Rich and dreamy American buttercream has several merits, but if you’re looking for a frosting that’s butter-free, both royal and regular icing can work a treat. Here’s the lowdown on each option.
Regular icing (also known as glace icing) is a very simple frosting prepared with plenty of powdered sugar and a dash of water. As it’s so easy to make, this basic recipe is often drizzled over banana breads, coffee cakes, and cinnamon rolls to lend them a touch more sweetness and texture. Regular icing sets on the surface, almost forming a crust, but it tends to remain slightly soft inside. It also has a translucent quality to it, so it doesn’t completely camouflage the bake beneath.
Royal icing, on the other hand, sets very hard, making it perfect for decorating cookies. It still contains powdered sugar (and a dash of water if required for thinning out purposes), but it also features egg whites and a flavoring, like vanilla. The whites are whipped up until light and foamy before the sugar is gradually incorporated, resulting in a meringue-like frosting that’s glossy and fluffy. It can be super-thick, which makes it fantastic for piping outlines on butter cookies, but it can also be slightly diluted with water and thinned out to flood larger surface areas. One of the mistakes everyone makes with royal icing is not allowing it to dry fully. It can take 6-8 hours for the frosting to completely set, which means patience is key.
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How to make royal icing without raw egg whites
Plate or cookies decorated with royal icing – Didesign021/Getty Images
Some royal icings contain additions to stabilize the egg whites, which lends them a fluffier and firmer texture that doesn’t collapse. For instance, this recipe for royal icing features cream of tartar, which prevents the powdered sugar from crystallizing and ensures the finished product remains smooth, glossy, and puffy. However, if you’re worried about using raw egg whites, you can sub them for meringue powder. This shelf-stable ingredient comes in a tub and is made with pasteurized egg whites, stabilizers, and sugar. Another trick is to make eggless royal icing by switching the egg whites for corn syrup (the syrup gives the icing a glossy sheen and helps it to set better). This move makes the icing vegan-friendly, too.
Similarly, there are also a couple of ways to customize a regular glace icing recipe. For instance, you can use milk instead of water for a slightly richer-textured frosting that isn’t as translucent when drizzled over loaf cakes and muffins. In fact, almost any liquid can work, from fruit juice to carbonated soda. A vibrant addition like beet juice also had the added benefit of imbuing your basic icing with a pastel pink color.
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