How to Harden Fondant Icing?

So, you’ve made your amazing fondant-covered cake but it’s taking ages to dry – don’t worry! Use our tips to help harden fondant icing, so you can tuck into your masterpiece sooner rather than later.

Letting fondant air dry naturally can take up to 36 hours, depending on how thick it is. If you’re not short on time, this is reliable way to ensure you don’t damage the fondant, but it requires a bit of planning. We’d recommend waiting a good 3-5 days to ensure the fondant is completely dry before decorating your cake with it. If you don’t have the time to spare, try our tips below to dry fondant faster.

• Use a hard, flat surface

  Choose a hard, flat surface for your fondant to dry on. Silicone, cloth, or drying your fondant on paper towels can take longer and leave unwanted patterns on your icing.

• Make your fondant thin

  When rolling out your fondant try to make it as thin as possible. The thinner the fondant, the faster it will dry. If you’re creating figures or sculpted pieces for your icing, these will take longer to dry, so be careful when handling them, because even if they look dry on the outside it is likely they will still be soft in the middle.

• Use light

  Popping your fondant under a table lamp can really quicken the drying process. Just be aware that if you have used food colouring the light can cause the colour to fade if left for too long.

• Use a hairdryer!

  Make sure the hair dryer is on the cool setting, otherwise you’ll just cause your icing to melt. This method isn’t great for large or dense pieces, but it is great for drying up small pieces of fondant.