I knew that I wanted to make R2 stand and I wanted the center section to “hang” on the arms. I constructed an armature that would hang the six layers of cake from the arms. I drew up the plans in Adobe Illustrator to scale. This allowed me to work out some of the problems before baking a cake. What I didn’t anticipate was how much fondant we would need. It was a stretch to get the legs coved. For those Star Wars fanatics out there, I know the legs aren’t quite right. But what can you do when it’s almost time to deliver the thing. We managed. We got it done. And as far as I know, no one has ever complained about the discrepancies. Until now…

• 1- 16oz bag of Campfire Marshmallows
  (Make sure they are fresh!)
• 4- Tablespoons of water
• 1- 16oz bag of Domino Powdered Sugar

Prepare mixing surface: You will need a large surface to hand mix the final product. If you have a vinyl tablecloth use it to protect your table or counter. You will need to grease the surface with a thin layer of shortening. The surface are should be roughly about 12×12″ , this step is to just help you keep it from sticking everywhere. Then place about 2 cups of powdered sugar on top of the shortening layer. You will want to form a bowl with the sugar.

Combine water and marshmallows in microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave until melted, this will take about 1 minute and 45 seconds, stirring after 1 minute and then again after the 45 seconds. Mixture should be smooth in appearance. With a rubber spatula mix in about 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Once you have done this and mixture is cool enough to handle, pour the mixture onto the prepared surface using the rubber spatula to scrape the bowl as clean as you can get it. Then start kneading by hand the rest of the powered sugar into the marshmallow mixture. It will eventually come off your hands and incorporate the remaining sugar. The fondant is the right consistency when it feels like Play-Dough, it should not crack easily or it is too dry. It should feel satin like to the touch and spring back slightly when you push on it. If you want to color it, this is a good time. Use the gel colorants by Wilton NOT liquid. After colored let sit in a cool place for about an hour before trying to roll out for a cake.

We have found using a hard plastic rolling pin or PVC pipe to work best for rolling the fondant. Be sure not to roll to thin or you won’t be happy with the final look. Use corn starch on your clean dry surface for rolling the fondant. Be sure to move the fondant (just like a pie crust) at least 45degrees and to flip it over occasionally. This will help it from sticking to the surface you are rolling on. If it starts sticking use more corn starch. Once you have fondant on the cake smooth with your hands…any extra corn starch can be brushed off.