8 EASY ICING RECIPES YOU CAN MAKE AT HOME  (FOR BEGINNERS)

Ganache, buttercream, glace or royal – which icing do I use? These are no doubt, familiar words uttered in kitchens throughout the world! With all the different types of icing out there, we know that it can get a little confusing. And that’s why we’ve created an Icing 101 guide – something to help you help yourself! Together with explanations, images and recipes, we’ll go through each type of icing, one by one.

WHAT IS ICING?

Icing is a sugary based mixture that is normally used to decorate cakes, pastries and cookies. Icing adds a variety of colour, decoration, flavour and sweetness to any baked item. General ingredients include, butter, food colouring, egg whites, icing or castor sugar.

WHAT TYPES OF ICING ARE THERE?

There are many different types of icing, each having their own purpose and function in baking. Listed below are some general icing types complemented with an easy to follow recipe, ranging from the most basic to the more complex.

1.THICK GLACE ICING

 

Glace icing is a simple versatile icing that can be used on almost any baked item. You can change the consistency and colour with the use of food colouring and water.

INGREDIENTS

• 250-350g icing sugar
• 2-4 tbsp water
• food colouring

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl.
2. Gradually pour the water, one tablespoon at a time, into the bowl – beating continuously until you get a thick, smooth, glossy finish.
3. Gradually add the food colouring until the desired colour is achieved.

BUTTERCREAM ICING

Buttercream is a type of icing used inside cakes as a coating and as decoration. Just about any buttercream recipe may be flavoured with other ingredients to change the colour/texture/flavour to suit your needs. Popular additions are melted chocolate, praline paste, strong coffee and various nut pastes.

The following buttercream recipes are quick and easy, there’s no cooking time required and the preparation is effortless.

Credits to: instagram.com/thecremecakery
2.VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

INGREDIENTS

• 175g butter
• 350g icing sugar
• 3 tbsp boiling water
• ½ tsp vanilla essence

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat until soft.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Beat until smooth and creamy.
4. Use immediately.

Credits to: instagram.com/thecremecakery/
3.CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

INGREDIENTS

• 175g butter
• 4 level tbsp cocoa powder
• 350g icing sugar
• 3 tbsp boiling water
• ½ tsp vanilla essence

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the butter into a mixing bowl and beat until soft.
2. Place the cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
3. Add the boiling water to the cocoa powder.
4. Mix the cocoa and water into a paste.
5. Add the paste to the softened butter.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients.
7. Beat until smooth and creamy.
8. Use immediately.

Credits to: instagram.com/bakedbytrish/

4.SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

This icing is similar to the basic buttercream recipe, except that some cooking is required in order to dissolve the sugar and egg white. This process makes the Swiss Meringue icing more smoother and fluffier than your normal buttercream.

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 egg whites
• 250g castor sugar
• pinch of salt
• 250g unsalted butter
• ½ tsp vanilla essence

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix together the egg whites, sugar and salt in a bowl.
2. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and double boil the mixture for 6-12 minutes until the mixture is warmed through and the sugar has dissolved.
3. Remove the bowl from the heat.
4. Whisk until the mixture has cooled and the consistency is fluffy.
5. Add the butter.
6. Add the vanilla essence.
7. Whisk well.

 

Credits to: instagram.com/rogue_femme/

5.CREAM CHEESE ICING

Cream cheese frosting is a delicious complement to cheesecakes, carrot cakes and red velvet cakes. Use full fat cream cheese in the following recipe, as the lower fat cream cheese may make your icing too runny due to its softer consistency.

INGREDIENTS

• 300g full fat cream cheese
• finely grated rind and juice of a lemon, orange or lime
• 3-4 tbsp icing sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Beat the cream cheese until soft.
2. Mix in the lemon rind and juice.
3. Beat well.
4. Add the icing sugar, to taste.
5. Beat well.

 

Credits to instagram.com/sweetsisterscakesnj/

6.GANACHE

Ganache refers to a variety of icing, fillings for pastries and glazes. It is typically made from chocolate and cream. The rich chocolate glaze is normally poured over cakes to create a glossy, beautiful finish.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

INGREDIENTS

• 284ml cream
• 1 level tbsp syrup
• 200g coarsely chopped chocolate (use dark chocolate for the best results)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. Remove the saucepan once boiled.
3. Stir in the syrup.
4. Place the chopped chocolate into a mixing bowl.
5. Pour the heated mixture over the chocolate.
6. Mix until all the chocolate has melted.

 

Credits to: instagram.com/frostedkitchen15

7.ROYAL ICING

Royal Icing is a pure white icing that dries to a smooth, hard, matte finish. Besides its lovely finish it also colours beautifully which makes it a favourite of professionals who use it not only for frosting cakes and cookies, but also for intricate piping of decorations (flowers, borders and lettering).

INGREDIENTS

• 2 egg whites
• 350-500g icing sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Beat the egg whites until they have been broken down.
2. Add the icing sugar gradually until the mixture starts to thicken.
3. Beat the mixture with an electric beater set at the slowest speed for about 10 min  – until
4. the icing is light and fluffy.
5. You can adjust the consistency accordingly by either adding more icing to thicken, or drops of water to thin the mixture.

 

Credits to: instagram.com/bethcasebow/

8.TOFFEE TOPPING

This indulgent topping can be used as a cake topping as well as a hot dessert topping!

INGREDIENTS

• 100g butter
• 125g condensed milk
• 50g castor sugar
• 1 tbsp golden syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.

Credits to: justeasyrecipes.co.za