November 12, 2010

Recipe - Red Marshmallow Fondant (MMF)


Alas, I needed to make another batch of red MMF for a Toy Story Cake and decided to try making it with candy melts instead of Jello (see one of my posts about using Jello including tips and tricks).  Also, with Crisco greased hands and a camera, carefully wrapped in saran wrap, I took photos of the step by step.

Ingredients:
10oz Generic Mini Marshmallows (since I didn't need an entire batch)
Approximately 1 1/2 lbs. C&H Powdered Sugar, Sifted (the generic stuff tends to be grainy)
4oz (approximately 1/2 Cup) melted Wilton Red Candy Melts
1/3 tsp Americolor Super Red (very little, less than what I use on a Red Velvet Cake!)
1 Tbsp Water

Visit my page for additional instructions, tips, information:  Marshmallow Fondant MMF Recipes

Here are the step by step photos:


The Candy Melts!


1) Melt the candy melts
2) Melt the marshmallows separately


Add the melted candy melts into the melted marshmallows


Add any additional coloring to achieve the color you want


Stir it all together


All combined marvelously


Pour mixture over the sifted Powdered Sugar


Knead and knead until all combined


Coat well with shortening, double wrap with saran wrap and store in an air tight container to set and until ready to use.
 
Ta-da!  And this is the red right after making it next to a red LEGO brick.  Easy-peasy!


Note:  Using candy melts or chocolate makes the MMF very pliable:  No need to add any corn syrup to it.  When using it to cover a cake with, roll it out and let it sit for a few minutes (2-3 minutes) to rest and stiffen a little bit making it easier to roll up and unroll over a cake.

🖶 June 2013 Update:  You can now download and print the recipe (click here): Angela's MMF with Candy Melts Recipe


81 comments:

  1. I want to try this! :) I need black fondant so I might and try to make it with either dark chocolate or black chocolate melts:) Going to try it again but with chocolate and my kitchenaid lol :)

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  2. I saw some black Candy Melts at the store the other day and would love to try making black MMF with it the next time I need it.

    As for the kitchen aid, I tried it but after spending time sifting the PS by hand, the kitchen aid ended up compacting it against the sides and the bottom of the bowl and I ended up with clumps of it in the mmf - hated it! Went right back to making it by hand with no worries.

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  3. OMG-Forgot that important bit! I used approximately 1.5 lbs. It took a little more sugar than making the regular MMF.

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  4. Such a great idea, I make MMF but have never thought of adding candy melts. Must try.

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  5. I used this method to make a rainbow of brightly colored fondant for a bounce house cake. The fondant came out beautiful and the colors were really vivid. I got tons of compliments both on the cake and on the flavor of the fondant--KJ

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  6. May I know, is it possible to make fondant marshmellow like the above without candy melt? sorry i really don't know, i am new in the world of fondant. thanks :)

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  7. KJ - Wonderful news! Yay!

    Lena - Yes, it is possible to make MMF without candy melts - I make it all the time and the recipe can be found here: http://sugarsweetcakesandtreats.blogspot.com/2010/09/recipe-marshmallow-fondant-mmf.html

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  8. What a great idea. The photos help so much - thanks! Hmmm, I wonder if the Wilton dark chocolate candy melts could be used the same way to make chocolate/brown mmf? The cocoa powder versions always crack for me. -KP

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  9. Have you made a full batch yet? If so, what are the amounts of each ingredient?

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  10. Hi Cat, I haven't made a full batch yet, when it comes to chocolate and candy melts I'm a bit frugal and only make what I need. If you were going to make it with a full, 16oz bag of marshmallows, use around 5-6oz chocolate/candy melts - no more or else it'll get too stretchy (just from experience, a little less is better).

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  11. Love your cake! Could you substitute Wilton no taste red coloring for the Americolor? -M

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  12. Yes, you can use the Wilton one too.

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  13. I am making MMF this weekend, my daughter wants a red and black cake (of course she couldn't pick easy colors!) I can't find black candy melts anywhere, (except online and it's too late for that) Do you know how I can make BLACK MMF without the black candy melts??? Please help!!! :-)

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  14. Black MMF can be made using chocolate candy melts and black coloring - it doesn't take much coloring. When it's soft, it looks like a very, dark chocolate but once dried, it looks black.

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  15. Does this need to be refrigerated overnight?
    -MR

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  16. It is always best to let the MMF rest a couple hours before using it - It helps with getting the sugar incorporated into the marshmallows and for the color to mature. You don't have to let it sit in the fridge - Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. If you do put it in the fridge, let it come back down to room temperature before using it.

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  17. ok, thanks so much!
    -MR

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  18. I have got to try this! you're a genius for thinking this up!

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  19. Amber - It's great but unfortunately, not my idea. I read about it on a forum on CakeCentral back in 2009 when researching ways to get red and black MMF and found out about Candy Melts or Jello but couldn't find much else about it and had to experiment and try it out (I bought Satin Ice once and hated the way it worked - too many hairline cracks).

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  20. Hi Angela, I want to try this, did you use any water to melt the MM? Thanks

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  21. Yes, add water. I added it to the ingredients as well as added written caption under each photo. Thank you!

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  22. I am SOOOOOO happy to have found this hints and tricks for better red and black MMF!

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  23. Hi, can I ask how long this MMF can be stored please? Can leftovers be frozen like normal fondant? Thank you.

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  24. Hi Sandy - yes, you can freeze MMF and let it come back down to room temperature before using it.

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  25. I just came across your blog, searching for a molding chocolate recipe. I have so far succeeded in making the MC AND MMF! I've tried other recipes of both before and never really had any good results, mainly because they were lacking the necessary helpful steps and hints your recipes have. So THANK YOU for keeping such a tedious blog! All of us hobby bakers really appreciate it! Look forward to seeing more of your beautiful and creative cakes! You rock!

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  26. AnonymousJuly 26, 2011

    Thanks for this. My son wants a fire truck cake for his 3rd birthday and so I need red - pink just won't do! Have you used the powdered food colorings at all? Those were recommended to me to use for darker colors....

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  27. I haven't used powdered colors for MMF and most of what I have are in lighter colors that I use to dust things with. I have heard the powdered colors work really well in getting really dark colors in Buttercream, should work with MMF too.

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  28. Hi, thanks for all the wonderful tutorial. I tried this recipe 2 days ago, for some reason is to sticky, i keep adding sugar to it, but still no luck. It taste really good, but i do not think i will be able to cover a cake or make any decoration with it. I do not know what when wrong in my recipe. I wonder if can still save it.

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  29. JK Sweet Creation - Stickiness is usually caused from too much liquid added. If adding more PS isn't helping, try making a little batch of regular MMF and combine them together (melt around 1/4 or 1/2 cup of marshmallows with just a sprinkle of water, add a little bit of PS to it just until it comes together, then knead it into what you already have). HTH.

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  30. I've gotta say, these are some of the best ideas I've heard regarding flavoring/tinting mmf! I really appreciate it!

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  31. I just tried this-perfect! I've been trying to make red fondant forever, it seems, with very little luck. This was quick, easy and a great shade of vibrant red. Thank you so much! Now, to finish my 3D pokeball cake!

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  32. Im wondering if using liquid red food colouring instead of water to start would help if no candy melts are available??

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  33. I will definitely try this! I'm making a Cars cake! I made black fondant for a Gothic Wedding cake and I got a beautiful black fondant by Kneading dark fondue chocolate melts into white fondant then adding black gel color with a toothpick until a very black color was achieved! It was easy and tasted good!

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  34. Hi thanks for the recipe. I was wondering will this harden up really well? And also about how much does your recipe make? Thanks you!

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  35. it does harden up really well. 2 lbs PS to 1 lb marshmallows makes almost 3 lbs of MMF.

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  36. Hello, thanks for the information. I get the emails and love to see what you've done lately. I was wonderng if you could tell me if once th MMF is on the cake the cake can be refrigerated for a day or two. I've read elsewhere not to refrigerate regular fondant but not sure if the same applies to MMF. Thanks.

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  37. I refrigerate my MMF cakes all the time without a problem. They do get a layer of condensation as they come back down to room temperature but it dries off within 2-3 hours (just don't touch it while it's drying). If your MMF tends to be on the soft side to begin with, it may not do well in the fridge and you may need to test it out. I don't use a lot of liquid or shortening in my recipe and it dries up nicely - just like the store bought fondant.

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  38. A big THANK YOU for sharing this recipe. First of all, I love the taste. My husband, who is very picky,(hates fondant & marshmallow fondant & royal icing)actually liked it! So this is what I had been searching for. Yeah! I made teacups and a teapot cookies and this gave them a porcelain like finish and set up nicely. I then took some of it and added equal parts to candy clay to mold rose buds and leaves. I pinned your link to my Pinterst to get the word out.

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  39. just wanted to add a tip for those asking about black fondant as i don't see this posted yet - i've used cocoa powder in lieu of some of the PS to get a nice brown MMF and then added the black gel colour until i get the colour i want. it turns out a really great rich black colour with much less of the actual colouring used. candy melts would be a fun idea to try tho - will try that in the future.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Deanna - the first time I tried to make black MMF, I used cocoa powder and didn't like it at all. Although it tasted and smelled really good (like a tootsie roll), it was very crumbly and I had hair line cracks everywhere. The consistency of the MMF using the candy melts is 100 times better and so easy to make too. Once you do it this way, you may never go back =D

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  40. Hi, and thank you for the recipe. Unfortunately for me, I didn't add the water until later than I should have...and ended up with a sticky mess! (Do you add it to the marshmallows before you melt??) I added the water after I had struggled to mix everything together (prior to the powdered sugar), so it was difficult to get it all out of the bowl and onto the powdered sugar. Anyway, I didn't have the red food coloring you mentioned, so I used Wilton no taste red--and used quite a bit. After mixing everything together, I still didn't have the shade I wanted but was nervous to add more color, as I've heard that even though it's "no taste" it does start to give the fondant a funny flavor after awhile. So my question is...is there an easy way to make the fondant more red after it has sat? (Mine is currently on the counter in plastic wrap). I'm hoping the color matures and I don't feel the need to add more once I open it up, but if I do decide I want it redder, is there any easy way to go about that? Thanks so much!

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    1. Yes, add a sprinkle of water to the marshmallows before you melt it - the water helps the marshmallows melt easier in the microwave. The Americolor Gel is really concentrated compared to the Wilton one and letting it sit should help. Did you use red candy melts too? If it tastes a bit bitter, you can add a few drops of flavoring such as lemon or pineapple. If you see my other post about MMF using Jello, I only used 1/2 bottle of the Wilton No Taste Red with cherry Jello (gave it a pink base to start with) and I still got a really nice red with it (as seen on my Red Ferrari Cake).

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    2. Yes, I did use red candy melts...I don't think I've used quite a half jar of the no-taste red yet, so if I decide I need more coloring, do I just knead a little more into the fondant? Will it distribute nicely that way?

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    3. Yes, just knead it in and you will be fine. If the fondant is hard or a little crumbly, zap it the microwave for about 7-9 seconds to help soften it up a little and make it easier to knead and roll out smoothly. Because of the candy melts in there, the MMF does dry harder and is crumbly when cold.

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    4. Thanks so much...I couldn't be happier with how the finished product turned out! I did knead a bit more red into the fondant (using about a half jar of the Wilton no taste red for that batch in total) and it turned out perfectly!

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  41. AnonymousMay 31, 2012

    My batch seems to be quite a bit less pliable than playdoh, and I realized I didn't add enough candy melts. Is this something I can still knead in?

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    1. If you want to add more candy melts, you have to make candy clay (modeling chocolate) first and knead that in - that way the textures are similar and can blend in easily. MMF with candy melts is more firmer and have to zap it in the microwave for 5 seconds to warm it up a bit to make it easier to knead and roll out.

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  42. AnonymousJune 11, 2012

    Do you know if you can get candy melts I. England or what's the equivalent? Also what is C & H powdered sugar? Is that something you an get from England? What is the advantage of MMF over fondant? Is it that it is a shinier texture?

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    1. Wilton sells the "Candy Melts" but you can get similar by CK or Merckens and they're called Chocolate Wafers or Candy Wafers. C&H is a brand of powdered sugar here in the States. Generic, store brands tend to be gritty and not melt as easier and I think it's called icing sugar in the UK or confectioners sugar. MMF is way cheaper to make than fondant and it tastes like marshmallows. No, it's not shinier unless you intend it to be just like you would with fondant.

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  43. Can I use red colored chocolate chip instead of red candy melts? That's because I didn't found candy melts anywhere.

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    1. Yes, they'll work - pretty much any type of chocolate, chips, melts or disks would work .

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  44. So, would this theoretically work with any dark color, like blue? I have a Captain America cake to make in two weeks, so I need red and blue fondant!

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    1. Yes =) Any color. I've even used White Chocolate to make a white chocolate tasting MMF.

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  45. hi angela
    first of all,HAPPY NEW YEAR!!all the best wishes for you and your family.!!
    i want to thank you very much for the help you bring to beginners in cake decorating,i ve found so much help in your blog,and i think you are very talented and very generous to share all your tips and advices;
    2 days ago,i ve tried your red MMF recipe with candy melts,i was so nervous about it,because i had failed with classic fondant recipe that i tried to color red!!! DISASTER!!!
    i was stressed,because i live on an island,and there s no way here to buy anything for cake decorating,i have to make everything by myself!
    and i had to make a red power rangers cake.
    well,this recipe is very good,it s a keeper,thks so much!!
    now,i have to try the modeling choc,i m interested since along time,but no time yet to give it a try;it seems to be yummier than fondant figurine,but i wonder if the hot and humid weather here is ok for that??
    well,i ll try soon .
    happy decorating
    vahiné island

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  46. Hello, I am trying to make the red MMF and followed your recipe to the letter, at least I thought so. When I combined the marshmallow and the red chocolates to the PS, all I got was a big dry mess. I even tried it again but used less PS and ended up with the same results. Do you have any suggestions to what I can do so that it comes out a beautiful red MMF. Thank you so much. Alicia

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  47. Hi Alicia, after melting the red candy melts, you add it to the melted marshmallows, stir to combine, add more food coloring to it if needed then add that entire mixture to the PS. At the beginning, it'll be sticky but after kneading and kneading the PS into it, you'll get a nice ball of fondant. I hope that helps. The only way I can think of getting a dry mess is maybe adding too much PS? I'm not sure.

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    1. Thank you Angela. I'll have to try it again. Do you know if adding corn syrup will help?

      By the way, I love love love your work.

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    2. corn syrup will make it more pliable. Just be careful since too much will make the marshmallow sag and be too soft.

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  48. Well...I tried it. Made a red and a blue (the coloring wound up being perfect). I used less than the 2# of PS, very little crisco (just enough in the bowl to keep the marshmallows from sticking, and on my hands at the last bit before wrapping it up). I stopped kneading, and the MMF was still a bit tacky (not sticky, though) We wrapped it in cling wrap & let it sit overnight, and had to zap it a few times in the microwave to soften...but somehow we wound up with a scaly-type appearance (and I didn't make near enough to cover our letters) :(. It got really, really hard though -- I can't imagine being able to cut through it to the cake. We must have done something wrong. I do know our red melts wouldn't melt (they just turned into a misshapen glob (they were HOT, though, and the hot marshmallows did take them). Anyhow...before I try this again, is there something I should try (do) differently? Should we add glycerine or something to help with the pliability? How do we keep it soft -- and/or get rid of the scaly appearance?

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    1. For MMF made with chocolate/candy melts, it does dry a little bit harder than straight MMF but it's softer than modeling chocolate and easy to cut through. I can't tell for sure what would make it so hard to cut through with a knife - maybe too much candy melts or overheated it? If you warm the MMF up too much in the microwave it looses it's elasticity and gets crumbly. Best thing is to only microwave a tennis ball size for no more than 10 seconds (I usually do 5-7 seconds). Then knead it up until it's soft and pliable. Also when making the MMF and melting the marshmallows, don't overheat it either - usually 1.5 minutes is plenty enough. Same with the candy melts. Everything has to be heated and melted slowly and stirring will help melt it all up evenly too. Glycerine will help make fondant more pliable if it's too stiff but I've never had to use it with the candy melt MMF - the oil in the chocolate or candy melts makes it pliable enough. As for the scaly appearance, it might be avoided it everything is properly melted and not overheated I'm guessing since I haven't experienced this to comment better.

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  49. You are brilliant! I made red, green and yellow fondants with candy melts using your recipe. They are all perfect! Thanks for sharing.

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  50. Bite I used Wilton no taste red and I had I use a LOT and its still not as red as I'd want. I'm hoping it darkens as it sets in. I was out of americolor. I definitely recommend it over Wilton gels

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  51. Thanks for this tip ... I always add a few candy melts to my MMF but never thought to use colored ones ... I find the give it a lovely texture and add to the taste :)

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  52. AnonymousMay 26, 2013

    I've been using mmf over a year now but I'm never able to get the sharp rounded style like your Ferrari cake, did you use the candy melts and will that stiffen up the mmf? Thanks and happy caking to you!

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    1. getting the sharp edges has to do with having sharp edges on your crumb coat layer. I ice my cakes upside down (I have a blog post about it) and it helps tremendously with getting sharp edges and straight sides with. Also, chilling your cake for about half an hour before you cover it with fondant helps keep the crumb coat stiff enough so that it won't droop and round off as you lay and smooth on the fondant (works with ganache, American BC, and IMBC/SMBC). The candy melts in the mmf does stiffen it up a little bit.

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  53. AnonymousJuly 16, 2013

    I need a deep red instead of bright red. Like arkasas razorback color. Do you know how I could acheive this??

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    1. You can add a tiny bit of burgundy or chocolate brown to deepen the color. To test it out, I would take a grape size piece of fondant and experiment on that piece by adding the burgundy color to it. If it looks like it's going in the right direction with the shade you want, then continue adding that color to the full batch. I always mix colors and play with shades to get the right tone for cakes and this is how I do it.

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  54. Can the candy melts work with other dark colors such as the blue candy melts being used to achieve a navy blue with food coloring. I always find that when I make a batch of fondant only to take some and add a dark color, I get and easily tearing fondant. And when I add either more PS or Crisco I only destroy it more.

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    1. Hi Nene. It'll work with any color. I've even made it using white chocolate for a white chocolate flavored MMF.

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    2. Thank you, I will give it a go. Love your blog by the way, truly inspiring especially for me, a newbie.

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  55. hi ms angela... ill be making a ferrari cake for my friends son... do you have any tutorial for the ferrari logo... thanks...

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  56. Hey Angela!!

    Thank you thank you thank youuuuu for this post!! Haven't tried it yet but looks amazing can wait to try it. However I have question, should I be specifically using C&H (PS) it's not sold in NJ at least I haven't seen it. Would it work fine using generic store brand PS?

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  57. AnonymousJuly 23, 2014

    Can you use chocolate icing instead of the candy melt or will it change the texture?

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    1. I don't think icing would work but then, I haven't tried it that way either. I have only made modeling chocolate with candy melts, real chocolate chips or candy bark.

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  58. I see no comments about roses. Will this allow me to mold roses and let them dry? Red roses..

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    1. MMF is soft and takes a very long time to dry. It's best to knead some tylose or gumtex into it (about a 1/4 teaspoon to a tennis ball size of MMF. That will make it more than like gumpaste and help it dry faster. Please note, straight gumpaste is best for flowers if you want to make them thin and last forever. But if you're making a few simple flowers and intend to eat them, this will work.

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    2. I used this to make the tiny roses on my niece's Alice in Wonderland cake. It worked well. Mind you, the roses were no more than a quarter inch big. I wouldn't use it for large flowers.

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