Cake Icing Hints & Tips

There are four basic cake coverings:  royal icing, fondant icing, glacé icing and buttercream.  The two most commonly used are royal icing and rolled fondant icing (the latter is also called sugarpaste or Regalice™). 

Royal icing is a traditional icing for covering celebration cakes as it creates the more classical, formal style for wedding, christening and Christmas cakes.  Royal icing has to be built up in several coats and allowed to dry in between each application.  A drier consistency is better for flat icing, while a softer consistency is used for peaked icing or piping designs.  Royal icing can be made using either fresh egg white or dried albumen, icing sugar is added to achieve the desired consistency.  If leaving prepared icing for any length of time cover the surface with cling film or damp greaseproof to prevent it from drying and forming a skin.  

Fondant icing – there are different types of fondant icing, only rolled fondant icing is covered in this guide.  Rolled fondant icing is also known as Regalice or sugar paste.  The softer, more moulded look of fondant icing is often used for birthday and novelty cakes.  Fondant icing is popular with professional and home cake decorators due to its ease of use, it can be applied in one layer and rolled fondant can be bought ready made.  Knead well until smooth and pliable, then roll to the required shape and thickness.  It can be frozen, but must be allowed to defrost naturally.  The icing can be flavoured using the essences and/or coloured using the liquid or paste colourings.  To add the colourings use a cocktail stick, adding a little at a time to achieve the desired shade.  Too much colouring or flavouring will make the paste sticky.   

The icing can be easily moulded into flowers, animals and other shapes - once moulded it will dry and retain its shape.  However, after a period of time the shapes can soften as the glycerine content attracts moisture so it should only be used on decorations that are to be consumed quickly.  

Petal paste or flower paste is used for moulding fine flowers and other decorations and is more suitable for decorations which may not be consumed for a while.  To achieve a delicate effect the paste must be rolled to the thickness of parchment.  The paste dries very quickly when exposed to the air and it is important that all paste not in use is well sealed and stored in a dry place.  Liquid or paste colourings and flavourings can be blended in to the petal or flower paste.  Once set this paste is very brittle.

Glacé icing is also known as water icing and is made by stirring boiling water into icing sugar to create a thick cream consistency.  Glacé icing is used for the quick decoration of cakes and biscuits.  Liquid colours, pastes and flavourings can be added to glacé icing but too much liquid could alter the consistency of the icing.

Food colours are available in several forms, including liquid, paste, powder, sprays and pens.  Liquids and pastes can give a more intense colour and are more suitable for colouring larger amounts of icing.  Powdered colours will give a more delicate finish to a decoration.  

Paste and liquid colours are very intense and it is advisable to add colour a little at a time from the end of a cocktail stick to achieve the desired shade.  The amount of colour required may vary with different foodstuffs.  A wide range of colours are available and colours can be blended to create an individual colour.  When colouring icing with paste or liquid it is better to mix it in before applying the icing to the cake as this achieves a more even consistency.

Paste colours are the most popular form of colouring as pastes provide the strongest colour.  Pastes are ideal for adding to royal icing, rolled fondant icing, petal paste, glacé icing, butter icing, marzipan and white chocolate.  The colour may change as it dries so it should be mixed into the foodstuff at least 15 minutes before reviewing the finished colour.  To achieve a true colour with some dark colours, such as black and red it is best to paint them on.  When using pastes as a paint it is important to dilute the paste with a little water, otherwise the high glycerine content in the paste will hinder the drying process and the colours may run.  Note: Some tartrazine-free colours are available in pastes.

Liquid colours can be added to fondant icing, royal icing, glace icing, butter icing and marzipan.  The depth of colour increases as more liquid is added; be aware that this could change the consistency of the foodstuff.

Tinting or dusting powder is mainly used as a dust for adding colour to flowers and frills.  Colour is added by painting or dusting the powder onto moulded or cut-out decorations, or directly on to the cake surface.  Powder can be used to colour icing and white chocolate but the intensity is not as strong as with pastes or liquid colourings.  To create a lighter colour powders can be mixed with corn flour, water, or a clear spirit (such as gin or vodka) for painting.  Lustre colours, such as gold or silver, should not be blended into icing or petal paste as the colours will be lost.   

Colour mist sprays are brightly coloured, easy to use and taste-free.  Sprays can be used to add colour to plain iced cakes, to spray over stencils or brighten party desserts.  Simply shake the can and spray.

Colour pens are used to write and draw directly on to hard royal icing, fondant icing or marzipan.  Use in the same way as a felt tip pen and replace the cap firmly after use to prevent the pen from drying out.

Edible glitter flakes are colourful sugar flakes that can be sprinkled on to cakes as decoration.  To ensure the flakes adhere to the surface brush edible glue or egg white on to the area to be decorated and sprinkle with flakes.

Liquid flavourings and essences: Essences are more concentrated than flavourings.  They are suitable for use in various foodstuffs including all icings, chocolate and cream.  Care should be taken not to add too much as the liquid could change the consistency.

Glycerine is used as an additive in royal icing to prevent the icing becoming too hard and brittle when the cake is cut.  Use 5ml/1tsp of glycerine to 450g/1lb of icing sugar to make the icing softer (a higher proportion of glycerine could cause the collapse of a tiered cake).  Only add glycerine to icing for covering the cake (flat or peaked icing), do not add glycerine for piping icing and decorations.  To pipe melted chocolate add a few drops of glycerine to achieve a suitable piping consistency.

Liquid Glucose is used in the making of fondant icing.  It has a very thick consistency and the jar should be warmed in a pan of hot water as this will help to ensure accurate measuring.  Too much glucose will cause the paste to be too sticky and difficult to use.  Liquid glucose should not be used to make pastes for flower moulding, Gum Tragacanth should be used instead.

Gum Tragacanth is a powder that can be added to fondant icing (10ml/2tsp of powder to 500g/1lb of icing) to give a more pliable consistency for moulding flowers and free standing figures, and it will ensure that the decorations dry quickly and set harder than normal.  Gum Tragacanth will also make royal icing more elastic and less likely to break when piping delicate string work.  

Gum Arabic powder is mixed with water (10ml/2tsp of Gum Arabic with 60ml/2fl oz of water) to create an edible glue for sticking together any fine sugar paste work such as flower petals or small models.  It can also be used as varnish for marzipan or rolled fondant icing.  One layer of Gum Arabic will give a slight sheen and subsequent layers will build up to a very high gloss finish, each layer must dry before applying the next layer.

Gum Arabic can be used as a glue or glaze on crystallised fruits. To make the glaze blend 15ml/1 tablespoon of Gum Arabic to 45ml/3 tablespoons of warm water over a low heat until it is completely melted and clear, then strain it through a piece of muslin cloth.  It can be stored in an airtight jar in a refrigerator for a few months, a few drops of brandy added to the glaze will increase its shelf life.

Edible glue is a ready made option used to hold paste decorations, such as flowers, together.  It can also be used as an alternative to egg white when applying glitter flakes.

Albumen powder is used as a substitute for fresh egg white in royal icing and will achieve a very smooth finish to the icing.  To reconstitute the powder mix 15g/½oz with 75ml/2.5fl.oz of water, it will be a lumpy, slimy liquid with a strong smell which is quite normal.  Do not try to whisk out the lumps, leave them to dissolve for at least 15 minutes, or up to a couple of hours before using in the icing.  The above quantity is sufficient to make 500g/1lb of icing. 

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Quick reference for the use of colourings with different foods

Key: ü - suitable   s - sparingly   g - use with an edible glue   d - diluted form only   w - white chocolate only   x - not suitable