Cake Icing & Decorating

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ROYAL ICING

Royal icing is made from a mixture of egg white and pure icing sugar. It is the only icing suitable for the more elaborate tube work and sugar flower-making.

Only the best and purest icing sugar is suitable for this type of icing. Delays are caused by inferior sugar, when small pieces block the icing tube. The color, also, is often a greyish instead of a dazzling white. Pure icing sugar differs from icing "mixture." as the latter contains a percentage of corn flour intended to keep it soft. Royal icing made from such a mixture will not keep its shape when piped.

If in doubt about the type of icing sugar try this test:

Place a little of the icing sugar in a glass if cold water. Break slightly and allow the sugar to settle. Clear water on the top indicates pure sugar, while cloudy water shows it is an icing mixture.

Pure icing sugar forms very hard lumps While icing mixture produces ones which easily broken. Icing sugar, therefore, should always be sifted twice before combining it with the egg whites.

To Make the Royal Icing

• 1 egg white
• 110-170g. sifted pure icing sugar
• A few drops acetic acid or a squeeze lemon juice.

Sift the icing sugar twice. Place the egg white in a basin and beat until stiff. Add the icing sugar slowly and beat well when it has all been added.
To test for readiness, pull the spoon or spatula from the basin, forming the icing into a point. If there is a soft peak it is ready for latticing or lettering. If the peak stands straight and stiff the icing is ready for flower-making, scroll or basket-weave piping, as the case may be.

A few drops of acetic acid will help make the icing more pliable. In the absence of the acid. add a squeeze of lemon juice.

To obtain the dazzling whiteness required for a wedding cake, it is advisable to add a few drops of ordinary washing blue to the icing. This may be diluted in the lemon juice or sifted in with the sugar.

Success in making royal icing depends upon the way in which it is beaten. Don't stint the beating and don't try to add the sifted icing sugar too quickly.

If royal icing is made in an electric cake mixer, turn the dial to the lowest speed and beat slowly. High speed beating can aerate the icing too much, giving a false idea of stiffness. The air bubbles break and the icing subsides after standing for a time.

When the mixture is the correct consistency, it may be tinted to the color desired. Cover the basin containing the icing with a damp cloth. This keeps the mixture soft and prevents the edges drying out. If the weather is warm and it is necessary to keep royal icing for several days, place it in a screw-topped jar and store in the ice chest or refrigerator. When required for use, transfer it to a basin and beat well before placing in the icing bag.
Coloring Royal Icing

Vegetable colorings are used for tinting icing. They may be obtained in both liquid and powder form. The liquid coloring will be the easier type for the home icer to use. Always add to the icing sparingly. The use of a teaspoon or eye dropper is advised. Never attempt to pour in coloring direct from the bottle.

Good color blending is essential for cake decoration; bright colors are out of place and only pastel tones should be used. From the basic or primary colors other shades may be obtained by the following blending:

• Salmon pink is made by mixing rose pink with a light touch of yellow.
• Greens are improved by the introduction of a few drops of yellow.
• Violet, lavender and purple shades may be obtained by blending rose with blue.
• Orange, peach, apricot and tea rose are produced from a combination of rose and yellow in varying proportions.
• Brown is introduced into icing by using brown coloring, chocolate, cocoa or Parisian essence. The latter is a gravy coloring available at grocery stores.

If blue coloring is not easily available, the icing may be colored with a little washing blue mixed with lemon juice. This color, unfortunately, fades quickly.

For gold or silver tinting on special celebration cakes, buy some gold or silver leaf from a paint store and mix it with sufficient banana or pure olive oil. Apply lightly with a fine brush to the icing when set.

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