Royal Icing
T
ips for making the perfect royal icing , both for soft-peak royal icing and run-out icing .
Ingredients :
2 medium egg whites or 15g ( ½oz ) dried egg albumen powder mixed with 75ml ( 2½fl oz ) water
500g ( 1lb 2oz ) icing ( confectioners ’) sugar
Directions
If using dried egg powder , soak it in the water for at least 30 minutes in advance , but ideally overnight in the fridge . Sift the icing sugar into the bowl of a large electric mixer and add the egg whites or strained reconstituted egg mixture . Mix together on a low speed for about 3 – 4 minutes until the icing has reached a stiff-peak consistency , which is what you need for sticking on decorations and gluing cakes together . Store the icing in an airtight container covered with a damp , clean cloth to prevent it from drying out .
Soft-peak royal icing
To pipe decorations easily , you may need to add a tiny amount of water to your royal icing to soften it slightly . Run-out icing Royal icing is thinned down with water to ‘ flood ’ cookies ( see Royal-Iced Cookies ). Test for consistency by lifting your spoon and letting the icing drip back into the bowl – it should remain on the surface for 5 seconds before disappearing . If it ’ s too runny it will run over the outlines and sides of the cookies , but if it ’ s too stiff it won ’ t spread very well .
Store the icing in an airtight container covered with a damp , clean cloth to prevent it from drying out .