fondant, and it honestly doesn’t have the beautiful sheen of a real fondant icing, it is a good compromise for the home baker who wants to make Petit Fours, Napoleons or a glazed Bundt Cake.” The point of this recipe is that true fondant is difficult to make and work with. This icing is a nice compromise for a home baker.
Is this poured fondant recipe a good option for cupcakes at an outdoor summer event in heat? Will it melt in hot weather? Thanks
Well, if it’s hot and humid enough the fondant may sweat. If the temperature is moderate and it’s not too humid it should hold up.
I think your measurement of the sugar is off – you say 20 Oz (5 cups). But 5 cups is actually 40 Oz. So which is it?
Confectioner’s (powdered) sugar weighs half as much as granulated sugar for the same volume. A cup of powdered sugar weighs 4oz.
I want to now how to decorate with foundation icing because I try but I get fill
Sorry, I don’t understand your question.
@Eileen Gray, really, you couldn’t understand that questions? h ha
Can I use this recipe to mold shapes of flowers etc for a birthday cake?
No, this is a pouring fondant. You want to use Rolled Fondant for making decorative pieces.
@Eileen Gray, would this icing on top of a cake make the cake soggy?
It shouldn’t.
@Adamandia, gumpaste is the best for making cake decorations. I have gumpaste recipe that is best for hot and cold weather. I can share it with you if want.
I am going to try this recipe. Was curious if i can use this recipe to frost donuts and would i be able to freeze them? Thankyou
The easiest frosting for donuts is a simple powdered sugar glaze. Combine 2 cups (8oz) of powdered sugar with about 3 tablespoons of liquid. Could be lemon juice, water, milk. You can add a little vanilla extract to flavor the glaze. It should be the texture of heavy cream. Dip the donuts while they’re still warm. I would freeze the donuts prior to glazing. Reheat the donuts in a low oven then dip them while they’re still warm. You could freeze them after glazing but the icing would likely melt as they donuts defrost.
Hello!
I’m making black and white cookies and want a smooth, non-sticky, opaque fondant-y icing and no clumps. How would you expect this recipe to hold up?
Many thanks.
Here’s my recipe for Black and White cookies with the icing recipe included.
I don’t know if you are still keeping track of this feed but any recommendations for a soft chocolate fondant. BTW this recipe works amazing
Hi. I check comments on the website every day! Do you mean a recipe similar to this one, but chocolate? Try replacing 1/2 cup of the sugar with cocoa powder and see how that works.
Can you use corn flour/starch instead of corn syrup? I don’t know where to source it in Tenerife.
No, you need the syrup to give the fondant viscosity and shine. You could try another type of syrup such as Golden Syrup or rice syrup. If the syrup is amber colored it could tint the icing a little.
How about glucose syrup? I use that in the UK.
Yes, that’s fine.
Can i substitute the corn syrup?
With what? The corn syrup helps keep the fondant soft and flexible.
I use Lyle’s Golden Syrup and it performs the same as corn syrup in this sort of recipe. It just makes the icing a little less of a bright white.
Thanks for the tip.
@Karima, you could substitute liquid glucose for the corn syrup and because it’s colourless, it won’t affect the look of your fondant icing. The additionally some glycerin will create shine.
Love it and i need the book