Icing Types

ICING often called frosting in the United States, is a sweet, often creamy glaze made of sugar with a
liquid, such as water or milk, that is often enriched with ingredients like butter, egg whites, cream cheese,
or flavorings. It is used to cover or decorate baked goods, such as cakes or cookies. When it is used
between layers of cake, it is called filling.
Icing can be formed into shapes such as flowers and leaves using a pastry bag. Such decorations are
commonplace on birthday and wedding cakes. Chef's color dye (food coloring) is commonly added to
icing mixtures to achieve the desired color. Sprinkles, coloring mist, edible ink designs, or other
decorations are often used on top of icing.
The simplest icing is a glacé icing, containing powdered sugar and water. This can be flavored and
colored as desired, for example, by using lemon juice in place of the water. More complicated icings can
be made by beating fat into powdered sugar (as in buttercream), by melting fat and sugar together, by
using egg whites (as in royal icing), and by adding other ingredients such as glycerin (as in fondant).
Some icings can be made from combinations of sugar and cream cheese or sour cream, or by using
ground almonds (as in marzipan).
Icing can be applied with a utensil such as a knife or spatula, or it can be applied by drizzling or dipping,
or by rolling the icing out and draping it over the cake. The method of application largely depends on the
type and texture of icing being used. Icing may be used between layers in a cake as a filling, or it may be
used to completely or partially cover the outside of a cake or other baked product.
Different Kinds of Icing for Cakes and Cupcakes
One of the best things about cakes and cupcakes is that they come in different shapes, sizes, and flavors.
Aside from using a wide variety of cake flavors and ingredients, one other aspect that makes cakes unique
is the icing. Today, we will learn about different kinds of icing that you can use on cakes and cupcakes.
Buttercream
This is arguably the most common kind of cake icing, made from butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla. The
mixture is creamed until you get a soft, pale cream icing. You have the option to either pour buttercream
icing over the cake, or use a piping bag to create customized shapes and patterns.
Cakes with buttercream icing should be refrigerated, so that the icing won’t melt.
Cream Cheese Frosting
This unique icing mixture has butter, sugar, and – you guessed it – cream cheese. The resulting icing is
denser than buttercream, but is still fluffy enough to be poured onto cake or piped on top of cupcakes. Its
standout flavor makes it perfect for carrot cake and walnut cupcakes.
Depending on the degree of mixing, cream cheese frosting or icing may appear smooth and dense like
fondant, or fluffy and light like buttercream.
Meringue
One of the best cupcake toppers is meringue, because of its stiffness and aesthetic appeal. Made by
heavily beating sugar and egg whites, this kind of icing softens under heat and hardens as soon as it is
cooled. Therefore, make sure that you apply the icing as soon as the meringue icing is taken off the hot
sauce pan.
What’s great about meringue is that you can pipe it into a swirl shape on a baking sheet and enjoy it even
without cake! Its firm texture allows it to stand on its own and be held by hand.
Fondant
Popular for its smooth and dainty look, fondant icing has become popular in wedding cakes and other
types of cakes that involve a touch of decoration artistry. The stiffness of fondant allows you to roll it to
your desired thickness and cut it into custom shapes that you can decorate onto cakes.
Royal Icing
Some people consider this kind of icing as a cross between meringue and fondant, since it also hardens
when the mixture is cooled. Royal icing is made typically of sugar, egg whites, and acetic acid. You may
either pour or pipe it onto cakes and cupcakes but be sure to do it quickly before it hardens.
Ganache
Typically made of white or dark chocolate, ganache produces a rich and glossy finish to any cake. Some
bakers use it as cake topping / icing, while others use ganache as pastry filling. This kind of icing works
well with heavy cakes (such as bundt cake or mud cake), as well as strawberries.

Icing Types

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Read this document in other languages

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Icing Types

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ICING often called frosting in the United States, is a sweet, often creamy glaze made of sugar with a

Different Kinds of Icing for Cakes and Cupcakes

Cream Cheese Frosting

You might also like