Ask Nancy Archives
Do you have a baking, decorating or celebrating question for Nancy? Now is your chance to have it answered.
Check here each month, Nancy will select ten questions submitted by viewers and posting her answers here.
Rolled Fondant Questions
Do I need to ice my cake before I put on fondant?
Jennifer - from New York, NY
What is the difference between fondant and buttercream icing?
Angela - from Lansing, MI
When making fondant bows, the loops on my bows tend to break easily, how can I prevent this?
Diane - from Tyrone, PA
I have trouble getting the fondant onto a cake that is more than 10 inches wide. I try wrapping it around the rolling pin, but it always has stretched spots and breaks.
Laurie - from Winnipeg, ME
I saw a recipe for fondant adhesive. What is it used for and how?
Diana - from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
When making a fondant-covered cake, can I use pound cake and another cake mix together to get a cake that will hold up to the weight of the fondant and taste good?
Lisa - from Shallotte , NC
What is fondant? Can I make it myself?
Louise - from Machipongo, VA
What do I mix with food color to make a brush on color for fondant that dries to the touch?
Delilah - from Kerrville, TX
I am making a cake for my mother's upcoming 50th birthday party and I need to make black fondant. I know with icing to use chocolate and then dye that black but what do you do with fondant to make it black? Please help.
Sandra - from Parlin, NJ
What do you put into Rolled Fondant to make it stiff enough to hold the shape of a bow? Also, can fondant ribbon roses or other decorations be added to cakes frosted with buttercream icing?
Julie - from El Mirage, AZ
When you prepare your cake with buttercream icing before covering with fondant, how thick should the icing be?
Cynthia - from Durham, NC
How do you make apricot glaze? And, how can I keep the fruit looking fresh on the top of my cake?
Kim - from Sugarland, TX
What is the appropriate thickness fondant should be rolled to when covering cakes?
Jenn - from Charlotte, NC
Can I ice my cake with whipped cream before covering with fondant?
Sanaz - from Tehran, Iran
How do I smooth out the fondant – no seams – on my fondant-covered cakes?
Lisa - from East Brunswick, NJ
Hi, Nancy, I love your show and I have just started cake decorating. I was wondering how long can I keep rolled fondant that has been tinted with different colors?
Bridget - from Marystown, MN
When I cover a cake with fondant, I have excess fondant, like a ruffle, as I get near the base of the cake. How do I get rid of the excess and create smooth, seamless sides?
Kathy - from Wichita, KS
Is it ok to eat fondant icing?
Whitney - from Crookston, MN
After tinting fondant black, it fell apart when I tried to put it on a Styrofoam cake dummy. Please tell me what I am doing wrong.
Shirley - from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Can I add food coloring to fondant?
Janeen - from Houston, TX
How do I stick fondant cutouts to fondant covered cakes?
Maria - from Doral, FL
Nancy, can I use buttercream icing on a cake, then add a fondant bow without covering the cake in fondant?
Cathey - from Camden, AR
I'd like to add fondant stars to a cake to make it look like they're shooting off the cake. Any safe ways you can think of to add these stars to a fondant-covered cake?
Karen - from S.F., NY
Hi, Nancy. How can I soften fondant?
Tracy - from Newport News, VA
Is there a difference between fondant and gum paste? If so, can gum paste be worked with the same as fondant?
Jen - from Norfolk, VA
Can I flavor fondant? What would I use?
Jeannie - from Carlisle, IA
Hi Nancy. I was wondering if there is a product that could be used in home made fondant that would have the same effect as gum tex in store bought fondant. I always find that my fondant is too soft for cut outs and will not dry the same as store bought.
Bridget - from Marystown, Newfoundland/Labrador
How can I achieve black fondant? When I color it, it turns grey.
Liz - from Soledad, CA
I understand that buttercream seems to be the most popular base for fondant covered cakes. However, can I use whipped chocolate ganache? What alternatives are there?
Anita - from Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
After covering a cake with fondant, can I put it in the refrigerator? I have a cake covered with fondant and the filling is strawberry and whipped cream. What should I do?
Cassia - from Torrance, CA
How do I get the fondant on a cake perfectly flat? Wouldn't it cause creases if you keep pushing it down?
Jael - from Seattle , WA
I need to make a cake for a Saturday morning party. I will be making a pineapple butter cake, with a buttercream icing crumb coating, then covering the cake with fondant on Friday night. Should I keep it in the refrigerator over night?
Ashwini - from Middletown, CT
I am planning to do a cake for my sister's baby shower. I really want to do a lady bug cake to match her invitations and everything else using fondant but have never used that before. Any tips?
Elizabeth - from Seattle, WA
Can I use buttercream icing to place dried fondant cutouts on a fondant covered cake?
Kim - from Mississauga, OK
Besides the Easy-Glide Fondant Smoother, is there any other way to smooth out fondant?
Connie - from Alameda, CA
After you have applied a layer of fondant on a cake, how do you get the sugar/cornstarch marks off and make the true color come through?
Brenda - from Lawrenceville, GA
I am just starting to make fondant-covered tiered wedding cakes. I recently made a tiered cake and noticed that the bottom tier started to sag. I used plastic dowels for stronger support. What can I do to prevent this from happening again?
Pamela - from Fremont, CA
How do you measure the appropriate thickness of fondant?
Rose - from lome, Togo
How can I achieve a smooth finish on the sides of a layer cake when covering it with Ready to Use Rolled Fondant?
Sarra - from West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
I watch people making amazing wedding cakes on TV all the time and see how much they work with fondant. How do you color the fondant, and what do you use for the crystals on flower petals?
Jessica - from Alamogodro, NM
How do I get rid of the air bubbles when I’m making marshmallow fondant? Any way to prevent it from getting into my fondant from the start?
Reem - from Dubai, U.A.E
I see the ingredient glucose in the fondant recipe, but when I search for it, it is not listed anywhere. In what form do I use glucose? Can you help?
Marge - from Galva, IL
I have a coloring book page that I want to transfer the pattern and cut it out of fondant, then lay it on the cake. Please help!
Macy - from Mount Vernon, WA
When un-stacking my fondant cake to cut it, the fondant on the bottom tier sticks to the cardboard on the top tier. How can I prevent this?
Monica - from Burton, OH
Nancy, I was wondering, when making a fondant-covered cake, do you cool the cake, crumb coat it then cool it, or what?
Catie - from Orlando, FL
When I make flowers out of fondant, do I let them dry at room temperature or in the refrigerator? I tried it once and the flowers dried then got soft again.
Natalie - from Columbia, MD
What types of cakes hold up best for fondant?
Lisa - from Janesville, WI
How long will a fondant bow keep? How far ahead can I make it?
Susan - from Naperville, IL
I would rather cover a cake in modeling chocolate than rolled fondant. Has it been done? If so, what recipe would you use?
Rachael - from St. Augustine, FL
I recently made my first batch of Marshmallow Fondant. Wonderful stuff, but it had a somewhat grainy texture when I tasted it. Any suggestions for a smoother texture?
Jaimie - from Round Rock, TX
I've been looking for flora satin waterproof ribbon to put at the bottom of each layer of my wedding cake and have been unable to find the color I need. (navy blue) I was wondering if I could use dark blue fondant instead? Will this bleed onto the white cake?
Leigh Ann - from Dallas, TX
When you make your fondant strips for bows how do you get them to stay up, mine fall down.
Helen - from Charleston, WV
Nancy, I have read on here to not put fondant in the fridge. Does that mean when its on a cake or just anytime. I have leftover fondant from a cake I did last weekend and would like to use it for decorations for my cake this weekend. It has been in the fridge ever since in double wraped plastic. Is it still safe to use? Thank you!
Maegan - from Dallas, TX
how do i keep fondant from drying out while working with it?
stan - from Alexandria, KY
Nancy, is it true that we can only use fondant on dry cakes, not on any ice cream cake or any cake that is humid, and that we can’t put the fondant away in the refrigerator?
Deanna - from Guanajuato, Mexico
I recently made my first batch of Marshmallow Fondant. What I’d like to know is how to get it to stiffen up like store-bought rolled fondant without hardening it too much. Is using cream of tartar or gum tex a good idea? Or do you have a better suggestion?
Sherese - from Chicago, IL
What type of icing is best for under fondant?
Zoe - from New Glarus, WI
How do I keep fondant moist while working with it?
Brianna - from Atlanta, GA
My mom always made homemade candy using fondant, and I am now making it. I cook the mixture to soft ball stage, then let it cool a little before beating it until it turns white. Is the fondant for cakes and candy different?
Rich - from Sacramento, CA
I have not worked with fondant before and the cake my daughter wants is decorated with it. Can fondant be used on a layer cake made with boxed cake mix? I’ve seen you mention to use pound cake, but my daughter doesn’t like it. What should I do?
Tracy - from Durand , MI
Why does my fondant sweat? It looks like it has water bubbles.
Lilian - from Port Harcourt, MD
Can fondant be restored to softness once it hardens? Can I try glycerine? Thank you Nancy, I love your show!
Janet - from Caguas, Puerto Rico
How do you make the leaves on the Weeping Willow Cake stay on?
Lilli - from Atlanta, GA
Is fondant the same as what they call in the UK marzipan? They look the same.
Laura - from Seville, Spain
If you use a chocolate buttercream to ice a cake, will it come through white fondant?
Tameka - from Orlando, FL
Nancy, I love your show and my 10-year-old daughter and I tivo it and watch it on weekends so that we can bake your beautiful cakes together. My question: before you put your fondant on the cakes, most of the cakes appear powdered (on the show)… is this flour?
Kristin - from Sonoma, CA
How long in advance can a fondant-covered cake, with buttercream crumb coat, be made and stored at room temperature?
Paula - from Pleasant Hill, CA
Hi, I am a fan of your show and I’m just 14 years old. I would like to know, what is the best cake to use when decorating with fondant?
Irene - from Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico