How to Decorate a Royal Icing Cake

Royal icing originated in England. It was used to decorate cakes for special occasions like anniversaries, weddings and baptisms. Today, royal icing is typically reserved for the same celebrations, but you too can create royal works of art the next time you bake.

Things You'll Need

• Marzipanned cake
• Royal icing
• Turn table
• Palette knife
• Side scraper
• Straight edge
• Sharp knife
• Plastic wrap

Instructions

1. Place a marzipanned cake in the center of a turntable. Put a large drop of royal icing in the center of the cake. Cover the remaining icing so it does not dry out.

2. Use a palette knife to spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake. Paddle the icing back and forth while revolving the turntable to remove air bubbles.

3. Lightly pull the straight edge across the cake at a 45-degree angle. Draw it towards you in one continuous movement. Clean the straight edge. Remove any extra frosting from the cake with the palette knife.

4. Set the cake in a dry area. Let the frosting harden for at least 2 hours.

5. Spread icing on the sides of the cake with the palette knife. Paddle back and forth to remove bubbles. Clean the knife.

6. Hold the side scraper at 45 degrees to smooth the edges of the cake. Revolve the turntable while scraping the sides. Remove excess frosting with the palette. Clean the scraper and the palette.

7. Set the cake in a dry atmosphere to harden overnights. Store icing in an airtight container. Repeat the frosting steps adding at least three more layers of frosting to the cake.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure the cake frosting is completely dry before adding new layers.

• The second layer of icing should be softer than the first and the third softer than the second.

• Immediately scrape the icing off the cake if you do not like the way it looks. Put a new dollop on and start over.