Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Fondant Baseballs

I just got my first request for a baseball-themed cake! As with the cupcakes for the Super Bowl party, I want to make sure every part of it is edible; I don't want people to choke on tiny plastic sports equipment stuck in the icing. I decided to start relatively easy and make some baseballs out of fondant. To make about a dozen balls, I started with about one-and-a-half golf balls worth of my fondant from scratch. I used clear vanilla and some Wilton White White Icing Color in this batch, just to make sure it's as white as possible: 
I rolled out a log about 1/2" thick on the counter. Don't roll logs between your hands; they won't be as smooth as they are when you roll them out between your fingertips and a flat surface. 
Use a spatula or sharp knife to cut 1/2" pieces (or approximately the length of the width of the log). 
Roll these pieces into balls (you can do this step between your hands) and let them dry on a surface dusted with a 50/50 mixture of powdered sugar and cornstarch. I used the reverse side of my practice board for piping; it has a very good nonstick surface.
To draw the "stitches" the red Wilton FoodWriter Edible Color Marker is perfect. 
It has a very fine tip and is a true red.
I started by making a loose "C" shape of dots…
 …and then turned the ball around and did the same thing opposite it.
 Then I connected these two curved dotted paths with another curved dotted path, and another just like it on the opposite side.
Then I made a column of "V" shapes, with the tip of the "V" on the dot, that went all the way around the ball. Wipe the tip of the pen clean on a paper towel when you're finished.
Here's the final product: a cheap, edible baseball that will look perfect on a cupcake, a cake border; wherever! Watch for more baseball-themed paraphernalia in the coming days; I'm really going to try to make this cake sweet!

2 comments:

  1. VERY cute!!! I like your work! And I would LOVE to learn how to make a great fondant covering for a cake, rolled out and then put on a cake. Do you know of a good class for it?

    Thanks! And keep up the good work!

    Joan

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  2. Hey, Joan! You pretty much can't go wrong with the Wilton classes offered at Michael's; they're inexpensive, and once you're enrolled you get discounts on all the class supplies (and if you sign up to receive emails from Michael's you get more coupons than you know what to do with). I learned how to cover cakes with fondant by watching and copying everybody on Cake Boss, and by doing a YouTube search for videos on the subject.
    Thanks for your lovely comment!

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