The Icing on the Cake

There are hundreds of icings out there which can all be used for different purposes. Some cover cakes, some sandwich cakes together, some are solely for decorating, some are hard, some are soft. The list is endless!

 So here is a definitive guide to what icings are out there, when to use them and hopefully some icing inspiration for you guys!

 Butter Cream

 Made with butter and icing sugar, this icing can be flavoured with chocolate, orange, vanilla, the list can go on. The world is your oyster when it comes to flavouring butter cream.
It is perfect for filling your cakes and for coating a cake. It's incredibly useful when covering your cake in ready-to-roll icing, just a thin layer will help the icing to stick to the cake, and to stop those pesky crumbs from sticking to your decoration!
You can either make your own cream, as mentioned earlier, or you can buy ones that are ready made. If you're going to purchase your butter cream, I would suggest purchasing Betty Crocker's Vanilla Icing. As someone who isn't to keen on butter, I find that this butter cream doesn't taste too strongly of butter, and is creamy and delicious! Definitely an option! 
Ganache

This icing is made with Belgian chocolate and double cream, and is perfect for chocolate lovers!It can be poured over cakes to achieve a smooth shiny finish, or once cool you can whisk the ganache to make an alternative to buttercream to fill your sponge cakes! It honestly doesn't get any better for a chocolate lover!

 Frosting

Frosting is an alternative to butter cream for piping swirls on top of cupcakes. Buttercream will not hold it's shape very well when piped into swirls, especially in the heat. Although the two icings are very similar, a dried egg white is often added to frosting which adds stability, meaning your swirls will hold their shape, even when it's a warm sunny day!
Another positive of using frosting is that it's white in colour. This means that if you choose to colour your frosting, it will become a much sharper closer colour to what you're aiming for. Butter obviously adds a yellow tinge to your icing naturally, making butter cream slightly harder to colour right.

Royal Icing

This is a white icing that dries to a smooth, hard, matte finish. It's the most traditional of all icings. It is traditionally made using egg whites and icing sugar. However, you can buy a ready-made royal icing if you prefer to take the hassle out of your cake decoration.
Royal icing is used to create Christmas cakes, ice cakes (traditionally wedding cakes) and it is perfect for adding piped detail such as dots or swirls. Royal icing can also be used to create piped flowers.
You can colour royal icing with concentrated paste or liquid colours. 
Glycerine is often added to prevent the icing from setting too hard.
Sugar Paste

Also known as ready-to-roll icing, sugar paste can be used to cover your cakes. You can also use it to top cupcakes and cookies. It is possible to make this yourself but many brands provide consistent results that taste great. Making your own sugar paste can also take a lot of time! So many bakers will buy in sugar paste, to reduce time, cost and effort, so they can focus on other elements of the cake.

This icing can come in pretty much every colour  or you can create your own colours using paste or gels. Knead the icing to make it pliable and dust surfaces with icing sugar before rolling out, to prevent sticking.

 Marzipan

This forms an ideal base beneath pretty much every icing you can use. You should try to choose a good quality marzipan with an almond content of at least 25%. 
Marzipan can also be coloured for modelling and cut outs. 

Poured Fondant

 This is made by heating up the fondant icing powder mixed with water over a pan of boiling water to approximately 38 degrees Celsius. It can be used to top cupcakes and can be poured on fondant fancies. It is incredibly easy to colour and dries to a smooth and shiny finish.

Glace Icing

Glace icing is often made by combining icing sugar with warm water. It can be used to drizzle on top of sponges or cupcakes.

Gum Paste

 This is a very strong, pliable icing that can be coloured; it is perfect for making butterflies and flowers because you can roll it finely and it holds its shape once dry.
The best way to dry your flower paste is on a foam sheet which allows air to easily circulate and dry evenly, preventing distortion. 

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