Royal Icing recipe required for wedding cake......and advice etc HELP!!!!!!

Gill

Hi!

I have recently volunteered to make a wedding cake! I have not made one since I was about 15.....hence, a long time ago! But I remember being particularly good at the icing bit. However, I wondered if there was anyone available who knew a good recipe for royal icing I could make and any tips on when to plaster the cake with icing, how long to leave it to set etc.

All help and advice gratefully received.

Will continue to bttt this post until the panic subsides!!!

Apart from not knowing what I'm doing, I'm feeling very confident about this project!!

JosephMalik

Gill,

You will find several versions here. Just search for Royal Icing.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Joseph

DevonMcBride

Another informative site is www.wilton.com

I took their cake decorating classes several years ago.

Gadget

Hi there, this is Gadget's wife posting (username Faolan). The following is the recipe used by my gran and mum and also by me now, and is for a 16" cake (but you can adjust the amount to the size of your cake):

1 lb icing sugar

1 1/2 egg whites

1 dessert spoon glycerine

3 dessert spoons water mixed with 1/2 teaspoon rose essence (or 3 dessertspoons of rosewater)

3 dessertspoons lemon juice

The method is basically just to mix the ingredients together and beat well. The glycerine should stop the icing from cracking when it dries but I don't think you absolutely have to use it - I think it gives the icing a nice texture though.

Hope this helps, and enjoy your cake!

Best wishes

Claire, x

Sad emo

You can buy ready-made icing in packets now - just roll it out to the thickness you want and lay it on.

emo - the 'never does anything the hard way if there's an easy way' cook!

Which is the royal icing anyway - the soft one that covers the cake or the hard icing for decorating it?

RisingEagle

Which is the royal icing anyway - the soft one that covers the cake or the hard icing for decorating it?

oyal Icing is a pure white icing that dries to a smooth, hard, matte finish. Besides its lovely finish it also colors beautifully which makes it a favorite of professionals who use it not only for frosting cakes and cookies, but also for intricate piping of decorations (flowers, borders, and lettering). It is simply a mixture of powdered (icing or confectioners) sugar, lemon juice, and raw egg whites

http://www.joyofbaking.com/RoyalIcing.html

Gadget

Claire again

I don't think it so much matters as far as the cake is concerned as to when you ice, but more as to when you have put the marzipan on the cake. You can use slightly warmed apricot jam as a "glue" on the surface of the cake to make the marzipan adhere. You probably want to let the cake settle for a couple of weeks (wrapped well in greaseproof paper) before the marzipan. The marzipan then needs to be well dried out before you ice (again here the marzipan covered cake should be well wrapped), otherwise the oils will seep out of the marzipan into the icing and discolour it. Hope I am not teaching my granny to suck eggs here!!

If you want to make your own marzipan, here is a recipe (again for a 16" cake):

1 lb icing sugar

8oz ground almonds

8oz granulated sugar

4 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon almond essence

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Method: mix almonds and both sugars together. Beat egg yolks with almond essence and lemon juice. Stir and mix to a firm paste - if you use your hands it will warm the almonds bringing out the oils and help to bind the mixture - it's really good for your hands too!

Best wishes

Claire, x

reneeisorym

I make cakes ... Ask me anything! I'd love to help.
So I have a good recipe for royal icing and I'm not so I'm going to try to go ahead and turn it into English measure for you .. :)

Ingredients:

* (2.399 UK Tsp) 3 US Tablespoons Wilton Meringue Powder
* (454 g) 1 lb. (4 cups) confectioners' sugar (about 1lb.)
* (4.799 UK Tsp) 6 US Tablespoons warm water*

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer). Recipe makes 3 cups.

NOTE: Keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.

* For stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.

**When using large countertop mixer or for stiffer icing, use 1 tablespoon less water.

Thinned Royal Icing: To thin for pouring, add 1 teaspoon water per cup of royal icing. Use grease-free spoon or spatula to stir slowly. Add ½ teaspoon water at a time until you reach proper consistency.

Never tried this but here's another recipe I found to use without meringue powder

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:

2 large egg whites (60 g) <-- I suggest weighing because eggs differ in size so much.

(2.133 UK tsp) 2 US teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups (330 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

For Royal Icing with Egg Whites: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

reneeisorym

And buy the way -- I find it so fascinating how our cakes in the US are totally different than in the UK.

Gill

Joseph and Devon - Thanks for the sites! Great!

Claire - thanks for the recipe! I remember making something like that years ago and will probably use the recipe you give again!

Sad Emo - I was thinking of using the packet fondant icing as a sort of lining between the tiers but I don't think it dries hard enough for wedding cake.

Rising Eagle - Thanks! I'll take a look at the piping.

Reneeisorym! Thanks! - Is it you that makes and sells wedding / celebration cakes? Would you mind if I came back to you on information on assembling the cake?

Thank you so much, Everyone!! I knew I'd get help here. It's not a case of now suddenly getting cold feet about volunteering BUT you know when you start thinking about the little details such as when, what, where etc and it's those little things that make the difference to the finished product!

Royal Icing recipe required for wedding cake......and advice etc HELP!!!!!!

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