A Rice Krispie Purse (and Marshmallow Rolled Fondant)

Roopa

This project really affirmed my decision not to go into fashion design…

For realsies though, I’ve really learned that a project like this goes so much better when you have a vision going in. I have some conflicting aesthetics going on that could have been addressed with a little more foresight, but I’m overall happy with the individual pieces. It was my first time ever constructing a cake like this, and I would definitely do something similar again if I had a few days to plan it out properly.

MARSHMALLOW

These work the way they do because proteins can be whipped (like meringues), and gelatin is almost entirely protein. The gelatin adds volume and allows it to set. This particular recipe is for marshmallows that would get eaten – if it’s being used for baking or for fondant, use more glucose instead of honey.

INGREDIENTS

22 g gelatin sheets
300 mL water
420 g sugar
210 g glucose syrup
210 g honey
2 mL vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Bloom the gelatin in half of the water
Combine the rest of the water, sugar, glucose, honey, and vanilla on a pan at medium heat.
Cook the mixture until it is 122 C, then remove from heat and start whipping in a stand mixer at a low speed.
Dissolve the gelatin over heat.
After the mixture had whipped for about 1 minute, mix in the gelatin mixture and switch to high speed.
Whip until the mixture is as stiff as possible.
Spread the mixture in sheet pans with greased parchment paper.
Once the marshmallows have set, tumble in 1/2 icing sugar 1/2 cornstarch to make them less sticky.

Notes:

The parchment paper must be greased or you will not get the marshmallow off.
If you are eating the marshmallows, then spread the mixture out immediately before it sets. If you’re making something else, then it doesn’t really matter if it sets a bit since you can reheat it.

RICE KRISPIE SQUARES (800 g or two purses)

INGREDIENTS

360 g marshmallow
300 g butter
300 g Kellogs rice krispies
1 mL vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter on low heat in a large bowl
Mix in the marshmallow. Stir this until it is very well mixed and looks like a uniform mixture.
Stir in the rice krispies.
Press into a pan of the size you want, and let it set in the fridge.

Notes:

Don’t use knockoff cereal. They’re all trash.
This makes a pretty soft rice krispie square at room temperature.

MARSHMALLOW ROLLED FONDANT

I normally hate fondant, but this is pretty decent. Without a doubt the best fondant I’ve ever had.

INGREDIENTS

340 g marshmallow
20 mL water
20 g glucose syrup
20 g butter
700 g icing sugar

DIRECTIONS

Soften the marshmallows. If this is made of fresh marshmallow, then you can skip this step because the marshmallows will already be soft.
Stir in the glucose and butter (and any flavouring you want to add).
Add in the powdered sugar one or two cups at a time. Do NOT add it all in at once.
Once you’ve added most of the sugar, dump it onto the counter and start kneading.
Form a ball, wrap it in plastic, and let it rest overnight.

ASSEMBLY

After the rice krispie mixture has set, remove it from the pan.
Cut it out in the shape you want and cover with buttercream.
Make the pieces for your purse out of gumpaste. Put some thought into whether gumpaste or fondant is a better choice. These will need to sit for at least a day before you can use them, so the earlier the better.
1. You’ll need a relative size of your purse to be able to do this well. Also, anything that drapes perfectly over the final product needs to either be done with fondant or done after the purse is made.
2. If you want to paint your pieces, it helps to have a base colour for your fondant, as individual colours tend to look pretty artificial.
Cut out an appropriate piece to cover one side of your purse. It’s ideal if you can use a stencil again to do this. You’ll need to cover each side separately. If you want any patterns in the shape, put them on before you put the fondant on your purse
1. Note that the fondant should be of a similar consistency to commercial fondant, so just keep adding icing sugar if it’s too soft.
Glue the pieces on with royal icing, and use support as needed (like the handles that have a wire inside).