5 Great icing types to try…. TODAY!!!

Icing, frosting, glazes, ganache…. oh my goodness, so much deliciousness!

These are only some of the many great ways to decorate cakes, cookies or even cupcakes. But getting the right finish for your baked goods literally depends on icing on top….😂
That’s why it is important to know which icing types will work best for your baked masterpieces and will of course be a showstopper. So, before you bake your next cake have a look at these 5 great icing types.

Buttercream

This is probably the easiest icing and most versatile icing types out there. It is perfect for icing cakes, cupcakes, cooking, makes a great filling for cakes, create beautiful piping and lettering. All with one simple icing.
Buttercream is made just like the name suggests. Loads of butter! The butter is beaten at high speed this changing the consistency into a creamy, light and fluffy mix. Adding to the butter is sifted icing sugar with a small amount of liquid, flavoring and coloring. What makes buttercream so nice is all the different flavors that you can achieve with one simple base.
Try this icing for your next cupcakes: http://www.livingdelish.com/oreo-frosting/

Buttercream recipe

125g unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ Cup (240g) icing sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk

Beat your butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar and milk, alternating between the two. Flavor and color as desire.

Ganache

This rich chocolate icing is made from white or dark chocolate and cream. It has a smooth, rich ultra chocolaty texture. By beating the ganache, adding more or less chocolate or cream, you can create different types of ganache. But remember as your ganache cools it will become increasingly thick and solid. Which is not a bad thing, especially if you want to make some melt-in-your-mouth truffles.

Ganache recipe

300 ml cream
600g chocolate

Chopped up your chocolate and set aside. Boil your cream and remove from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate to the cream, give a stir and let it sit for a minute or two. Start stirring until all the chocolate has dissolved and a smooth consistency has been reached.
Let this mixture cool and use it to drizzle over your cake. Look at this post for some ideas how to use this icing http://www.livingdelish.com/a-chocolate-lovers-dream-cake/
You can beat your ganache to the consistency of buttercream and then use it to pipe with.

Glaze

This is probably the easiest of all the icing to make – just icing mixed with some water!! This is the kind of icing you will use on donuts, fairy cakes or even to drizzle over a lemon cake for example.
You can easily change the flavor & color. This icing is great for the kids to make and use, but might not give you the professional look that you are after.

Glaze recipe

225g icing sugar
a few drops of vanilla flavouring
2-3 tablespoon boiling water
Food colouring (Optional)

Sift the icing sugar, add a few drops of flavoring if you like.
Use a wooden spoon and gradually stir in just enough water to make a thick cream.
Beat the mixture until its smooth, just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. You can add in some coloring now if you wish but make sure to use your glaze immediately.

Cream cheese icing

A lovely combination of cream cheese, butter and icing sugar, mixed together to create a delicious fluffy, cream-colored icing. Traditionally this type of icing is typically used for carrot cakes and red velvet cakes. See this recipe for inspiration: https://livingdelish.com/red-velvet-cake/
The trick with cream cheese icing is not to over beat the cream cheese. Over beating will cause your cream cheese to go very runny.

Cream cheese icing recipe

30g butter, softened
80g cream cheese, softened
1 ½ Cup (240g) icing sugar, sifted

Beat the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the sifted icing sugar until the icing is fluffy.

Royal Icing

Royal icing is a white meringue-like mixture. It is mainly made with egg whites and icing sugar. This icing hardens up when it dries, therefore making it great for decorating sugar cookies.
Royal icing can be mixed to different consistencies. For instance stiff consistency works well for piping flowers like roses. Flooding consistency is a bit thinner and almost a bit runnier. Whichever you decide to use, be assured that it’s the fasted way to a flawless cookie finish, but only if you can get the correct consistency.

Royal icing

1 ½ Cup (240g) icing sugar, sifted
1 egg white
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Lightly beat egg white & lemon juice in a clean bowl.Add the icing sugar one tablespoon at a time. Make sure to beat well after each addition.

Learning how to make different types of icings will give your baked goods the finishing touch they desire,. Not to mention that you will look and feel like a pro. 😉

Give these 5 great types of icing a try….today! You will be amazed with just how they can jazz up your cakes and cookies… Go ahead and impress those friends and family!!