Fundamentals of Frosting -Textures and Tastes of Icing Options:
Frosting vs. Icing
Icing and frosting are used interchangeably
One term or the other may be more common based on the geographic area. Icing may be either pre-made icing or a scratch formula from the baker’s own recipe .
The Process of Creating Icing in Colors:
Even today, most brides still prefer the traditional white icing wedding cake though it is increasingly popular to add accents of the bridal party colors the wedding gown details. Cakes draped in full color are trendy in many areas especially in pale or muted versions of yellow, pink, green, and blue. Darker colors are most often used only for accents, flowers, leaves, etc.
Creation of icing colors is part of the art of cake decorating. The baker adds a few “drops” of liquid color to “white” icing and blends the color into the icing. Amounts of color used will vary from a few drops to nearly an ounce of color per pound of icing. A wedding cake serving 150 people could easily have 5 lbs of icing or more. The baker generally follows a color “recipe” or uses a “color wheel” to determine the ratio of colors to use to create the desired color. For richer colors, the baker may start lighter and continue to add small amounts of coloring to the icing until the proper depth of color is achieved.
While a cake may be created with a solid dark icing, it is not recommended. Most bakers agree it is better to incorporate darker colors in the flourishes and decorations and not in icing the entire cake. You really don’t want to see all your guests with mouths full of dark colored icing.
One idea to consider if you do wish to have an entire cake in a very rich, dark color, first mix the buttercream icing to near the color, but finish the cake with an airbrush so that the color is not so intense throughout the icing. Another option is to have your cake wrapped with a frosting paper printed with the desired darker colors or designs. The frosting paper is rather delicate, so be prepared to treat the cake gingerly. Not all bakers will agree to create these dark colors as the food coloring and overall look may detract from the taste and decoration of the cake. Check with your baker and be flexible to alternatives and the baker’s own creative ideas.
Helpful Hints:
• For black, start with chocolate icing.
• Mix a sufficient quantity of the icing for the entire cake to ensure color will be consistent.
• Both light colors and dark colors get a little darker a few hours after mixing.
Many factors affect icing consistency and icing colors including:
Ingredients
Equipment
Humidity
Temperature
Water PH levels
Storage
Slight adjustments may be needed in each geographic area to accommodate the temperature or humidity. It’s important to work with a professional to make sure you have a beautiful wedding cake - designed to create a lasting impression for you and your guests.
Icing Types
Butter Crème
The traditional wedding cake icing and the most popular form of icing in the US market.
Customarily, made of margarine or butter, partially hydrogenated shortening, powdered sugar, flavoring, and milk and possibly egg
Works well in warm climates if handled properly
Needs minimal refrigeration
Decorations will be less perfect
Decorative style ranges from simple to glamorous depending on the decorator
Generally better taste
Traditional favorite
Cost ranges from less costly to costly depending on type of icing
Whipped Cream Icing
Delicious and popular, but not practical for all situations.
Made of heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar and possibly gelatin stabilizers
Not recommended for warm climates
Mmust be refrigerated which may be difficult
Ddecorations will be less perfect and less stable shelf life
Less dramatic
Does not accept or hold any food coloring very well
Generally better taste
Extremely costly
Non-Dairy Whipped Topping
Non-Dairy whipped topping is gaining popularity in US and is very popular in Asian and Hispanic communities.
Higher sugar content is easier to work with, holds color better and holds shape better.
Goes well with fresh or processed fruit fillings
Manufactured usually from a vegetable oil base with emulsifiers and flavors, vanilla or chocolate.
Purchased in buckets, frozen pre-whipped, or in carton containers as a frozen liquid that is thawed and whipped at bakery level.
Several popular brands which vary in flavor and sugar content.
Some brands are shelf stable after whipping, some still require refrigeration. It depends on the manufacturer. Read label directions.
Non-dairy whipped toppings will not accept dark food colors well, but pastel colors work wonderfully.
The finished cake should be kept refrigerated if possible, but some bakeries add real dairy heavy whipping cream for flavor, so that would definitely require refrigeration.
It is lower cost than buttercream.
Rolled fondant Icing
For a look often described as the smooth finish of a fine porcelain, the simple elegance of fondant icing is gaining popularity in US - though it’s a bit more costly due to the decorator’s labor and training required.
Customarily made of powdered sugar, corn syrup solids , and flavoring,
There is no butter in fondant.
Fondant is typically applied over a thin layer of buttercream on the cake.
There are 2 types of fondant, rolled fondant, and poured fondant. Both can be purchased pre-made or made from scratch.
The look of rolled fondant is often compared to clay.
Fondant holds up better than fat based icings in warm climates.
Although shelf stable, it is still adversely effected in extreme heat and should be kept in air conditioned surroundings.
Requires an availability of rolled fondant equipment and work area.
Decorations will be less perfect depending on the decorator.
Style ranges from simple elegance to dramatic, depending on the talent of the decorator.
The taste is subjective. Most people like the look of fondant, but not the taste.
Very labor intensive. and can be cost prohibitive. .
Marzipan
Marzipan is not extremely popular with US brides. It is a European style cake. Usually a layer similar to rolled fondant is wrapped around a cake that has been crumb iced with buttercream or a jam or jelly. Then the whole thing is usually covered with a rolled or poured fondant icing.
Customarily, made with almond paste and powdered sugar and corn syrup.
Good for keeping larger cakes fresh.
Better for a dense cake that will hold the weight of marzipan.
Shelf stable, but will dry without refrigeration or fondant enrobing
Decorations may be less perfect depending on the decorator
Sometimes less dramatic. Marzipan is more for taste than decoration.
Though taste is subjective, marzipan generally has a better taste than fondant icings.
The cake is first iced or crumb iced with a buttercream before adding the marzipan.
People with nut allergies may have an adverse allergic reaction to the almond paste.
Extremely costly.
Other Icing Types
Royal icing is a smooth, hard-drying icing used to create long-lasting decorations or to cement other decorations to the cake. Made with meringue powder and powdered sugar, it is edible, but not recommend for decorating an entire wedding cake.
Gum paste is thick and pliable, but dries fairly hard. It may be used to create some of the forms and flourishes and of the cake such as gum paste flowers that seem like real flowers. Made of sugar, dextrose, and corn syrup and gums, it is edible, but may be too hard to be edible.
Meringue, or a meringue type buttercream, may be used for more whispy decorations and will work well with your other flavors. Italian Cream contains whipped egg whites and fats. French cream contains whipped whole eggs/yolks and cooked sugars.
We recommend working with a professional wedding cake specialist to help you choose the right icing type for your style, your taste, your reception environment and your budget.
