Thursday 15 September 2011

A Right Royal Icing!

Welcome to the Sugarplum Cupcakes blog. This page will aim to inform, discuss, comment and even educate on the art of cupcakes. I'll be including the latest news from the world of Sugarplum Cupcakes and giving you my opinions and experiences on all things cupcake!


Last week I had the honour of visiting the queen of cake-makers or should I say, cake-maker to the Queen, Mich Turner MBE. I attended her Hand Piping Masterclass at her studio in London and was put through my paces to decorate some stunning mini cakes using my most feared medium for decoration, 'royal icing'. Mich's tuition was excellent and despite being a little star struck I tried to remember every hint and tip throughout the day.

Like many crafts, I soon realised that half the battle is not in your technique but in your tools. Having only ever used ready mixed before, i'd never had the pleasure of piping with such beautifully opalescent, mallowy icing that holds itself so brilliantly to create the perfect swag and pearl.

Here are a few top tips and cheats for producing fault-less royal icing:

1. Always make fresh royal icing using fresh egg white and icing sugar

2. A brilliant new alternative to cracking actual eggs is a product called '2 Chicks Free Range Fresh Egg White' which you can buy at Waitrose and online at Ocado. It has a shelf life of around a month and is a brilliant time saver.

3. Add fresh lemon juice to the icing to strengthen it. Make sure you use a very fine tea strainer as any bits from the lemon will block up your piping bag just at the wrong moment!

4. Mix icing on a low speed, mixing too fast will aerate the icing giving a false sense of stiffness

5. Always keep unused icing covered with a damp j cloth while you are piping to prevent it drying out.

6. Keep the icing in an airtight container for up to one week. Make sure you stir thoroughly before using.





1 comment:

  1. Oooh lovely cakes! I'll be keeping an eye on your blog, I love making cakes and cupcakes :)

    ReplyDelete