How To Store Fondant

Last Updated on May 25, 2022 by

How To Store Fondant. Fondant is a beautiful form of icing for sculpting and decorating cakes. It’s composed of sugar, water, corn syrup, and glycerol, and it resembles dough or clay when rolled. It may also be poured and used as a dessert filling. Fondant is made by saturating water with sugar. When water is brought to a boil, it can retain double the amount of sugar at room temperature. You combine them in a pot until they form a soft ball. Then you roll it out and adorn your cake with it.

Fondant should always be maintained at room temperature to keep it malleable and straightforward to work with. Avoid keeping it in the refrigerator or freezer since it will become hard and difficult to deal with. Roll fondant into a ball or log for storage. Cut-out shapes and rolled-out sheets may also be stored. To keep it fresh, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container.

How To Store Fondant

Step 1: Fondant moisturization

To keep the moisture in, it’s preferable to place a little coating of shortening on the top of your fondant, whether pre-made or homemade. This will keep the fondant wet around the borders since even if you wrap it tightly, the fondant may dry up, and the center remains moist.

This is something we want to avoid at all costs. However, if the edges continue to dry up, you may chop them off with a little knife and then begin kneading the fondant. Before kneading the fondant, rub a tiny bit of shortening into your hands to provide moisture and restore flexibility.

Step 2: Fondant Wrapping

It’s critical to keep the fondant out of the air unless you’re working with it. If you’re dealing with fondant, work with a little amount at a time unless you’re covering a whole cake. Cover the leftover fondant so it doesn’t dry out after you’ve used what you need for the complete cake or the embellishments that will go on the outside of the cake. Fondant dries quickly, particularly if it’s left unwrapped on the counter.

When fondant is exposed to air, it becomes very difficult to work with because it begins to crumble and develop cracks on the top, which looks terrible. You could use seal wrap like [easyazon_link identifier=”B00KKC6C2I” locale=”US” tag=”realikal-20″]Glad Press ‘n Seal[/easyazon_link]Wrap to ensure that the fondant is covered without air pockets.

Place the fondant in a zip lock bag with the date and time it was created on it once it has been covered with cling or press and seal film. This will help you remember the expiry date, three months after the day it was produced. After putting everything in a zip lock bag, put everything in a container to keep it tidy and organized in the cabinet.

Step 3: Where Should You Keep Your Fondant?

It’s also good to keep fondant out of direct sunlight to keep its wetness, freshness, and suppleness. Your fondant may fade and lose its color if exposed to bright light. Darker hues, such as blues, red, black, green, and purple, are more likely to be affected.

This is commonly seen on bakery display cakes. Cakes in the display window are exposed to intense sunshine, fading their color.

Fondants should be stored in a dark, cool area, such as a pantry or storage cabinet. Also, maintain the temperature in that location temperate to prevent the fondant from drying out.

When it comes to storing fondant that has to dry, it’s ideal to put your fondant work on a sheet pan lined with [easyazon_link identifier=”B09JSWNCMJ” locale=”US” tag=”realikal-20″]Unbleached Parchment Paper Roll for Baking[/easyazon_link]. Small pieces may take up to 24 hours to dry, while bigger ones might take 48 hours. It’s also good to mix a little Gum-Tex Powder into your fondant to speed up the drying process.

Step 4: Protecting Fondant Against Extreme Heat

It’s important to prevent rapid temperature fluctuations after your cakes have been coated with fondant. This might result in the cake expanding and losing its form. Air bubbles build underneath the fondant, causing it to expand outward, which isn’t good.

This happens to people multiple times, particularly during the summer. The temperature in the kitchen is usually considerably warmer than the temperature inside the refrigerator. As soon as you removed the cake from the fridge, you realized that it was bulging outwards, and all of your hard work in getting the edges crisp had gone to waste.

To correct this, drill a tiny hole in the air bubble to let the air out and allow the fondant to adhere to the cake firmly. You will also note that when cakes are quickly heated from cold to hot, they begin to sweat, not desirable. Nobody wants a sweaty, dripping cake. To avoid any of these things from occurring to your cake, make sure that your ambient temperature is near the cake’s temperature.

Step 5: Keep Your Fondant Out Of The Water

Water is one of the fondant’s deadliest enemies. Water will dissolve the sugar in fondant, causing it to lose its flavor and flexibility. Keeping the fondant away from any water source, such as a sink, is advisable since any drops may make it sticky and difficult to work with. If you get a little water on your fondant, knead a little powdered sugar into it to help it return to its former condition. Use water only on fondant to adhere ornamental molded fondant pieces to a cake.

This may be done with water, and you only need a tiny quantity since a little goes a long way. You want to use a little amount because the surplus water will roll into the cake if you use too much, making it difficult to remove a completed cake.

Does Fondant Harden on its Own?

It will harden when the fondant is exposed to air, but how soon depends on the humidity and air temperature. It takes longer to dry in humid settings. When you make cake decorations, you need to let them harden to keep their shape. Before you can paint or design the fondant on the cake, it must first dry.

A fondant cake cannot be stored in the refrigerator or freezer because it will absorb moisture. It will melt and become goopy when you remove it, losing its clean, professional appearance. You’ll need to find another technique to help it dry, then keep it at room temperature until you’re ready to serve it.

Tips for Using Fondant

Fondant may be flavored, molded, twisted, sculpted into ornamental things, and tinted, making it a flexible option to adorn your cake. A sticky surface should be applied beforehand to ensure that the fondant adheres to the cake. You may use buttercream, which will help it stay and taste great.

Before applying rolled fondant to the cake, it must be entirely cold. This will assist in compacting the crumbs and strengthening the cake. Because fondant is made of sugar, it must be applied to the cake within a few days after serving. If you make it too far ahead of time, the moisture in the cake may cause it to break down.

How Long Does Fondant Last?

Knowing how long something will survive is vital whether you’re considering whether to eat that week-old cake or make fondant ahead of time. The last thing you want is for you or someone else to eat old or potentially dangerous food.

Homemade fondant may be kept for up to two months if not used. Due to extra preservatives, store-bought fondant may last up to two years. However, once applied to a dish, fondant has a shelf life of about 3-4 days. 

How Far Ahead Of Time Can You Prepare Fondant?

Depending on your schedule, fondant may be created up to two months ahead of time. It is suggested that you produce your fondant for your anticipated cake or pastry consumption ahead of time. Fondant should be created at least 24 to 48 hours ahead of time to accommodate any unforeseen faults during the baking process.

Purchase readymade fondant to make your job simpler. Although more convenient, it will come at a larger cost and the risk of not having the colors you need for your work.

How Long Does Fondant Keep In The Refrigerator?

Because of the ingredients used, certain cakes and pastries must be refrigerated. For example, if there is fresh fruit in the meal, it is crucial to maintain it at a colder temperature rather than at room temperature.

If keeping your fondant-covered dessert at room temperature isn’t an option, you may preserve it in the fridge for up to 3 days. However, keep in mind that moisture is tough to remove from your meal. Cover with plastic wrap and store in a corrugated cardboard container if possible.

Conclusion on How To Store Fondant

You’ll be able to generate a significant inventory of handmade or pre-made fondant now that you know how to store fondant. When compared to dry and crumbly fondant, wet and elastic fondant is simpler to work with.

Remember that correctly storing fondant will enable you to work at a much quicker speed, finishing cake projects more quickly, particularly if you have a lot of them to produce in a week.