Types of Frostings & Icings

Here is my little guide to help you determine and decide which frosting/icing would you want for your cake or cupcake. Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions.

ITALIAN MERINGUE aka BOILED ICING

Whatever you call it, the process is the same. Sugar is boiled to a certain temperature or stage then gradually poured into stiffly beaten eggwhites. I love to call this marshmallow icing because it tastes like puffed marshmallow.

By the way, marshmallow is made in almost the same way, except that gelatin is added to set the mixture.

This is used as a base for the Italian Meringue Buttercream frosting.

Italian Meringue or boiled icing is 100% fat free. It doesn’t overpower, rather it compliments the taste of most cupcake flavor. Some perceived this icing to be for the kids but surprisingly, many of my adult customers before prefer the lightness of this frosting. Sadly, I’ve heard a few branding this as cheap icing probably because it is indeed cheaper in cost. But mind you, making this type of frosting requires some special attention otherwise you will not get the perfect consistency not to mention the “hard work” one puts in if made using hand-mixer so don't call this cheap icing okay, labor is more expensive than the ingredients.

I am one baker who swears by the stability of this icing. If done right, this holds up well in any kind of weather and can be piped any way you want. This is my best friend in the icing world.

BUTTER ICING

One of the most popular icing made mostly with butter and icing sugar. There are, however, several types of butter icing.

Classic American Buttercream is perhaps the most common form of butter icing. It can be too sweet to some but sweetness can be adjusted according to preference. If you want a light buttercream icing, go for the Italian Meringue Buttercream.

Classic Buttercream can be flavored and colored to vary the cake style. Amongst my favorites are lemon, peppermint and mocha variations.
Italian Meringue Buttercream carries on the lightness of the boiled icing but with a hint of butter. The process is almost similar to making boiled icing with butter added.

FONDANT ICING

>A type of icing that resembles a playdough. Because of its smooth appearance, cakes covered with fondant could look very elegant and is very versatile because it can be decorated any way you want it.

Classic or Regular Fondant – is typically made with gelatin, sugar and some corn syrup and glycerin. I never use this type to cover my cakes/cupcakes because I don't like it's taste.

Marshmallow Fondant - many bakers are now gearing towards the use of this type of fondant. It is the simplest to make and does not include intimidating ingredients like glycerin or glucose but just marshmallow and icing sugar. Aside from that, it is by far tastier than the classic fondant. A chocolate variation can also be made from MMF.

Various figures can also be made by molding the fondant as in the golf cake I made below way long ago.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

You simply need chocolate bars and heavy cream to make this. Glazed over a cake, ganache can create a very smooth finish. This can also be whipped for piping. Despite having just two main ingredients for this type of icing, making it requires a lot of patience and good timing. (I have to admit, I have never perfected this icing myself). I prefer to use the fudge icing.

WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING

Made with cream and icing sugar, this icing has a creamy and delicate sweet taste but needs refrigeration and does not hold up well at room temperature.

ROYAL ICING

A very sweet type of icing made from eggwhites and icing sugar. This is best used for piped decorations only although I think and I am convinced this was the icing my mom used for our cakes when we were young because I could still remember that our cakes had crispy icing on it hehehe. My mom insisted it was boiled icing hahaha! Whatever!

WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

This one goes well with carrot and other spice cakes like Eggnog and tea cakes. It is also a perfect pair for the Red Velvet Cake and topping for Cinnamon Rolls.