Glace icing is one of the most simplest methods of decorating your baked goods. You can make a quick glace icing by mixing a small amount of water to some icing sugar (or Confectioner’s Sugar) with a little bit of flavouring and it’s perfect for drizzling over cakes, cinnamon buns, or biscuits. Simple but effective.
2. Royal Icing
This versatile icing is used mainly for decorating cookies and biscuits. Used for outlining and then “Flooding”, the icing can be layered to create some gorgeous 3-dimensional effects. Royal Icing is made using whisked egg white, icing sugar and colouring. You can use a wide variety of icing nozzles and piping bags for each colour and the finally effects can look stunning. Use the icing for decorating gingerbread houses, create delicate lines on celebration cakes and adding intricate detail to sugar cookies.
3. Fondant Icing
This icing is usually used for covering cakes such as wedding or celebration cakes, it can be store bought or you can make your own, and even add colour to it. Use this icing for a smooth coverage on cakes, sculpting 3-Dimensional objects to display on your cakes or for cutting out shapes for decorating on your cakes.
Fondant icing is made using icing sugar, glucose, glycerine and gelatine, it can take a little longer to make your own, but totally worth it.
4. Buttercream
One of the most well known icings, buttercream is great for adding structure to your cakes. Just ask Nastassja of The Indulgent Sugar Plum, who uses buttercream for her cakes. As a cake architect she needs something that going to be solid and strong and buttercream does just that. You can learn the art of how to make the same sort of tall and elegant cakes using buttercream in one of her masterclasses.
5. Frosting
This has a bit more structure to it and is ideal for swirling onto cupcakes and larger celebration cakes. Frosting is made in a similar way to buttercream, except with the addition of double (or heavy) cream.
