How to Make Faux Frosting

Use faux frosting on wedding cakes.

Whether you want to display tasty cupcakes in your home or want to prepare a stunning display for your wedding ahead of time, faux cakes and desserts are a great alternative to traditional baking. Using faux icing over a styrofoam base allows you not only to create your cake well in advance, but it also ensures that your faux cake or desserts will be more durable than edible versions.



Aside from acrylic caulk, the best option for faux frosting is a hard, concrete-like frosting most commonly known as royal icing. This icing is very simple to make in your own kitchen and dries very hard, making it perfect as a base and for intricate decorations on your faux cakes.

Things You'll Need

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tbsp. meringue powder
• 5 tbsp. water
• Counter mixer or hand mixer

Instructions

1. Combine the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and water.

2. 

   Mix the ingredients until stiff peaks form.

   Beat the mixed ingredients using the counter mixer or hand mixer until peaks form. For a counter mixer, beat for 8 to 10 minutes at low speed. For a hand mixer, beat for 10 to 12 minutes at high speed.

3. Add more water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until your frosting is the desired consistency. For your initial layer of frosting, use a thinner frosting so it will spread easier. For decorative elements, use a thicker frosting.

4. 

   Decorate with the frosting using typical cake-decorating tools.

   Apply your faux frosting normally. Use food coloring to color the frosting as desired. Use bags and piping tools to decorate.

Tips & Warnings

• Your frosting will dry out quickly, so keep the bowl covered with a damp towel or plastic wrap and apply small portions of frosting at a time.

• The shelf life of this recipe is approximately 3 to 6 months. If you need a faux frosting that will last longer, consider using acrylic caulk.

• Egg whites are called for in many royal icing recipes and are a suitable alternative to meringue powder; however, using meringue instead ensures that your faux desserts will keep longer.

• Meringue royal icing has a shelf life of approximately 3 to 6 months. If you use egg whites in your royal icing recipe, the shelf life is cut drastically.

• Keep your faux frosted cake in a cool, dry place to minimize any potential damages.

References

• Betty Crocker: Gingerbread Village with Royal Icing
• Wilton: Royal Icing