Decorator's Frosting

The most important thing involved in cake decorating is the frosting (or icing, I suppose... depending on where you live). If you are thinking, "Shouldn't the cake be the most important part?" then you have clearly never decorated a cake. The cake part of the cake decorating process is 100% optional. You can frost a styrofoam cube or even an empty box and make it look like a cake. People even have a habit of saying silly things such as, "Ooh! It looks too pretty to eat!" They are lying when they say this, however, and will go on to talk to you about the shows Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss while happily eating the beautifully frosted cake.

There is an uncountable number of decorator's frosting recipes on the internet (well, that's not true: it is clearly a countable number). I only use three different frosting recipes when decorating cakes. One is the Wilton Decorator's Frosting, another is the old version of that same recipe, and the final one is a whipped cream frosting that I'll present at a later date. I learned the Wilton recipe when I took the Wilton Cake Decorating courses. The old version is the frosting my grandma always made and learned when she took the Wilton Cake Decorating courses!

Both versions of the Wilton recipe are suitable for simple frosting and making frosting flowers. The frostings are creamy and form kind of a stiff shell when they dry.Each recipe will create a stiff frosting which is optimal for making frosting roses. To cover the cake with frosting, you will need to thin the frosting. To do this, add a tablespoon of water to the frosting and mix it in. Repeat this until you get a consistency that spreads easily.

New Wilton Decorator's Frosting (Printer-friendly PDF Version)
1 C shortening
3 T water
1 t vanilla (or any combination of flavors you want)
1 lb Confectioners Sugar
1 T meringue powder

Beat together the shortening, water, and vanilla. It won't become a creamy mixture, but you want to break up the shortening. Add the sugar and meringue powder. Mix at a low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl. Mix together at low speed for 2 minutes.

Old Wilton Decorator's Frosting (Printer-friendly PDF Version)
3/4 C shortening
2 egg whites
1 t vanilla
1/2 t cream of tartar powder
1 lb confectioners sugar

Mix together the shortening, egg whites, and vanilla for about 15 seconds. It will make a chunky looking gross mixture. Add the sugar and tartar. Mix on a medium speed for 2 minutes or until fluffy.

One of the main "rules" when making frosting to decorate cakes is to not "over beat" the icing. This will produce air bubbles in the frosting and that is not a good thing if you are making flowers. Since I don't like to make flowers very often, I extremely "over beat" the frosting every time I make it. In my opinion, this gives it a better texture.

Note: When adding flavors to the frosting, be sure to use clear flavors. For instance, if you use the brown vanilla extract your icing will end up a cream color instead of white.

2nd Note: I lied earlier when I said I only use 3 frosting recipes. I use 2 chocolate frosting recipes, but chocolate frosting isn't very standard in cake decorating.