Icing a Cake: 2 Recipes

Ask any child -- the best part about a cake is the icing. It's tasty and adds colour and decoration to any dessert. Here are two simple icing recipes that will leave your guests' mouths watering.

Icing is always effective – and tasty. Glacé, buttercream and chocolate are best for soft cakes such as sponges. Royal and ready-made fondant are best for firmer fruit cakes.

To fill the centre and cover the top of a 20 centimetre (eight inch) round cake or about 15 cupcakes.

• 120 g (1/2 c) unsalted butter, softened
• 275 g (1 1/4 c) icing sugar
• sieved 15-30 ml (1-2 tbsp) milk and/or flavouring (see note below)
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice and grated zest of half a lemon
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) orange juice and grated zest of half an orange
• 50 g (1/2 c) melted chocolate

1. Use a wooden spoon or food processor to cream the butter until soft.
2. Gradually beat in the icing sugar with the flavourings, adding milk if necessary to make a smooth but stiff mixture.

NOTE: For flavourings, in place of some or all of the milk use: 1½ tsp coffee essence or strong black coffee

To cover the top and sides of a 23 centimetre (nine inch) round or 20 centimetre (eight inch) square cake with two thin layers.

•  900 g (3 1/2 c) icing sugar
• 4 egg whites
• 10 ml (2 tsp) lemon juice
• 10 ml (2 tsp) glycerine (omit for a tiered cake – it makes icing too soft)

1. Sift the sugar and beat the egg whites until frothy, then add half the sugar a tablespoon at a time.
2. Beat well for 5 to 10 minutes, until fluffy and increased in bulk.
3. Gradually add the lemon juice, glycerine and remaining icing sugar, beating until it stands in peaks and loses its shine.
4. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to stand for two hours.
5. After icing the cake leave it to set for at least four hours before applying another layer.
6. Allow 24 hours before adding any further decorations.

Pour the icing so that it drips down the sides of the cake and use a palette knife to smooth the top and sides.

--------------------

Discover the smarter way to save time and money

Ready to start saving more on your groceries and pharmacy purchases? Download the FREE YP Grocery app today! It lets you create shareable shopping lists, automatically finds all the best deals and coupons, then delivers them right to you. No more manually scrolling through hundreds of flyers to find what you’re looking for!

Download the YP Grocery app now!