Royal Icing
Makes icing to cover a rich fruit cake, approx 20-25cm round
Ingredients:
2 large egg whites or equivalent substitute
450-500g icing sugar
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp glycerine (optional)
Method:
Short description:
Beat the sieved icing sugar into the egg whites gradually, using a wooden spoon or food processor, until it's all combined. Then add the lemon juice, and the glycerine (if used). Beat some more until the mixture is smooth and glossy, with stiff peaks that gently topple, and use.
Longer description:
If you're using egg white, choose organic free-range eggs, to minimise any risk of illness from raw egg white. If you can find powdered egg white with no additives, that can work instead.
Personally, I prefer vegan egg substitutes such as aquafaba or a commercial egg replacement from a health food shop.
Sieving the icing sugar is optional, but I usually do make the effort. Theoretically two large egg whites (or equivalent) will take 450g icing sugar, but I find it varies. So have at least 500g available. Do NOT whip the egg whites or aquafaba - just put them in a large mixing bowl.
Then, if you want to make this traditionally, by hand rather than using a food processor, start adding the icing sugar and stirring it in with a wooden spoon.
Ingredients:
2 large egg whites or equivalent substitute
450-500g icing sugar
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp glycerine (optional)
Method:
Short description:
Beat the sieved icing sugar into the egg whites gradually, using a wooden spoon or food processor, until it's all combined. Then add the lemon juice, and the glycerine (if used). Beat some more until the mixture is smooth and glossy, with stiff peaks that gently topple, and use.
Longer description:
If you're using egg white, choose organic free-range eggs, to minimise any risk of illness from raw egg white. If you can find powdered egg white with no additives, that can work instead.
Personally, I prefer vegan egg substitutes such as aquafaba or a commercial egg replacement from a health food shop.
Sieving the icing sugar is optional, but I usually do make the effort. Theoretically two large egg whites (or equivalent) will take 450g icing sugar, but I find it varies. So have at least 500g available. Do NOT whip the egg whites or aquafaba - just put them in a large mixing bowl.
I don't know why it has to be a wooden spoon rather than an electric mixer, but that's what all the books say. It goes in pretty easily at first. This is what it looks like when you've added about 350g:
It gets a bit more difficult after that. If you have a willing assistant asking to do some stirring, this is the point at which you should probably accept their offer. Add another 50g of icing sugar, and then, when that has gone in, the last 50g. By that stage, it should be looking something like this:
Now add the lemon juice, which gives a pleasant taste. Don't bother if you only have bottled lemon juice. The addition of glycerine supposedly it makes the mixture smoother and easier to cut, but I've never used it. I expect it's now considered an ultra-processed ingredients anyway.
Then beat. And beat some more. Switch hands if you can. Enlist the help of as many other people as are willing, since this is hard work. Keep going, adding more icing sugar if necessary, for at least five minutes, until it looks something like this:
As you lift the spoon out of the mixture, it forms a soft peak, whose tip quickly topples over. You'll know that you need to add more icing sugar if this isn't happening after a few minutes of hard beating. You can just about see in the photo (click it to enlarge, if necessary) that the royal icing has, indeed, become quite glossy at this stage.
Now add the lemon juice, which gives a pleasant taste. Don't bother if you only have bottled lemon juice. The addition of glycerine supposedly it makes the mixture smoother and easier to cut, but I've never used it. I expect it's now considered an ultra-processed ingredients anyway.
As you lift the spoon out of the mixture, it forms a soft peak, whose tip quickly topples over. You'll know that you need to add more icing sugar if this isn't happening after a few minutes of hard beating. You can just about see in the photo (click it to enlarge, if necessary) that the royal icing has, indeed, become quite glossy at this stage.
But if you have a food processor, I strongly recommend using that instead. I tried it one year, when I didn't have anyone to help, and my hands were quite tired already. It worked beautifully. Perhaps not quite as glossy as the hand-made method, but so much less effort. I will never beat royal icing by hand again, if I can help it.
Now you are ready to ice your cake. I basically dump most of the icing on top of my cake (which should already have marzipan or almond paste on it) and then spread it out and decorate. A ruler makes a good way of smoothing the top down, a knife will work around the edges.
If you prefer, you can deliberately make the icing into little peaks, this is called 'rough-icing' and is much easier than trying to make a smooth surface.
If you prefer, you can deliberately make the icing into little peaks, this is called 'rough-icing' and is much easier than trying to make a smooth surface.
