Have you ever had to decorate a cake and needed to harden your fondant decoration quickly? I have certainly been there. Sometimes like you, I really don’t have the time to wait a week or a month for my fondant decoration to dry. When I discovered how to harden fondant quickly it was a game-changer. At first, I was skeptical as to whether these things would actually work, which of course it did. These methods are tried and true and I use them all the time with much success.

Knowing how to dry fondant quickly is a must for any cake decorator. It saves you some stress. You can use these methods at different times in your cake decorating timeline. It’s not just for the night before or 2 days before. For example, I use tip#1 all the time whether I need it last minute or not.

Somethings to cover before we dive into the 3 tips

• Fondant decorations can be made in advance by up to a month. However, I would be very careful with them they are very fragile.
• Fondant does not dry in the refrigerator, it firms up. Once it comes to room temperature it will remain the same and will still need time to dry.
• Marshmallow fondant is a different beast, the normal marshmallow fondant recipe is usually soft and sticky. However, I have updated my marshmallow fondant recipe to adjust for the stickiness and it’s just as pliable as store-bought fondant.
• A combination of marshmallow fondant and store-bought fondant (is like fondant heaven). It gives you a very pliable and workable fondant. Now that that’s out of the way let’s get down to business.

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3 Tips to Harden Fondant Quickly

Tip 1: Use Tylose Powder or CMC

Tylose powder or CMC is my absolute favorite. Tylose powder is very versatile and is used to make gum glue. However, it is also one of the easiest ways to make your fondant dry quickly and hard. The addition of Tylose powder creates more of a gum paste texture. Add about a teaspoon at a time. Adding too much tylose will make your fondant unworkable.  I usually play around with the amount depending on how dry I want the fondant to be.

How quickly are we talking about? The night before is the latest I have made a fondant decoration to dry. The next morning you can touch it and it will be solid. But, be very careful. I used Tylose powder to make this fondant LOL Doll.  Crowns and other delicate decorations need time to dry, so I suggest you make them ahead of time.  If you are in an absolute rush, try pastillage. Pastillage dries very quickly and is perfect for crown, heels etc.

Tip 2: Use the Oven

Drying fondant in the oven might sound crazy, but it works trust me. Turn your oven to the lowest temperature and let your fondant decoration sit for about 10 minutes. Resist the urge to touch it when it comes out of the oven as it will be nice and soft, but it eventually gets hard.

I often use this to make my fondant covered boards. Once it is dried, you won’t get any fingerprints on the board. Now your fondant decoration might be a bit tricky. My suggestion is to place on wax paper or use some shortening so that you can remove the decoration after it is dried.

Remember I mentioned before that marshmallow fondant(MMF) is a different beast.  In my experience, MMF fondant decorations can become distorted in the oven depending on the decoration. My suggestion for Marshmallow fondant is not to place in the oven, instead use Tylose powder and leave it out to dry. Marshmallow fondant covered cake base in the oven is also good.

I created a small experiment with a Marshmallow and Wilton fondant using a small bow in the oven. As a part of the experiment, I added a piece of paper towel to keep the shape of the bow loop. The result: the bows kept their shape and I was able to get the paper towel out of the Wilton Fondant. But, the Marshmallow fondant was a bit harder and I eventually broke my bow (sad face). Both fondant bows were hard.

Tip 3: Use a Lamp with a Combination of Tylose Powder