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Home › Blog

Updated: Sep 22, 2019 · Published: Feb 18, 2019 by Elizabeth Marek · This post may contain affiliate links · 18 Comments

Marbled fondant tutorial

How to cover your buttercream cakes in a gorgeous marbled fondant

I'm obsessed with marbled fondant. If you watched last weeks video on how to get super sharp edges on your buttercream cake, you're going to love this next tutorial on how to cover your cake in a gorgeous marble fondant. This marbled fondant look was inspired by one of my favorite marble turn tables and I just love how it turned out. 

How to make marbled fondant

To make the perfect marbled fondant, you start out with white fondant. I take out a couple of tablespoons of the white and color it ivory. Then I do the same with some and make some grey. Now comes the easy part. Just layer on top of each other and pull the fondant a couple of times to start mixing in the ivory and grey. But don't mix it too much. You want to keep those interesting lines and patterns. 

Next I roll out the marbled fondant using some cornstarch. Make sure you keep moving the fondant around every couple of rolls so that it doesn't stick to the table. Try flipping it over and seeing which side of the fondant you like better. I roll my fondant out to about 1/16 of an inch. Thin fondant results in sharper edges on your cake, plus who likes to eat thick fondant?

How to cover your cake in marbled fondant

Now it's time to cover our cake in our marbled fondant. I roll my fondant up onto my rolling pin and unroll it onto the well-chilled buttercream cake. Use your fondant smoother to work out any air that might be trapped under the top right away. Then you can start slowly pressing the fondant against the cake to work out the ruffles. Try not to pull the fondant down, just open up the folds of fondant and press gently against the cake.

Once your cake is covered, cut off the excess around the cake about 2" away from the board. Gently flip your cake upside down and use your fondant smoothers to smooth the fondant upwards all the way around the cardboard. Use an x-acto blade to cut off the fondant around the top of the board. This makes a really seamless look to your fondant cake. 

Lastly I use my fondant smoother to sharpen up the edges of the fondant. This can be a bit time consuming but I love how the super sharp edges on the fondant look. 

Once you're done with your fondant, carefully turn the cake right side up and place back into the fridge to keep it chilled until you're ready to stack your cakes. 

How to stack your fondant cakes

Once you have your cakes all covered in fondant, all that's left is to stack them. I like to use milkshake straws because they are strong, easy to cut and not expensive to buy. Make sure you're always cutting your straws evenly and inserting them straight up and down. Download my straw guide to understand how many straws you need to use for the best stability. After your straws are inserted you can stack your cakes. 

For a two tier cake, you can definitely stack your cake at home and then deliver the cake already stacked. It will be very stable. If you have a three tier cake you might consider traveling with the top tier separately and then adding it on top when you arrive. Bring some extra buttercream to fix any gaps. 

When your cakes are nicely chilled, it should be very easy to pick your cakes up. Place the first cake onto your cake board and secure with some melted chocolate to keep it from sliding around. Make sure it's centered. 

Then take your second tier and place it on top, making sure it's centered. I use a small amount of buttercream to fill in the gap between the layers and my finger to smooth it out for a seamless look. 

cake support guide

That's it! That's all there is to making a simple marble fondant cake. Make sure you watch the full video tutorial on how to cover your cakes in marbled fondant for step-by-step instructions. 

If you have any questions feel free to leave them for me in the comments. 

How to make a marbled fondant wedding cake, how to use straw cake supports and how to stack the marbled fondant wedding cake

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sara says

    February 19, 2019 at 3:40 pm

    HI Liz,
    I've noticed you're using Renshaw fondant more than your own. Is this a personal preference or sponsored? Just curious. Thanks

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      February 19, 2019 at 3:53 pm

      Personal preference, I buy the Renshaw fondant.

      Reply
  2. Margie says

    February 19, 2019 at 6:11 pm

    when I purchased Renshaw fondant I found it to be so soft. Maybe because I live in South Florida? Anyway to remedy that?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      February 20, 2019 at 11:04 am

      It could be, I do like a softer fondant so it might be your personal preference. You can always knead in a little more powdered sugar 🙂

      Reply
  3. Linda says

    February 21, 2019 at 12:26 am

    Liz... you’re amazing! I love all your work! Can you do a tutorial on the best wat to color a large amount of fondant to get it all the same? 5 tiers Thanks!!!xoxo Linda

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      February 21, 2019 at 10:58 am

      I would do it the exact same way but then divide the marbled fondant into pieces, one for each tier

      Reply
  4. Christin Perdue says

    February 21, 2019 at 7:31 pm

    I struggle with condensation between the crumb coat and putting on the fondant. I also, struggle with my buttercream being too soft and when I try to put my fondant on it tends to crack. I know I'm a major rookie but what do you recommend I do to solve these mistakes? Can you add flavor to your buttercream recipe, like cocoa or salted caramel?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      March 04, 2019 at 10:11 am

      Check out my free training on making your first cake https://sugargeekshow.com/news/how-to-make-a-cake/

      Reply
  5. Gloria B says

    February 27, 2019 at 2:42 pm

    I'm not sure if I heard you right....Cake Boards of Air? Can't find that on the internet. Thanks.

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      March 04, 2019 at 9:59 am

      Cake boards avare, I buy mine from http://www.fondantsource.com

      Reply
  6. Kim O says

    February 28, 2019 at 9:09 am

    HI Liz, I noticed that you don’t wet the cake at all before placing the fondant on. How does it stick to the cold buttercream?

    Reply
  7. Kim O says

    February 28, 2019 at 9:21 am

    HI Liz, I saw that you don’t wet the cake at all before placing the fondant on. How does it stick to the cold buttercream?

    Reply
  8. Janet Hook says

    November 03, 2019 at 5:40 pm

    Hi thanks for the tutorial...Ive not worked with fondant before...my mom was always a buttercream fan...I really want a marble wadding cake...can I do these ahead and freeze them?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      November 03, 2019 at 5:43 pm

      You can freeze cakes and then defrost them in the fridge for 24 hours. If you take them out and put them straight on the counter, they will melt

      Reply
  9. Dina says

    April 15, 2020 at 1:42 am

    Hi liz, i was wondering can SMBC be used under fondant or will it just melt and become a mess?

    Reply
    • The Sugar Geek Show says

      April 15, 2020 at 11:01 am

      It can definitely be used under fondant 🙂

      Reply
  10. Lai says

    October 16, 2020 at 9:17 pm

    5 stars
    What brand of food coloring did you use?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Marek says

      October 17, 2020 at 9:55 am

      I mostly use Americolor food coloring

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Liz! I'm an artist and cake decorator from Portland, Oregon. Cakes are my obession, which is why I'm dedicated to crafting tried-and-true recipes, small cake tutorials, as well as advanced online cake courses!

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