Help! Dusty fondant
Hi there! I’ve only been decorating cakes for a couple of months, and one problem I keep coming up with is having dusty fondant. I use shortening and some powdered sugar when rolling out my fondant, and it works fine, but when I’m finished making my decorations, there’s still a layer or smudges of powdered sugar. I’ve tried dusting off with a clean paintbrush, and I’ve also tried using a very slightly damp paper towel, but that just ends up with sticky fondant. Does anyone have any ideas?
14 Replies
Rub with some shortening like Crisco or trex. It will eventually absorb in, but should help.
I use Vodka to remove the powder. Works well
Yep, alcohol… Vodka, Pure Grain Alcohol, even lemon extract will do the trick.
Jenniffer White, Cup a Dee Cakes - http://cupadeecakes.blogspot.com
I steam my cakes, it makes them clean and gives a bit of a glossy look
I don’t really use icing sugar much for rolling and modelling the less you use the better you shouldn’t really need it if you have a good rolling pin non stick (not wood) I mix in glycerin into my icing sometimes and find this helps or maybe rub shorting on to the surface you are rolling on to and on to your rolling pin rather than icing sugar to stop sticking. I use 2 smoothers on my cake when getting my finish I dust a little amount of icing sugar on one smoother and then rub the two flat sides together tap them off and this is just enough, if you keep working and smoothing for long enough it works in try doing the smoothing for longer. When making your figures use a little cornflour instead this if find is easier to dust off. but always as little as possible. Or any of the above. Hope this helps.
Elizabeth Miles Cake Design
Thank you all so much for replying! I’ve tried vodka but I found there was a wet spot where the sugar used to be and it stays even after it has dried. Steaming sounds interesting, but I don’t know how to do that.
With the shortening, do I rub it all over the fondant or just the dusty spots?
Use a spare piece of pliable fondant and flatten one side against the table top. Then use this to gently wipe around the sides of the cake and it will absorb any powder left on the surface. Also cornflour is easier to use and get rid of than icing sugar.
gateaux de mandy
On YouTube: search “How To Steam Cake Toppers:The Krazy Cool Way”, I use this technique to steam my cakes
I was just going to say what Galyna said! I watched the “How to Steam Cake Toppers: The Krazy Cool Way” as well. The steamer is only $19.00 and works perfectly!
I purchased a mini steamer from amazon, very inexpensive and so easy yo use.
I lightly steam my cakes and it gets all the marks off leaving a lovely clean finish to the cake, just leave it for a while after steaming and it dries perfect.
Hope this helps :) xx
Deborah, Nottinghamshire
