Last updated on October 15th, 2024
Ganache, buttercream, glace or royal – which icing do I use? These are no doubt, familiar words uttered in kitchens throughout the world! With all the different types of icing out there, we know that it can get a little confusing. And that’s why we’ve created an Icing 101 guide – something to help you help yourself! Together with explanations, images and recipes, we’ll go through each type of icing, one by one.
What is icing?
Icing is a sugary based mixture that is normally used to decorate cakes, pastries and cookies. Icing adds a variety of colour, decoration, flavour and sweetness to any baked item. General ingredients include, butter, food colouring, egg whites, icing or castor sugar.
What types of icing are there?
There are many different types of icing, each having their own purpose and function in baking. Listed below are some general icing types complimented with an easy to follow recipe, ranging from the most basic to the more complex.
Thick Glace Icing
Glace icing is a simple versatile icing that can be used on almost any baked item. You can change the consistency and colour with the use of food colouring and water.
Ingredients:
250-350g icing sugar
2-4 tbsp water
food colouring
Method:
- Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl.
- Gradually pour the water, one tablespoon at a time, into the bowl – beating continuously until you get a thick, smooth, glossy finish.
- Gradually add the food colouring until the desired colour is achieved.
Buttercream Icing
Buttercream is a type of icing used inside cakes as a coating and as decoration. Just about any buttercream recipe may be flavoured with other ingredients to change the colour/texture/flavour to suit your needs. Popular additions are melted chocolate, praline paste, strong coffee and various nut pastes.
The following buttercream recipes are quick and easy, there’s no cooking time required and the preparation is effortless.
Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients:
175g unsalted butter
350g icing sugar
3 tbsp boiling water
½ tsp vanilla essence
Method:
- Place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat until soft.
- Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Beat until smooth and creamy.
- Use immediately.
Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients:
175g unsalted butter
4 level tbsp cocoa powder
350g icing sugar
3 tbsp boiling water
½ tsp vanilla essence
Method:
- Place the butter into a mixing bowl and beat until soft.
- Place the cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
- Add the boiling water to the cocoa powder.
- Mix the cocoa and water into a paste.
- Add the paste to the softened butter.
- Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Beat until smooth and creamy.
- Use immediately.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
This icing is similar to the basic butter cream recipe, except that some cooking is required in order to dissolve the sugar and egg white. This process makes the Swiss Meringue icing more smoother and fluffier than your normal buttercream.
Ingredients:
4 egg whites
250g castor sugar
pinch of salt
250g unsalted butter
½ tsp vanilla essence
Method:
- Mix together the egg whites, sugar and salt in a bowl.
- Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and double boil the mixture for 6-12 minutes until the mixture is warmed through and the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove the bowl from the heat.
- Whisk until the mixture has cooled and the consistency is fluffy.
- Add the butter.
- Add the vanilla essence.
- Whisk well.
Cream Cheese Icing
Cream cheese frosting is a delicious complement to cheesecakes, carrot cakes and red velvet cakes. Use full fat cream cheese in the following recipe, as the lower fat cream cheese may make your icing too runny due to its softer consistency.
Ingredients:
300g full fat cream cheese
finely grated rind and juice of a lemon, orange or lime
3-4 tbsp icing sugar
Method:
- Beat the cream cheese until soft.
- Mix in the lemon rind and juice.
- Beat well.
- Add the icing sugar, to taste.
- Beat well.
Ganache
Ganache refers to a variety of icing, fillings for pastries and glazes. It is typically made from chocolate and cream. The rich chocolate glaze is normally poured over cakes to create a glossy, beautiful finish.
Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients:
284ml cream
1 level tbsp syrup
200g coarsely chopped chocolate (use dark chocolate for the best results)
Method:
- Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Remove the saucepan once boiled.
- Stir in the syrup.
- Place the chopped chocolate into a mixing bowl.
- Pour the heated mixture over the chocolate.
- Mix until all the chocolate has melted.
Royal Icing
Royal Icing is a pure white icing that dries to a smooth, hard, matte finish. Besides its lovely finish it also colours beautifully which makes it a favourite of professionals who use it not only for frosting cakes and cookies, but also for intricate piping of decorations (flowers, borders and lettering).
Ingredients:
2 egg whites
350-500g icing sugar
Method:
- Beat the egg whites until they have been broken down.
- Add the icing sugar gradually until the mixture starts to thicken.
- Beat the mixture with an electric beater set at the slowest speed for about 10 min – until the icing is light and fluffy.
- You can adjust the consistency accordingly by either adding more icing to thicken, or drops of water to thin the mixture.
Toffee Topping
This indulgent topping can be used as a cake topping as well as a hot dessert topping!
Ingredients:
100g butter
125g condensed milk
50g castor sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
Method:
- Melt the butter in a saucepan.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
Hi, what butter is the best to use for icing?
nice
fantastic website : clear and informative. I really need a recipe for plastic (or fondant ?) icing – please!
Hi Mags, rather buy fondant icing. You can buy it at most supermarkets and baking shops.
please put me through on how to prepare this fondant icing, I want to do it. thanks
hi there in your ganache recipe you say syrup,what syrup are you referring to .please assist as i would like to try out the recipe
You can use normal syrup or corn syrup.
Hi Louise, where can i buy this syrup, is it golden syrup?
Hi Wendy, yes, just plain golden syrup 🙂
super
its very fun to make my mum loved it
Kindly advise. Do I use lemon juice or lemon essence in the toffee toppin recipe to make a lemon flavoured topping?
Ek gebruik woodenspoon botter werk die beste
In the buttercream icing, u have stated just butter and not unsalted butter. I had tried salted butter and it tasted terrible. So u help me know what butter am I supposed to use for buttercream icing??????
Can I use normal sugar instead of icing sugar for chocolate buttercream?
easy to follow.straight on point.great outcome.thanks for making baking fun (;-)
Nice and easy explanation to understand.
These are really usefull, Thank You. 🙂
Love your website. Just made chocolate butter cream icing for my chocolate cake, it was perfect. Thank you for the recipe.
nice one I love this thank you
it is the best webside
Thanks for the recipes, they are easy to follow.
You don’t have fondant icing on the list, I would like a recipe for it if you have.
hi these recipes look quit easy an d will try it. it is the best website I have seen yet with easy recipes.
do you have a facebook account for this website.
Awesome.. 🙂
Tnx for the recipes
The information shared seems to be in its simplest form could’nt be better,Thank’s for making me feel confident in doing so .regards
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Thank you for this amazing website.
Plz which icing is normally used for birthday cakes, and the recipe plz. Thank you
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