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Buttercreams make excellent fillings and
coverings for cakes. Cakes covered with buttercream remain moist and
fresh for longer than cakes left uniced. Buttercreams can range from a mixture of
icing sugar, butter and flavorings to rich elaborate combinations of
butter, egg yolks and sugar syrups resulting in a smooth velvety
filling. The secret of making
good butter creams if to use unsalted butter and to beat thoroughly
until you make a light creamy mixture.
Glace icing is a shiny glossy icing which
gives a simple finish to cakes and biscuit. Mix icing sugar with a
little liquid, such as water, fruit juice or flavorings, and warm
slightly until icing becomes smooth and runny. Pour warm icing over the
cake, guiding it to give a smooth, even covering. It is important to
allow icing to set undisturbed, to prevent the icing from cracking. If
you wish to use glace icing for piping, avoid warming it and keep it as
a firm paste.
Simple icings and buttercreams transforms
plain cakes into special treats. Beautiful icing and decoration take
time and patience but the results are well worth it. Glace icing and buttercream are delicious toppings for buttercakes, and you can vary
their flavors by the simple addition of essences, liqueurs, chocolate or
citrus. After icing your cake, add some simple decorations to make it
even more tempting.
Try sugar frosted or chocolate dipped
fresh seasonal fruits; use contrasting colored icings; press finely
chopped nuts, toasted coconut or praline onto the sides of the cake; or
decorate with very thin slices of poached orange glazed with apricot
ham. These suggestions are but a few to show how, with practice and
patience, you can turn the most ordinary cake into a masterpiece. |
