How long for fondant to dry?

phoenix10111, Oct 29, 12:59am
Hi. I'm making fondant decorations on cupcakes for a baby shower which is on Saturday.

I plan to ice the cupcakes with buttercream icing and then I have various fondant cutters which I'lluse to make small cutouts from pink and blue fondant. Question is, how long do I need to allow for the fondant shapes to dry out so they aren't all soft when I put them on the cupcakes! Hope that makes sense. Thanks :)

sclaredy_cat, Oct 29, 3:30am
Sometimes I make things like that on the same day - depending on what you're doing that is often fine. With more delicate flowers or pieces that need to be stronger obviously you'd do it more in advance.
I would suggest you make them sooner rather than later though, so if you have time to do them earlier in the week then do it - gives you more time to put them together on the day and you can be sure they will be stiff enough by then.

phoenix10111, Oct 29, 4:03am
Thanks, I think I might do them tonight. I want to make sure they are right and I also have to transport them (I'm flying - arriving the day before the shower), so they'll have to go in my hand luggage. I can bake the cupcakes where I am staying but would ideally like to do the fondant in advance - especially if it needs time to dry

chicco2, Oct 29, 4:21am
You can dry them over night in your oven with just the light on and the door closed. No heat setting. Once dry, place them in an icecream container with tissue paper and some Silica gel packets that come in medication bottles. My chemist gets them for me. They will keep the fondant dry. Good luck.

cookiebarrel, Oct 29, 5:35am
Also fondant pieces onto buttercream icing, if they are a bit contoured like a flower, even a simple one will soften over time, when placed onto the buttercream so the longer you can leave them to dry the better (above suggestions great) and then try to leave them as close to the time as you can before placing them onto the buttercream.