ROYAL ICING

 ROYAL ICING

Royal icing is a hard white icing, made from softly beaten egg whites, icing sugar (powdered sugar), and sometimes lemon or lime juice. It is used to decorate Christmas cakes, wedding cakes, gingerbread houses, cookies and many other cakes and biscuits. It is used either as a smooth covering or in sharp peaks.

Royal icing is traditionally used to decorate wedding and birthday cakes and is great for fine detail as it is easy to pipe and sets with a hard finish. Different nozzles can be used to pipe the icing resulting in many different effects for icing cakes.

Royal icing can last longer than three days when stored in the fridge, but for best results, try to use or eat it within those three days. If not, you may find an unpleasant texture change in your icing. Royal icing lasts in the freezer for up to one month, though you will have to thaw it completely before using it.

INGREDIENTS

4 egg whites

6 cups of powdered sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

First heat treat the egg whites if you choose to do so, This is optional. Warm the eggs in a bain-marie over low heat for 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly. 

Do this just until the egg whites have become warm but are not cooking. This will kill any bacteria in the eggs making them even safer to use when raw.

On a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites in a clean, large bowl with the mixer at high speed until foamy, around 2 minutes.

Gradually add sifted sugar spoonful by spoonful followed by the lemon juice.

Beat at high speed until thickened.

The icing at this stage will be at a good consistency for flooding cookies. If you want it stiffer for frosting a cake, or writing on cookies, add more icing sugar until you get the consistency you desire.

Place the icing into a bowl and cover with cling wrap.

Make sure you allow the cling wrap to touch the icing so there is no air in the bowl. 

This stops it from going hard while you are waiting to use it.

Use it straight away