Making your own icing is not difficult at all. With this recipe you are perfectly prepared for cookies, muffins and Co!
Whether for Christmas cookies or cakes, muffins or other pastries: With this recipe, you can easily make your own icing.
Taste and Occasion
Icing is an absolute foundation ingredient in baking. The white icing can decorate cookies, muffins, cakes and pies, sprinkles, or gingerbread. An excellent basic icing recipe, therefore, belongs in every bakery 😉.
Icing is a straightforward thing. However, if prepared incorrectly, it can clump or not have the right consistency. In this post, I'll tell you how to avoid such problems and how to easily vary the basic recipe. The classic one consists of 2 ingredients: sifted powdered sugar and water. Depending on how much liquid you use, the result will naturally be thinner, more transparent, firmer, and more viscous and opaque.
Ingredients
Here's how it works: put the sifted powdered sugar in a small bowl or large glass. Then add water by a spoonful. Mix everything very well with a whisk - done. Depending on which pastry the icing is for, a different consistency is desired. The amount of liquid is always only a guide. In any case, be sure to stir it in only gradually. Icing quickly becomes too liquid (but can be "saved" with a little more powdered sugar).
- Regular icing, for example, for sheet cakes: 250g powdered sugar and 4-5 tablespoons liquid.
- More solid frosting for decorating cookies: 250g powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons liquid. It becomes really the best thing, firm and opaque.
- Almost transparent icing, e.g. for Elisen gingerbread: 250g powdered sugar and 6 tablespoons liquid.
How to make the Basic Icing
Quick and easy: First, sift the powdered sugar. Gradually add the water in mini sips and stir well with a whisk. Use as much or as little liquid as you like until you like the consistency.
Then, use the icing immediately and apply with a brush, spoon, small cake palette, or piping bag, depending on the consistency or type of pastry.
Top Tip
Depending on the recipe, brushes, small cake palettes, easy spoons, or piping bags are suitable for immediate application. Then you can add sugar sprinkles or chopped nuts. The quantities mentioned are enough for a sheet cake, 12 muffins, or roughly 80 cookies. Depending on the consistency you choose, the icing will set faster or slower. Often it takes about 20 minutes.
Recipe Card
Basic Icing
Ingredients
Classic, medium consistency
- 250 grams (2 cups) powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons water, up to 5
Thick consistency
- 250 grams (2 cups) powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
Thin consistency
- 250 grams (2 cups) powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Sift the powdered sugar. Gradually add the water in mini sips and stir well with a whisk. Use as much or as little liquid as you like until you like the consistency.
- Use the icing immediately and apply with a brush, spoon, small cake palette, or piping bag, depending on the consistency or type of pastry.
Notes
- For white, very opaque icing, use milk instead of water.
- For the lemon icing, substitute juice for about three-quarters of the water.
- Add a teaspoon of baking cocoa and minimally more liquid for cocoa icing.
- For flavoring, a pinch of cinnamon or vanilla, for example, are suitable.
- For colored frosting, mix powdered food coloring into the powdered sugar and add liquid or gel color or paste to the liquid.
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
The foundation can be wonderfully modified to give pastries a special pizzazz. The following versions are undoubtedly the best known:
- With lemon: For this, replace part of the water with lemon juice. Also works with orange.
- White-covered one with milk: Replace all or at least part of the water with milk.
- Cocoa: Mix baking cocoa into the powdered sugar, sift both, and then add liquid.
- Colorful icing: If using powdered food coloring, mix it into the sugar. Add liquid (gel) colors to the water. Note: You may need a little less of the latter.
- A particularly aromatic one, add a pinch of vanilla or cinnamon.
About Kathrin & Jan
It's like a little miracle to me every time. Seemingly simple ingredients are made into something that can brighten up your life. Butter, sugar, eggs, and flour melt into an airy biscuit, a fine tart, a juicy cake, or a crispy biscuit. Baking simply makes you happy. Welcome and enjoy our blog!
Kathrin & Jan
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