Royal Icing
After posting my first blog post and biscuit recipe last week, I was genuinely shocked by the amount of positive feedback and love I received, and also the number of people who were impatient for me to post my icing recipe next! So, as promised, in between baking and being ill (which is always like 'can you not' when you're a baker) I finally managed to put together this post so you can now have a go at making my icing recipe alongside the biscuits.
Like most bakers, I use royal icing when it comes to decorating biscuits. Traditionally Royal icing is used to cover fruit cakes and is made with whisked egg whites, icing sugar and lemon juice but let's be real, nobody here is about to cover a fruit cake with their royal icing. I mean if you are, I'm not judging but cookies vs fruit cake...I know what I'd choose.
Although you'll find a bunch of different ways people make Royal icing, this is how it works for me. So here it is, my recipe plus the tips and tricks I've learnt along the way.
Royal Icing Recipe
Ingredients:
4 tsp meringue powder/meri-white*
4 tbsp cold water (plus extra)
500g sieved icing sugar
Makes enough to flood approximately 2 dozen biscuits
*I buy mine online in larger tubs (usually from Ingram Brothers, Cake Stuff or Amazon depending where it's available) but you can buy smaller quantities from local cake shops/supermarkets, or even buy ready Royal icing sugar from most supermarkets.
Method:
1. Measure out the meringue powder into a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water to make a thick paste.
Tip: If you add all the water at once you're more likely to get lumps in your egg whites which in turn makes your icing lumpy. By putting it in bit by bit it will turn out nice and smooth so it's worth the extra minute.
2. Add a second tablespoon of water and mix thoroughly, then add the remaining water and mix again until combined.
3. Let the egg white mixture sit for at least 20 minutes (stirring occasionally) before pouring into a clean mixing bowl.
4. Add the sieved icing sugar and mix on a low speed using a whisk attachment. The mixture will clump together so add 1 extra tablespoon of water at a time until you reach stiff peaks.
Tip: If you are going to store your Royal icing for a couple of days, it's always best to make your icing with stiff peaks and then loosen it with more water before decorating, or add icing sugar if it needs to be thicker. The runnier the icing is when being stored, the more likely it is to split so the thicker the better!
*after adding 1 extra tablespoon of water
5. Scrape the bowl down and mix on a medium speed for 5-7 minutes until white and glossy.
6. Store in an air tight container in the fridge until ready to decorate!
A few tips if you're a beginner using royal icing:
- If your icing does split after being stored, whip it for a few minutes before decorating.
- Room temperature icing is best to use for decorating as the consistency can change the warmer it gets.
- Royal icing can be coloured with gel food colouring which is most recommended, liquid colours can also be used but be careful as this will thin the icing.
- Do not leave the icing uncovered for too long as it will start to dry out.
Feel free to message me if there's anything you'd like to ask and I'll try and help out the best I can! And as always, your comments and feedback are really appreciated so let me know what you think and tag @sugarbase_ on Instagram so I can check out your bakes!
Happy baking~
Sana
