BAKING PROJECT

Royal icing is usually used to make wedding cakes and requires a more tedious job compared to using fondant. It sets hard. The cake normally use is fruit cake as this type of cake is compact and will provide a strong base. Three or more layers is spread over a cake, each layer will take about 8 hours to dry. This will ensure a smooth finished. 1.25 kg of royal icing is needed to cover a 9 inch cake. When using, you need to cover the icing with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out. A few drops of water or egg white can be used to soften it .

Image source – http://www.flickr.com/photos/ebelthite/438526894/

The above picture shows a very expert work of piping with royal icing. It involves some lace and extension work. For lace work, you pipe the lace motif onto a baking paper, and when it’s dry, transfer and attach the lace work to the cake.

Extension work means making lots of parallel lines from the sides of the cake and forming it into a bridge (like the big picture above).  I myself am still learning on the techniques. I prefer decorating with butter cream or fondant, as it is simpler for a beginner like me.

To answer your question Sri, royal icing can be used to pipe little details like dots or some small lace work on your cupcake. To cover the whole cupcake and make it more ‘kids friendly’, it is better to use butter cream (see the recipe I have given earlier). Or you could use chocolate frosting, glace icing or chocolate ganache (that is another topic).