Let Them Eat Cake. . .Part 2: The Icing On The Cake

What is cake with out great icing. Icing can be as simple or as complex as you would like.

Remember how store bought cakes, have icing that taste like solid grease that leaves a thin film in your mouth. It's awful. There is never a "flavor", other than too sweet. The icing recipe below will have everyone asking for more.

Base Icing Recipe

1 - 2 pound package of confections sugar
1 - Cup Crisco (off brand shorting may not give the right consistency)
1/2 - Cup Water
1 - teaspoon each of vanilla and almond extract (my daughter uses 1 teaspoon of butter flavoring instead of almond

Rule Of Thumb: The "secret" for perfect icing. Mix for 10 minutes minimum. If need be rest your mixer after 5 minutes. The mixer I use in a stand alone, that mixes on it own, leaving me free to do other things. Many times, once the base ingredients are blended, I turn it on High and let her go.

Second Rule of Thumb: It is always smart to make more base icing than I needed. You will need enough icing for the crumb coat, if making a two layer cake the icing between the two layers and enough base to ice the cake nicely, be sure to account for the icing to be colored if different from base. Left over icing is good for those little muffins and will keep in freezer if wrapped in plastic wrap, and place in freezer bag.

Flavoring Base Icing: Flavoring icing is very easy. It is not necessary to buy a lot of fancy flavors. Prepackaged flavor icings (especially when they go on sell)is an inexpensive way to flavor your base icing. A little goes a long way. Store left over prepackaged icing the same as the base icing. A couple of teaspoons in the base icing is all that is need.

Strawberry Icing: Frozen packaged strawberries turn strawberry icing in to memories of days gone by. Let the package thaw and delete the 1/2 Cup of water from the base recipe. Use the thawed strawberries sparingly. Thawed strawberries have a lot of liquid and can quickly get too soft if you are not careful.

Cream Cheese Icing: Using the same as the base icing, substitute a small package cream cheese (room temperature) instead of Crisco. Cream Cheese Icing is a soft icing, To use cream cheese icing for piping designs and borders, use half cream cheese and half Crisco.

Chocolate Icing: A tablespoon of dark chocolate prepackage icing is great added to the base icing. Don't forget to add a teaspoon of instant coffee crystals. Another great chocolate icing is to blend 1/2 cup of real coco with the powdered sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of instant coffee, then make the base recipe.

Rule of Thumb: It is always best to use less and increase. Prepackage Icings seem to be really soft. When adding to base icing, add little teaspoons at a time until you get the flavor and not change the consistency of your icing.

Icings that are firm, not too soft is the best to work with. It is easier to to put through a decorating tip will hold its shape.

After cake has been crumb coated let it set for a few minutes. Crumb coating keeps irritating crumbs from getting into your icing. It also acts as seal to keep your cake moist.

COLOR: One of the biggest decision in icing and decorating a cake is color. What colors do you want to use. There are a lot of shying away from color - especially with those old nasty tasting icing colors you buy in the grocery store that have been around since Noah.

No reason to shy away Now! The best icing colors that have ever hit the market are the powdered colors. Gel colors are also a great way of coloring your icing, many are in neon colors that are such fun. Most local cake supply shop and craft stores carry a great variety of colors.

Today's powder and icing colors have no after taste. If you are wanting to use Reds and Blacks. Go bold, without fear of aftertaste. Whether a little color or a lot of color the choices as conservative or wild as you will want.

Choose a color closest to the color needed. Icing will only absorb so much powder and gel. Don't waste coloring or icing by not having the right color.

Rule of Thumb: As Start with small amounts of color, then add to the icing, stirring well to blend the color in with the icing. Colors normally become darker.

Small plastic bowls are great for adding color to base icing. Make sure to have enough base icing for the color(s) being mixed. It is better to have too much, than match the color on a second mix.


Applying icing begin with the middle top of the cake, working out. Put a couple of nice table spoons of icing in the middle of cake, spread towards edges. add more icing as needed. At the edge of he cake work a little icing down the beginning of the sides.

Smooth Icing: Once the top of cake is completed, put a tablespoon at the edge of cake, work down wards, going around the cake counter clock wise. When entire cake has been iced, let it sit for a few minutes. Take a sheet of paper, place on top of your cake and gently rub your hand around the paper, moving to the sides. The paper will smooth the icing out. It only takes a light touch. (Placing the paper on the icing before it is set will pull rhe icing up.)

Decorating Tips: There are many decorating tips that can be used to decorate a cake. Two basic tips can make a cake look fabulous: The Star tip ( size #27) and the round tip (size #4). These two tip sizes run around 79 cents each.

Rule of Thumb: A different tip for each color you plan on using. A couple for each tip will be necessary as well.(For example: Three colors, three tips, three couplers)

Icing Bags: Icing Bags come in all sizes and materials. I use the plastic disposable bags for cakes with lots of colors. They run around 20 cents a piece. Featherweight bags are durable and soft, they are made from flexible polyester. They are reusable and cost vary according to size. They run between $3 and $10.

NOTE: Craft stores and many cake supply shops have decorating classes as do many junior colleges. Learning the basics of cake decorating opens unlimited doors for being creative and artistic. *WILSON ENTERPRISES* is one of the most popular supplier for cake decorating supplies. Each year they publish a Year Book filled with ideas,tips, pans of the most popular characters, as well as regular cake supplies.

Before investing in lots of supplies, purchase a few tips, some disposable bags and practice. An inexpensive smooth plastic place mat, a bowl of basic icing, is a great way to practice with decorating tips.

A star tip is an excellent tip to cover your cake with a little practice, a cake look professionally made. Most of your character pans use the star tip method.

Getting started with the tip and Bag: Put the base of the coupler inside the bag, cut a small hole across the bag, add the tip and fastener part of the coupler over the tip screw into place to secure. Place enough icing in the bag approximately half full. Twist the bag and runs your fingers downward towards the tip to allow air bubbles to be released.

Top of Cake: Holding the bag upright, press firmly and release. Make one or two stars, then move down staggering as you go. Close random stars, cover top of cake filling in any gaps you see between stars Remember Squeeze and release.

Side of Cake: Make long strokes from top to bottom, bottom to top working counter counter clockwise. Keeping the strokes close, fill in any gaps, gently the same stroke method.

Around Edge of Top and Bottom of Cake: A quick and wonderful pattern to "finish" the base staring. Start at a point just at the top of the edge of cake, working counter clockwise, make small cursive lower case "e's, over and under, continuing around to the start point. Do the same around the edge of the bottom of the cake. It is a very professional touch.

The "Round Tip" is used for writing names and sayings. it is also used to make the outlines on character cakes.

Plan your cake and design. Begin simple and have fun. Use your imagination and your creativity.

Check out Let Them Eat Cake. . . . Part 3: Adding the Jewelry on putting the final touches on your cake. I will also share some random cakes I have done through the years.