How to Make Delicious Chocolate Fondant

Fondant is the medium of choice for many cake decorators because of its limitless design possibilities. But fondant is notorious for having a less-than-appealing flavor. This chocolate fondant recipe lets cake decorators explore all kinds of design ideas with the added feature of fantastic flavor. Not only does it taste great, but it’s also easy and inexpensive to make.

Cake by Erin Gardner, image via Kate Preftakes Photography

About this chocolate fondant recipe

I used a bittersweet chocolate here, but this marshmallow chocolate fondant recipe will also work with dark, milk or white chocolate. Softer chocolates, like milk or white, may require a tad more powdered sugar to bring the fondant together. Leave out the cocoa powder if you’re making white chocolate fondant. Chocolate fondant can be tinted with gel food coloring, just the same as you’d tint traditional fondant.

Use chocolate fondant just as you would use traditional fondant to cover cakes, sculpt figures or make molded shapes.

Chocolate fondant recipe

Adapted from Jessica Harris’s Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

Ingredients

• 16 ounces mini marshmallows
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 
• 2 pounds powdered sugar

Step 1: Melt the marshmallows

Coat a heatproof spatula and the inside of a medium-sized bowl with pan spray. Combine the marshmallows and water in the greased bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, then stir well. Continue to microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until all the marshmallows are melted.

All images via ErinBakes.com

Coat a heatproof spatula and the inside of a medium-sized bowl with pan spray. Combine the marshmallows and water in the greased bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, then stir well. Continue to microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until all the marshmallows are melted.

Step 2: Microwave the chocolate mixture

In a small heatproof bowl, combine the chocolate, cocoa powder, salt and corn syrup. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then stir. Return the bowl to the microwave and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Step 3: Add the shortening

Add the shortening to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Don’t worry about making the mixture smooth. This is just to soften the shortening and bring everything to the same temperature.

Step 4: Combine the chocolate mixture, marshmallows and sugar

Add the chocolate mixture to the melted marshmallows. Stir until the mixture is mostly uniform in color. Add half of the powdered sugar and stir until combined. Don’t worry if any lumps remain — they’ll be broken up in the kneading process.

 Step 5: Knead the mixture

Pour the remaining powdered sugar onto your work surface. Grease your hands with pan spray or shortening and use them to scrape the marshmallow mixture onto the mound of powdered sugar. Knead the mixture, absorbing as much sugar as the mixture will hold, until a smooth dough forms.

Wrap the finished fondant tightly with two layers of plastic wrap and then place in a zip-top bag to rest overnight. Use the fondant within six weeks or before the expiration date on the bag of marshmallows.