Let’s go back to the basic on making a traditional ROYAL ICING RECIPE!  Infact, I will like to say this is the ABC of making your own inexpensive royal icing from scratch to use as either flooding and decoration for cookies (since Christmas is just by the corner! 😀), or as detailing on your fondants covered cakes. 

WHAT’S ROYAL ICING?

Royal icing is a frosting that’s made from confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar), egg whites, and flavorings, and used in many ways to decorate cookies and cakes. Some recipes calls for the use of real egg whites (like mine), some prefer meringue powder, and others opt for egg-white powder.

It’s good to note that Meringue powder and Egg-white powder are different. Egg-white powder is simply eggs white dried out and blended;  while Meringue powder contains an element of starch. Either of them can be used as a substitute for each other in a given recipe. Both are quite expensive unlike when you use raw egg whites. Meringue powder when used to make royal icing, yields a frosting that dries out faster ‘cos of the presence of starch in it.

Royal icing hardens to a candy-like texture.  It creates a smooth, even, and blemish-free surface.

TIPS ON WORKING WITH ROYAL ICING:

• Make sure your utensils are clean (grease-free, and without water). I usually clean my bowl and mixer’s whisk with distilled white vinegar after washing and drying. The tiniest form of grease will affect the outcome of the frosting. If you have watched my PERFECT MERINGUE COOKIES RECIPE and LADYFINGER RECIPE, you will know what I mean.
• Carefully separate the egg whites from the egg yolk. Royal icing and egg yolks aren’t friends, so make sure there no yolks in your bowl. You can either make a little crack on your eggs to extract the egg whites like I did in my LADYFINGER COOKIES RECIPE, or totally break your eggs pour into your clean hands and extract the yolk while the egg white flows naturally into your bowl. You can use the yolks to make YELLOW CAKES or any other recipes that calls for only yolks.
• To prevent your royal icing from drying out too quickly while working, always cover with a damp kitchen towel. Also, if it’s in the piping bag, squeeze the part where the nozzle tip is to prevent it from flooding out and then cover the bag with a damp kitchen towel.
• Royal icing made with meringue powder can be stored at room temperature,but those made with egg white or egg white powder should be refrigerated and use within 3 days. Allow it come to room temperature, and re-whip before using. To refrigerate, transfer to a bowl with lid, then cover the top of the icing with a cling film before covering the bowl with its lid.
• The consistency of royal icing this recipe produced can be used for calligraphy; string work on fondant covered cakes;  flooding, outlining, and decorating cookies. To have a thicker consistency, add extra icing sugar. 1 table spoon at a time till you get the consistency you want.
• Do not over whip royal icing. If over whipped, it will appear creamy at first but air bubbles will quickly disturb the creaminess. Over whipped mixture will produced weak decorations and they may break easily.
• The use of white vinegar or any other acidic ingredients like lemon/lime juice in the recipe will allow the icing to be remixed back to a good condition if it has been resting too long. In other words, it helps to stabilize the frosting.
• You can add any food grade colour to your royal icing and also any flavour.

If you are interested in learning more about CAKE DECORATING, then sign up for my  online FONDANT AND BUTTERCREAM BEGINNER’S COURSE by chatting with me using any of the social media links (All online courses runs only on TELEGRAM). If you are in Lagos, Nigeria and needs an on-sight/physical class, feel free to chat me up too for my  3 MONTHS FONDANT AND BUTTERCREAM class. 

SEE STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO HERE : EASY ROYAL ICING RECIPE

TO MAKE:

1. Add egg whites and vinegar to your mixing bowl.
2. Add your confectioner’s (icing) sugar. Make sure you sieve your icing sugar before adding.
3. Whisk together for 5 minutes.
4. Transfer to a bowl and store of not using immediately.

Enjoy!

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