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How To Apply Wedding Cake Frosting (And Icing)
To Your Wedding Cake
Applying wedding cake frosting to your homemade wedding cake can save you money in your budget, but getting it looking perfect can be tricky. There are several options, but the most common are marzipan and royal icing or sugar paste. Here are some tips to help you come out with the perfect icing every time.
Go traditional with royal icing
A traditional fruit wedding cake with royal icing will have traditional straight edges, but it can take on many different looks. It takes some practice to work with, so you might want to try icing a cake or two with this type of wedding cake frosting before you do your actual wedding cake. With this type of frosting, you can make the cake look smooth, snowy, or rustic. Here are some tips on how to get each look.
Start with a layer of marzipan
Marzipan is a protective layer that seals in the moisture of the cake and prevents the icing getting discoloured by the cake. It also helps to ensure you get a smooth finish on your icing by evening out the surface of the cake. It actually hardens up after a few days and gives you a great, smooth surface for icing. You can do your wedding cake frosting over the marzipan, which also adds extra flavour. Normally, the marzipan is applied over a thin layer of glaze, often apricot, which helps it stick to the cake better.
First, get your tools together
Before you start working with royal icing, you need the right types of tools, including a cake board, turntable and palette knife, which will help you ice all the way around the cake smoothly. If you want a smooth finish, you’ll need a ruler and stainless steel side scraper, as well as a stainless steel smoothing tool. A craft knife and fine paintbrush can be used for the details, and you can keep the process less messy with a non-stick mat and a bowl big enough for all your icing.
For a smooth finish, take your time
Getting a smooth finish with royal icing can be very difficult, and it takes practice. Having marzipan underneath the icing helps. First, you ice the top of the cake by spreading a rather thick layer of wedding cake frosting on with a pallet knife, rocking the knife as you go to get any air bubbles out. Once the top is covered, you’ll use the straight edge of a ruler, pulled toward you, to smooth out the icing. This will take some practice, since you have to have perfect pressure to keep the icing straight.
Once the top is relatively smooth, take the side scraper at an angle around the sides to clean up the edges. Generally, you will then need to wait until the icing on top of the cake is almost completely dry (around 8 hours) before moving on to the sides.
Then, ice the sides with the same rocking motion, and scrape them smooth with the special side scraper. Use the side scraper to tidy up the join between the sides and top, scraping off any excess icing.
Also, professional bakers generally put about three layers of royal icing on their cakes, thinning the wedding cake frosting with water a bit with each layer for a smoother surface.
If you’re a bit impatient, try a rustic look
Getting perfectly smooth royal wedding cake icing takes time, which can be frustrating for the impatient. Instead you can give your cake a rustic look by using just your palette knife. Start out your cake in the same way, but icing just the top, and then make peaks in the icing with the knife. Smooth out the sides with the scraper, ice them, and repeat the process.
One step more gives you a snowy look
For a wintery, snowy wedding cake, take the steps you took for a rustic cake on step further. Simply smooth out the ridges of the wedding cake frosting with a very slightly damp piece of sponge on the top and sides.
Normally, you'll also want to ice your cake board, and you can do it in exactly the same style as you frost your cake.
Go modern with sugar paste
A sugar paste coating will leave your cake with a smooth finish and round edges that are really popular in bakeries right now. Underneath your sugar paste, you'll need a layer of either buttercream if you're having a sponge cake or marzipan for a fruit cake.
Tools of the trade for sugar paste icing
Before you get started, gather up a big, non-stick rolling pin, several pearl-head pins that are easy to see, and a dredger full of icing sugar. You'll also need your sugar paste smoothers, one with a straight edge and one with a round edge, as well as a cake board.
Rolling it out and getting rid of bubbles comes first
Sugar paste is a little like clay. When you start working with it, you must knead it until its smooth, and then roll it out with your rolling pin. Be very careful about bubbles in the wedding cake frosting, as they'll be noticeable on your finished cake. To get rid of them, pop them gently with the pins, and then use the round-edged smoother to cover up the resulting holes.
How to get smooth wedding cake frosting on the first try
As long as you roll out your sugar paste well, you should have no trouble getting a smooth finish. Simply pick it up draped over the rolling pin in a smooth motion, centre it over your cake, and drape it down. Then, use your smoothers to smooth down the icing, starting at the corners of the cake and smoothing out bubbles as you go. To get it extra smooth, use a round-edged smoother on top of the cake and a straight-edged smoother on side of the cake. Trim off the excess sugar paste around the bottom of the cake.
You aren't done until the cake board is finished, too!
Don't forget to ice your cake board. This works in pretty much the same way. After you've placed the wedding cake frosting over the cake board, smooth it gently with your hands, trim the edges, and then smooth it all out again with the round-edged smoother.
To attach your cake to the board, soften a bit of the sugar paste with a clear alcohol, and rub it in to the center of the cake board. Carefully lift the cake up, position it over the board, and set it in place. You can solidify the bond by pressing gently on top of the cake with the round-edged smoother and then going round the edges once more with the straight edge. Finish the cake board with some ribbon around the edge.
Using these three techniques, you can create a lovely cake for your wedding. Use simple cake decorations so that you don't have to learn how to make icing flowers, too. After all, your homemade wedding cake will be so beautiful and delicious that no one will think twice if your decorations are elegantly easy.
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Image credits:
Frosting a cake: © Andi Berger | dreamstime.com
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