Fondant Painting!

Happy Monday everyone! It's been back-to-back birthday cakes this month...I guess it's birthday season! For today's tip, I want to talk about a different technique for decorating fondant. I know everyone's big on creating characters out of rice krispy treats and making tiered birthday cakes for the "wow factor," but I prefer spending my time on making a cake that's delicious and pretty. When it comes to big parties, you don't actually need a big cake. Very few people actually want to be tied down to a big honking slice while mingling.

That being said, last weekend my baby celebrated his FIRST birthday and I had to do something special! After researching some tips, I decided to try painting dye onto fondant to create his favorite book characters (drawing cartoons happens to be my specialty). To do this, mix your favorite dye colors (I always prefer gels) and a splash of vodka (for hold), use a clean paint brush, and paint your design onto the fondant. I rolled my fondant on a mat, made sure it wouldn't break when I picked it up (run an offset spatula underneath so it doesn't stick), and painted a design. You need to continually wet your brush with the dye and work slowly for a well-drawn line. I free-handed a cut around the outside, and let it dry overnight. Remember if you leave fondant out uncovered it hardens a bit, thus becoming more breakable. If your paint isn't runny, the other option is to put it directly on the fondant after painting, so you can place it where you want it/bend it before letting it dry.

Happy baking!