Pimp That Snack

Fantastically Fabulous Fondant Fancy

by Tbone and Harv 9 photos Rated 76% 130 votes when voting closed

With fears of recession and the credit crunch on our minds, two intrepid pimpers set out to pimp our very first snack, the fondant fancy. We made a quick trip to the supermarket in order to procure the following ingredients:
Self raising flour
Eggs
Butter
Sugar (Icing and Caster)
Ready to roll icing (2 boxes)
Pink food colouring
Jam (not strictly faithful to a Fondant Fancy but necessary to save having to eat 4 dry sponges)
…. and of course….. a box of fondant fancies to compare (and sample)
Total cost: just under £10

Sugar, margarine, flour, jam, food colouring, a dozen eggs and a box of fondant fancies on the worktop

First of all it was necessary, although slightly time consuming and dull, to produce four sponges. We mixed flour, eggs, butter and sugar, mix and bake. Four times over. To break up the boredom of this we tried to mix the cake mix while jumping in the air and getting good photos. We got one good one.

Baker leaping mid-air in the kitchen, still stirring the blue bowl of sponge mixture

The neighbours downstairs were no doubt baffled. If only they knew what we were pimping a fondant fancy. When the sponges were cool we stacked them, spreading jam amongst them (for flavour and glue). Getting the consistency of the sponges was slightly tricky- our first sponge didn’t raise fantastically and had a strange, but slightly compelling, chewy texture.

Four square sponges stacked on a board, with a lump of pink ready-to-roll icing on a plate

Rolling pink icing into a large sheet on a board balanced across the hob

Then our rookie error was made. As first time pimpers we think this is fully excusable. Upon making the buttercream- mixing icing sugar and butter- we dolloped this straight onto the top sponge in order to make the characteristic fondant fancy mound. However, we decided that when we placed the icing- soon to be produced- over the buttercream it could crush it and destroy our delicate moulded mound. We therefore took the butterscotch off and decided to ice the fancy first.

Butterscotch buttercream spread in a mound on top of the stacked sponge layers

We squashed the prepacked icing and worked the pink food colouring in. This was messy and fairly taxing. We then needed to roll the icing. Lacking a rolling pin we used the cardboard centre from a roll of tin foil. Crafty- and effective. Next we iced the cake- we placed squares of icing over the top and sides of the sponge. We joined the edges by wetting them with water and moulding together.

Sheet of pink icing laid over the sponge stack, more icing being rolled out behind

We had the square base- all iced and looking lovely. We placed the butterscotch on top and then some very thin icing over the mound making sure we smoothly applied the icing (meaning that the mound remained intact and in shape). We wetted the icing over the mound and joined it to the rest of the fancy.

Runny pink icing poured over the cake and dribbling down the sides, small fancy alongside

The fondant fancy was now truly taking shape. After a brief rest, to restore full pimping skills, we finished the fondant fancy. To make the characteristic white stripes we mixed icing sugar and water. Getting the consistency of this is key. Not a lot of water is required or else, as we found to our detriment, you will end up with a runny disaster on your hands. We dribbled the icing over the fancy. Done (this last bit made it sound easy- we faffed around for ages first of all smoothing the icing, joining edges properly, redoing the white stripes- when sober it appears a lot less impressive than 10 hours previously).

Hand drizzling white icing in lines across the top of the pink cake, bowl of icing beside

Finished giant pink fancy with white drizzle beside a normal fondant fancy in its paper case

The fondant fancy was incredibly big, tasty and got a lot of attention- from friends, family, work colleagues, and the driver on the national express coach when I took one half back home with me on the coach.

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