Marshmallow Fondant + Mini Layer Cakes (Vegan)
Have you ever fantasized having an entire cake all to yourself and eating it all in one sitting? OMG, me too! I have an idea, let’s do it for reals!
Okay, so my actual idea is a bit more reasonable than trying to take on a triple layer wedding cake and it doesn’t require competitive eating skills, but I think it’s still pretty awesome. Let’s make petit fours! Well, these are a little bigger than petit fours but you get the idea. Mini cakes for everyone!
So I’m sure at some point in your life we’ve all asked how we look and received the answer “it’s on the inside that counts”. Anyone? (Fine, maybe that was just me when I was going through my awkward stage and thought my bangs look perfectly fine hanging in my face, when in reality I looked like Cousin Itt.) You might have no clue what I’m talking about because you’re some kind of super model, but for those of you who do, you know it makes you feel like “Gee, thanks a lot!”. Well, that statement isn’t always a semi politely disguised insult and sometimes it’s even true. For example, as cute as these cakes are on their own, the best part of them is what’s in them, or rather what’s not in them.
And what isn’t in them is high-fructose corn syrup, or artificial colors, or any other unpronounceable junk. I used homemade coloring and this marshmallow fondant is made with homemade marshmallows (and one of my new favorite things ever, by the way)!
I’ve told you guys before that my mom and grandma are both really good with cakes right? Well, they are, and I’ve grown up playing with cake decorating all the time, plus my family is huge so every few weeks we have birthdays. That’s why I can’t believe I’ve never made marshmallow fondant before now. When I think of all the hours I’ve spent in my life trying and failing to get buttercream fondant to do what I want and not crumble and crack on me, wow. It’s pretty ridiculous.
Of course, I know that some people aren’t comfortable with candy making and I get that because it can be a little touchy. But really you guys, homemade marshmallows aren’t that big of a deal, and once you have them the fondant takes like ten minutes tops. However, you can use store-bought marshmallows if you must but I’d recommend natural ones.
Oh, and for the colors I used natural ones that I’ve made and have on hand. I’m a loser, I really want to do a post and show how I do it but I haven’t yet so I’m just going to tell you that: for the yellow all you need is a few sprinkles of turmeric dissolved in a little water, for the pink I used a few drops of beet juice, and for the blue I used (get this) red cabbage. You just have to boil the cabbage in water until it’s lost most of its color and then boil the water down a bit more to concentrate it. Then you’ll have this dark purple and all you have to do to get blue is add a sprinkle of baking soda and watch the magic happen!
These aren’t as bright as the commercial colors but I happen to like the pastels. I bet you could also use organic dyes from your local whole foods market. For the cakes I made both chocolate and vanilla and went with simple square shapes, but you could get really crazy with flavors and shapes if you want. This post is basically all about the fondant and everything else is extra. Who’s ready to decorate?
Marshmallow Fondant + Mini Layer Cakes (Vegan)
A huge cake is always great for special occasion but we all know mini things are just way more fun!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces about 4 cups gelatin-free marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- a few drops of natural food coloring optional
- 2 - 3 tablespoons water
- 4 - 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 1/2 stick vegan butter, room temp
Mini Cakes:
- 1 recipe for chocolate or vanilla cake *see note
- 1 recipe for chocolate or vanilla frosting *see note
Instructions
Fondant:
-
In a medium saucepan, warm marshmallows and 2 tablespoons water over low heat for about 1 minute until soft but not quite melted (just until you see a few start to ooze). Stir in vanilla, salt, and if desired, food coloring (coloring can still be added after but if using a lesser concentrated liquid it is best to add it now).
-
Remove from heat and add 4 cups of powdered sugar and stir until mostly combined in a rough dough, then grease hands with butter and start to work the butter into the fondant on a clean surface. Add more water or powdered sugar as needed until fondant is easy to work with. For best results I like to refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before using.
Mini Cakes:
-
Prepare cake of choice according to recipe with the exception of using a greased 13 x 9 inch glass pan or a similar size pan. (Although any shape of cake can be cut to your desired sizes)
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Cut the cake into squares (about 2 inch) or any shape you'd like and slice them 2 or 3 times, depending on how tall they are, horizontally into little layers. Spread desired frosting in between layers and add a thin layer on the outside of each.
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Divide fondant into sections and roll out each into a layer about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 8 inch squares and use to individually cover each mini cake then cut off and save excess. Decorate cakes with extra fondant as desired and serve or refrigerate for up to 3 days until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
*Most cake & icing recipes will work for these. If you have a favorite then you can use that instead. For the chocolate I like to use this recipe and for the vanilla this one.


22 Comments
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake
Awwww what cute little cakes! They look like little presents all wrapped up. Love that you used homemade food coloring, I’m rather fond using things like beet and matcha myself instead of coloring gels. Will have to try that cabbage trick for blue food coloring!
Tori
I hope you do, June, and thanks!
Ashley | The Recipe Rebel
These are SO cute! I think I would need MORE than one cake to myself! LOl
Tori
Me too! I think I could eat about 4 of these!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
These are too cute! And I’m allll about having cake to myself 🙂
Tori
Thanks, Medha!
Ashley
Very cool! I’ve never made fondant at home before! These came out so pretty!
Tori
Thanks a billion, Ashley!
Dani @ DaniCaliforniaCooks
These are beautiful!! I wonder if I could ever recreate them.
Tori
I bet you could. You should definitely try! Thanks, Dani!
Shelby @ Go Eat and Repeat
I love how you broke down how to make a natural fondant! And those cake-lets are adorable!
Tori
Thanks, Shelby!
Pamela B
A few questions for you:
1) did you use fruity marshmallows? If so, did the flavours get watered down when made into fondant?
2) if you were to make homemade marshmallows and pour them into a 9 x 13 tray, how much would you need to make 4 cups?
3) how much fondant does the recipe make, and does it keep well? Or do the natural flavours mean it has a short shelf life?
They look awesome, and I love the natural colouring!
Tori
1.) I did, and yes, the flavors were a little more mild than before but there was still a pleasant fruitiness. 2.) It depends on what recipe but my homemade vanilla marshmallows make about 8 cups. 3.) This recipe makes about 1 1/2 pounds of fondant which should be enough to cover a 9 inch cake. I haven’t tested the shelf life much but it seems to last just fine if refrigerated and if you are wanting to store it long term then I would just freeze it. Thanks, Pam!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter
These are so adorable, Tori! Love the natural fondant! Mini cakes are so much more fun! Love them!
Tori
Thanks, Kelly!
Johlene@FlavoursandFrosting
I love these little mini fondant cakes, they are so cute! Your background board is beautiful too 🙂
Tori
Thanks, Johlene!
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ganhar músculos
Oi, adorei demais do seu web-blog! gostei pois o
conteúdo muito bem escrito. Tenho um website no mesmo assunto e
gostaria de ver se você tem alguma sugestão para quem está começando a escrever sobre este tema.
valeu!!
Tori
Muito obrigada! Meu conselho a um novo blogueiro seria: Mantenha-o real e escrever para o seu público como se você está falando com seus melhores amigos. As pessoas vão se conectar mais com você, se eles podem se relacionar com o que seu ditado . Certifique-se de que você é apaixonado sobre o que você está escrevendo e vai traduzir através de seus leitores!
(Thank you so much! My advice to a new blogger would be: Keep it real and write to your audience as if you’re talking to your best friends. People will connect more with you if they can relate to what your saying. Make sure you’re passionate about what you’re writing and it will translate through to your readers!)
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