Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Royal icing is the classic decorating icing: nothing more than icing sugar beaten with fresh egg white and a pinch of cream of tartar. It whips up bright white and smooth, pipes cleanly, and dries hard and matte so the lines, dots and lace you pipe stay exactly where you put them.
The same bowl can do several jobs. Beaten stiff it holds sharp peaks for shells, borders, brush embroidery and run-out pieces that set solid enough to lift; loosened with a few drops of water it flows level for flooding and filling outlines. It is also the strongest edible glue in cake work, ideal for fixing decorations, sugar flowers and tiered pieces in place.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 701
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: batch of about 700 g of icing, enough to pipe and decorate one large cake
|
|
|
WEIGHT
(grams)
|
ALTERNATIVE METRIC
|
INGREDIENT
|
IMAGE
|
CONDITION
|
|
A
|
600 |
21.1 ounces
|
Icing Sugar Mixture
Icing sugar mixture, also known as confectioners' sugar or powdered sugar, is pulverised granulated sugar crushed together with a small amount (about three percent) of cornflour. This icing sugar is great to use when making icing for kids' birthday cakes or dusting sweet treats.
|
|
sifted |
|
B
|
100 |
3.3 Egg Whites
|
Egg White
Egg white is the common name for the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms around fertilized or unfertilized egg yolks. The primary natural purpose of egg white is to protect the yolk and provide additional nutrition for the growth of the embryo (when fertilized). Egg white consists primarily of about 90% water into which is dissolved 10% proteins (including albumins, mucoproteins, and globulins). Unlike the yolk, which is high in lipids (fats), egg white contains almost no fat, and carbohydrate content is less than 1%. Egg whites contain just over 50% of the protein in the egg. Egg white has many uses in food (e.g. mousse) and also many other uses (e.g. in the preparation of vaccines such as those for influenza).
fresh
|
|
room temperature |
|
C
|
1 |
|
Cream of Tartar
Cream of tartar, also known as potassium bitartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate, is a byproduct of winemaking. It is known as cream of tartar in context with cooking. It is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid).
In food, cream of tartar is used for:
- Stabilizing egg whites, increasing their heat tolerance and volume
- Stabilizing whipped cream, maintaining its texture and volume
- Anti-caking and thickening
- Preventing sugar syrups from crystallizing
- Reducing discoloration of boiled vegetables
Additionally it is used as a component of:
- Baking powder, as an acid ingredient to activate baking soda
- Sodium-free salt substitutes, in combination with potassium chloride
A similar acid salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate, can be confused with cream of tartar because of their common function as a component of baking powder.
|
|
|
|
|
701
|
|
|
|
|
Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
|
STEP
|
ACTION
|
DETAIL
|
CONDITION
|
|
1 |
Prepare |
Make sure the mixing bowl and whisk are completely clean and free of any grease or oil, then wipe them dry. |
Any trace of fat will stop the icing from whipping up |
|
2 |
Sift |
Sift A (icing sugar mixture) to remove all lumps. |
Light and lump free, so the icing will pipe through a fine tube |
|
3 |
Whisk |
Place B and C (egg white and cream of tartar) in the bowl and whisk briefly by hand. |
Cream of tartar dissolved, egg white just broken up and frothy |
|
4 |
Mix |
Add the sifted A (icing sugar mixture) in two or three lots, mixing on low speed after each addition until it is taken up. |
No dry sugar left in the bowl, no clouds of sugar flying |
|
5 |
Beat |
Beat on medium speed for 5 to 8 minutes, scraping the bowl down once or twice. |
White, smooth and glossy; holds a firm peak on the whisk |
|
6 |
Adjust |
For piping lines and borders use it as it is. For flooding, thin a portion with a few drops of water at a time. For a stiffer icing for flowers or for gluing pieces together, beat in a little extra sifted A (icing sugar mixture). |
Flooding consistency: a ribbon drawn across the surface disappears in about 10 seconds |
|
7 |
Cover |
Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the icing, or lay a clean damp cloth over the bowl, and keep it covered whenever you are not using it. |
Surface stays soft; royal icing crusts within minutes when exposed to air |
Important Notes
This batch makes about 700 g of royal icing. Everything that touches it must be spotlessly clean and grease free, including the bowl, the whisk, the spatulas and the piping bags, or the icing will not whip and will break down as you work. Keep the icing covered at all times with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface or a damp cloth over the bowl, as it forms a crust very quickly. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week; bring it back to room temperature and beat it again briefly before use, as it separates on standing. Piped pieces need to dry in a warm, dry place, and dry very slowly in humid weather. Because this recipe uses fresh egg white, use icing made with it for decoration and assembly rather than serving in quantity, especially for anyone who should avoid raw egg; a version made with egg white powder is the safer choice in that case.
Tools & Arrangements
Electric mixer with whisk attachment, or a bowl and hand whisk; fine sieve; rubber spatula; digital scales; piping bags and tubes; plastic wrap or a clean damp cloth; airtight container.
