This is our exhaustive guide to the different types of icings out there and what they are used for. So buckle up as we deep dive into the world of all things icing!
This is the icing that that gets rolled out and draped over cakes. It creates a gorgeous matte finish, that can then be decorated in any way your heart desires! You can pipe royal icing on it, stencil, glue other fondant decorations on, paint it, stick gold leaf on, and MUCH more!
In the olden days, it would be a thick layer on top of marzipan, which was all on top of fruit cake. Most people think that fondant is "too sweet" and "gross" and will peel it off and not eat it - and when served like just described, we can't blame them! These days fondant does not have to be rolled so thick, and when used on top of ganache (a mixture of chocolate and cream - see below), it can be rolled to 2 or 3mm thick so it's barely noticeable. You can flavour fondant with food flavourings to make it tastier too!
Pros:
Dries matte
Dries firm
Does not melt in the sun
Easy to decorate over
Easy to colour
Cons:
Will absorb humidity and become sticky
It will dry out if left out for too long whilst working with
People think it's old fashioned (but it's not!)
Takes longer to decorate with than buttercream
American buttercream is the easiest of the buttercream family to make. It's the one we've all grown up with. Essentially, it's butter creamed together with icing sugar until smooth. You may need to add some liquid to thin it down a little. It can be flavoured by adding food flavours, citrus zest, cocoa powder and freeze dried fruit powder, just to name a few. Once on the cake or cupcake, it forms a crust.
Pros:
Easy and quick to make
Children love it
Pipes well
Cons:
People often complain it's too sweet
Can have a "gritty" mouthfeel
Melts easily in hot weather
SMBC is a silky smooth, buttery, indulgent buttercream. It's made by cooking sugar and egg whites together, whipping that into a meringue to which butter is then added. It's a lot more time consuming to make than ABC, but the end result is a very smooth, silky, buttery icing. Due to the egg whites, it holds up fairly well in warmer temperatures. This type of icing does not form a crust when exposed to the air.
Pros:
Holds up well in hot weather
Not as sweet as ABC
Cons:
More time consuming to make*
*unless you buy Cake Cream... Cake Cream is a powder to which you add butter and water, whip it up for about 6 minutes, and then you have gorgeous SMBC in the fraction of time it normally takes to make it. It's game changer!
IMBC is another meringue based buttercream, and is as indulgent as SMBC, but the meringue is made in a different way. Water and sugar is boiled into syrup, and then drizzled into the egg whites to make the meringue. Butter is then added to finish off making the buttercream.
Pros:
Holds up well in hot weather
Not as sweet as ABC
Cons:
More time consuming to make
This is buttercream that is made on a base of a roux (cooked flour and liquid), which sounds really odd, but stick with us! It creates a very silky and creamy buttercream that is less sweet than others. This our go-to favourite recipe from the Tough Cookie.
Pros:
Silky smooth
Pipes well
Is delicious!
Cons:
More time consuming to make
Can have a floury/doughy taste
Not suitable for gluten free
This one isn't seen so often in Australia. It uses egg yolks and makes a lovely custardy coloured buttercream. It's a great one to use if you've just made macarons, as you can use the leftover egg yolks to make their filling. We do love a no waste solution ;-)
Pros:
It's delicious - almost like creamy vanilla ice cream!
It helps use up the yolks leftover from making macarons
It's not overly sweet
Cons:
It has a yellow tinge to it due to the egg yolks. Use SMBC if you want a white frosting.
Another slightly unusual one. It's made with condensed milk and butter (and that's it!), which sounds incompatible and strange, but it turns into super fluffy not-too-sweet frosting!
Pros:
Not overly sweet or heavy
Silky smooth
Fluffy texture
Easier than ABC to make - YES we too did not think that was possible!
Cons:
Can easily split in warm weather when making
Royal icing is a liquid icing that is sweet and dries hard, making it perfect for decorating cookies and gingerbread houses. Traditionally, it is made with egg whites and powdered sugar (icing sugar). Now, you can buy Royal Icing mixes that you just add water to. You can control the consistency by how much liquid you are adding to your mix. The more water you add the runnier it will get, the less you add the thicker it will be. Simples! There are a few types of consistencies you will want to get the hang of:
Stiff - Perfect for creating piped flowers and ruffles.
Piping - Perfect for messages and outlining gingerbread cookies
Flooding - Perfect for flooding and filling in your royal icing cookies, and for "wet on wet" designs.
Pros:
Dries hard & firm
Is a great glue for gingerbread houses
Easy to make
Easy to colour
Cons:
Will take some time to dry out before you can add elements
It will dry out if left out for too long whilst working with
Can be super sweet - however you can flavour your icing!
Takes longer to decorate than fondant iced cookies
This is what is used on fairy cakes and then sprinkled with hundreds and thousands - oh the nostalgia! SO easy to make, it's just icing sugar and water (or you can use lemon or orange juice).
Pros:
Delicious
Reminds you of your childhood
Super easy to make
Can not mess it up
Cons:
Can be too sweet
Tangy deliciousness! Cream Cheese icing is mostly used on top or as a filling in carrot cakes, red velvet cakes and banana cakes. It is super easy to make with cream cheese, a dab of butter and icing sugar - that's it!
Pros:
Easy to make
Perfect pairing for fruit/veg flavoured cakes
Easy to use
Cons:
Will melt in hot weather
Doesn't go with all flavour combinations
Can be too tangy for some
Needs to be refrigerated
Sounding almost like an oxymoron, rolled buttercream is a thick buttercream than can be rolled out. How??? Well, it's essentially an ABC but with a much higher icing sugar ratio. Adding corn syrup gives it some extra pliability too. You start with cold butter (unlike traditional ABC) and add icing sugar until it's kind of like play-dough consistency. Although it's not great to cover a cake with, it can be rolled out and cut with cookie cutters and even used in moulds.
Pros:
Easy to use
Can be moulded with
Can be painted
Tastes nicer than fondant
Cons:
Needs to be frozen for use on cookies
Can get sticky if the weather is too warm
This is the icing that is used on donuts and iced buns. It's essentially a thick liquid icing that you can pour over cakes and desserts. Don't get it confused with ready to roll fondant - you cannot roll this out AT ALL.
Pros:
Tastes delicious
Dries firm - like a donut glaze
Can be coloured
Cons:
Is very sticky
Chocolate and cream - that's it! Ganache is super easy to make by heating cream up, pouring it over the chocolate, letting that melt and then mixing together until emulsified. Ganache is perfect for using underneath your fondant cakes or for moulded/carved cake creations. The ratios of ganache differ depending on the type of chocolate (Dark, Milk or White) and the temperature of the season.
| DARK CHOC | WHITE CHOC | |
| Summer Ratio | 3:1 (even 4:1 if very hot!) | 4:1 (even 4.5:1 or 5:1 if very hot) |
| Example | 900g Choc: 300ml Cream | 1kg Choc: 250ml Cream |
| Winter Ratio | 2:1 | 3:1 |
| Example | 1.2kg Choc: 600ml Cream | 900g Choc: 300ml Cream |
Pros:
Easy to make, use and smooth
Perfect for sculpted cakes
Sets firm to make a perfect foundation to put fondant on
Great for warmer weather
Cons:
Can be expensive to make - thanks to chocolate price increases (Read about the cost of chocolate here)
Can be a bit finicky if over heated (but it's almost always saveable!)
Think of a mousse-like fluffy texture instead of a smooth and dense regular ganache. Whipped ganache is light and airy - perfect for filling or icing cakes. Once the chocolate and cream are emulsified, leave it to set and then whip it in your stand mixer until it becomes light and fluffy.
Pros:
Easy to make
Perfect for fillings or icing your cakes
Tastes delicious and decadent
Cons:
Not good for use under fondant/sculpted cakes
Not great for warmer weather
Can be expensive to make - thanks to chocolate price increases (Read about the cost of chocolate here)
As you now know, there is more than just your "normal" or "plain" icing! Hopefully we have inspired you to try a new icing method or style!