Cake Decorating Chat "Different kinds of icing" - Recipes and hints" 5-15-97

By Earlene Moore

HELLO KITCHEN THIS IS THE CAKE DECORATING CHAT HOUR WELCOME TO ALL NEWCOMERS TO OUR LIVE CHATS! WE ARE CHATTING ABOUT CAKE DECORATING..9-10PM EST... ...HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY

DON'T FORGET TO TURN ON YOUR LOG TO RECORD OUR CHAT TONIGHT: TO DO: AT THE AOL OPENING MENU, CLICK ON FILE, SCROLL DOWN TO LOG MANAGER, UNDER CHAT - CLICK ON NEW LOG...... (I SAVE IT IN A FOLDER TITLED CHAT LOGS)...SAVE IT AS ANY NAME ANYWHERE YOU WANT. AFTER YOU EXIT AOL YOU CAN USE ANY WORD PROCESSOR TO READ IT.

WE ARE TYPING IN CAPS AS REQUESTED. THIS MAKES IT EASIER FOR YOU TO FOLLOW WHAT THE HOSTS OF THE CHAT HAVE PREPARED FOR YOU. YOU CAN EASILY TAKE IT INTO YOUR WORD PROCESSOR LATER AND CHANGE THE FORMAT OF THE TEXT.

Our topic tonight is "Different kinds of icing" - Recipes and hints". I even dug out my grandmothers chocolate icing for you. That good old fudge cooked icing.

Dolores is fishing and getting some good r & r. She will be back for the chat on the 29th. Shavkin has agreed to help me the two weeks she will be gone. Diane is very new to the chat room. She is a knowledgeable cake decorator and has some ideas that are different for you.

TONIGHT'S DISCUSSIONS TOPIC IS ABOUT THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF ICINGS. RECIPES AND HINTS.

Buttercream icing is what we are all accustomed to eating on birthday cakes, wedding cakes and other special occasion cakes.

It is basically shortening, sugar, liquid and flavoring. Dolores and I both have given our personal recipes in previous chats.

You can find these recipes also in the discuss cake decorating area in the cooking club on AOL.

KEYWORD cooking club.... choose Cooking School.... choose Cake Decorating Online and then choose Discuss Cake Decorating. Here you will find many topics and this is the cake decorators bulletin board area. If you need a recipe, need to ask a question, want help with a decorating idea, want to share a tip or technique, have a horror story to share, want to find out about the ices organization and etc. This is the place to go for cake decorators.

BETTERCREAM is a commercial icing that just requires whipping before using. This icing can be purchased ready made and many decorators use this commercially. It is great for decorating and well as icing the cake.

Shavkin: Royal Icing - Meringue Recipe:
GLOSSY CHOCOLATE FROSTING (found in a 40 year old cookbook) Mix Spread on the cake while hot for a glossy frosting which remains soft and smooth. It will frost 1 loaf cake or one 9-inch square cake. Ganache icing is made from chocolate chips and whipping cream. Rich, smooth chocolate icing or filling. Very difficult to use out of tips if you have hot hands because it melts at a very low temperature.

MARTHA STEWART'S GANACHE

1 lb. Chocolate chips and 2 cups Heavy cream.

I found this icing is beautiful - very glossy and very sticky. I prefer

1 lb. Chocolate chips to 1 1/2 c. Whipping cream. --- It is not quite as sticky.

Heat the whipping cream just under boiling and add the chocolate chips. Stir until all chips are totally dissolved. Cool - stirring occasionally ice the cake with a thin coating of the ganache over a tray with a rack. (the tray will catch any excess icing and the rack will keep your cake elevated. ) pour the ganache over your cake when the icing has reached the right consistency. If you decide to pipe borders with this icing you must move quickly and having two bags with identical tips will help. If one bag begins to get to warm in your hand you can lay it down and pick up the other one and continue decorating. You can cool this icing down and whip it for a wonderful cake filling. (add a few chopped pecans or walnuts) or even ice the cake with the whipped icing. 

If any of you have the blue wedding cake book that Wilton put out - look on page 49 and you will find a cake called "Love Birds A Flight Of Imagination" - this cake was done by John McNamara with boiled icing. This is John's recipe from his book magic in frosting. John 's figure piping is more on the beginner level if you can find one of his books.

Put in pan and cook to temperature of 232 degrees 6 oz. Water 1 lb. 4 oz. Granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar While syrup mixture is cooking, whip 8 oz. Egg whites until fluffy in the mixer

After syrup has reached its temperature, add it slowly to whipping egg whites. Then reduce mixer to medium speed and run until icing stiffens, approximately 10 minutes. If desired add vanilla or other flavor before removing icing from mixer. This icing is similar to the seven minute frosting. Very light and airy - no Crisco - therefore low fat - and you can do borders and some flowers with this icing. 

In next weeks chat we are going to talk a little about making your flowers look more realistic. Check out the chat we did on may 1st on Dolores's web page. Http://w3.one.net/~proicer/index.html She put four of my wedding cakes down in my part of the chat info. Now you can check me out. Three of these cakes have sugar flowers on them and next week I'll tell you some of the ways to make your flowers look more realistic.

Now Diane has some recipes and instructions she wants to share with you.

By Diane Shavkin

The following is a butter cream recipe that may be used for frosting a cake, making flowers using gumpaste cutters and molding items using candy molds.

DIANE SHAVKIN'S BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

NOTE: do not add paramount crystals for frosting a cake as it could cause frosting to crack when cake is frosted. Paramount crystals should be added for molding items using candy molds and for rolling out frosting for cutter-type flowers. DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING FROSTING: to water, add the meringue powder, vanilla and salt. Set aside. Cream shortening until fluffy (very fluffy). Alternately, add liquids and sugar on low speed. Thin with water for easier coating if necessary. Store in plastic container with secure, air-tight lid. (frosting will keep for weeks.) In order to mold with this frosting, thicken with enough confectioners sugar and corn starch so that mixture can be molded into a ball using the hands.

TO MOLD: Dust candy mold with corn starch. Make a ball of frosting and place this ball into the candy mold. (it is best to estimate the size ball of frosting that will fit "perfectly" into the candy mold cavity.) Press mixture into the candy mold. Now, use the edge of a metal spatula to cut off and level the "back" of the piece that has been inserted into the candy mold. Turn candy mold over and tap-out the molded frosting-piece. When this item is dry, it can be dusted desired shades with dusting powders and/or powdered food colors that have been mixed with corn starch. The molded item can also be painted using an artist's brush and food colors mixed with gin or vodka. (for those preferring not to use an alcohol base, use rose water).

TO PAINT: place dabs of food colors on a flat plate or Plexiglas surface. Place a drop of alcohol near the desired color to be used. Use the alcohol to mix and paint with the colors.

TO USE FROSTING FOR CUT-OUT FLOWERS: add enough confectioners sugar to get desired consistency. Roll out only a small portion of the frosting at a time. Do not reuse the frosting to re-roll and cut out more flowers. Always use "fresh pieces" of frosting each time you roll out the frosting to cut out flowers. After the frosting is rolled out to desired thickness, use a cookie cutter or gumpaste cutter and press down into the rolled-frosting until the cutter touches the work surface. Remove the "scrap" pieces and leave the cutter- shapes (flowers). Use a thin-blade spatula to remove the flower shape from the work surface. (be sure to keep the frosting covered at all times so that it does not dry out).

To get the petal edges to look thin and not heavy, just use the thumb and the index finger to "pinch" the edges of each flower petal. (note: this is a different method than one would use to thin the edges of gumpaste flowers). Place the flower on top of a sponge. (The sponge used for ceramic work that does not have the big holes is great). Use the cone-shaped, veiner and press down in the center of the flower to create the flower petals to curve upward and give a nice, realistic dimension to the flower. The veiners I use come from England, Canada and south Africa and can be purchased in cake shops. Please be aware that the flower will not react the same way to this frosting-medium as it would to gumpaste. Gumpaste has elasticity and frosting does not.

ALSO: try using marzipan for making flowers using the roll-out and cut-out method described, above.

DIANE'S WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING (to frost a 9", layer cake):

Heat heavy cream and butter together in a double boiler. When mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and add white chocolate compound. Stir until melted. Set aside to cool.

IN THE MEANTIME, whip 2 1/2 cups Crisco until fluffy with electric mixer. ADD 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring dash of salt Beat on low speed and gradually add the 1 lb of sifted confectioner sugar. Beat well, and add the white chocolate mixture. Add enough confectioners sugar for desired consistency.

VARIATIONS: semi-chocolate or milk chocolate disks (compound). Whipped cream icing (not so sweet icing): 1/2 cup milk (room temperature), 1/2 cup margarine (room temperature), 1/2 cup Crisco, 7 tablespoons flour, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. IMPORTANT: all ingredients must be at room temperature. Beat at high speed until mixture has looks and texture of whipped cream (about 5 minutes). This recipe can be used for borders even though it is a soft frosting. Keep refrigerated to avoid borders "wilting".

RamaCake: greetings from Kansas City cake decorators, this is our first time online (WELCOME TO YOU TOO!) 

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