Most of us have experienced the sheer joy of dipping a finger into a bowl of delicious cake icing and then popping it into our mouths. It is often just as appealing to our senses thanks to its silky texture or smoothness, as it is for its delicious taste or flavor. What is so interesting about icing, icing, frosting, fondant and any other type of topping for a cake is that the recipes are so diverse and varied and each one has a very specific appeal.
For example, fans of the various television shows that focus on professional bakers and the highly decorative cakes they make will be very familiar with fondant. This is something made of sugar and water and can have an icing-like consistency or can be as flexible and durable as heavy dough. It can be rolled into sheets and can literally wrap a cake in icing. Naturally, this has a lot of appeal for any type of baker or cake decorator looking for a highly sculptural cake, but also for those who really want to control the end results. However, it is not the best icing for a cake that has a very delicate texture or quality because the weight of the icing can cause the cake to collapse.
This means that a baker will need to understand the different properties of different icings to know which one best suits their decorating needs and the needs of the cake. People can often get so “caught up” in the design process that they forget a cake is meant to be eaten and enjoyed. This requires that the body of the cake be moist and flavorful and that the frosting, topping, or frosting be a good partner. This could present a serious challenge for a baker if the decoration does not fit well with the environment.
Fortunately, there is such a diversity of icings available that it is seldom that a specific design scheme cannot be achieved. For example, there are buttercream recipes that create light and fluffy results, but can also stay a bit thicker for the cake decorator who wants to pipe everything from string and basketry to flowers and borders. There are cloud-shaped icings that are simply stacked and smoothly spread over the surface of a cake and serve as decoration and icing at the same time. There are stiff fondants and the many effects these can achieve, and there are watery icings and icings that can be heated and poured over a cake before becoming firm and stiff, and still give the cake a very glossy sheen that serves as a ideal. backdrop for many kinds of decorations.
The thing to remember about these many types of icings is that they should be selected for their good looks, their fine textures, their suitable flavors, and most importantly, their ability to work well with the selected cakes.
