3 Tips For Making Extra Sweet Frosting
There is a reason people often refer to something as being the icing on a cake. Frosting is often just that, the final tasty component that helps make a good cake a truly great one. Yet frosting is so much more than just mixing together sugar and basic extracts. The creation and implementation of frosting is a true art form, one that you can easily master by following these extra sweet tips:
Sugar and milk
Whether you’re whipping up a cake or cupcakes, there’s two components that are crucial for any frosting: sugar and milk. In fact, it’s the interplay between these two ingredients that results in the most luscious of frosting mixes. To begin, start with a couple cups of either confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar. From there, pour in the milk, preferably anything that’s low-fat. Milk helps break the sugar down, resulting in a nice, thick sauce. The more milk you add, the more glaze-like the frosting will turn out.
Vanilla or almond extract?
When it comes to whipping up most frosting recipes, chefs either use vanilla or almond extract. On the one hand, they’re both only a small part of the overall flavoring process. However, each contributes to a recipe in its own way. Vanilla is a lot more subtle and mild, with hints of honey that won’t become too overpowering. Meanwhile, almond is much stronger – some say it adds a certain earthiness or graininess to the frosting. Which flavor you decide to use in your icing depends entirely on the culinary experience you want to create.
Added flavoring
In order to add some truly unique flavors to their icing, some chefs will make use of the infusion method. This refers to steeping certain substances and then using the resulting liquid within the frosting. It might seem slightly complex, but it actually involves little more than placing something in water, heating it – a la making tea – and then straining the liquid. There are plenty of infusions a chef can experiment with, including:
- Tea and coffee: Always opt for fresh ground coffee. Or, better yet, replace any liquids in the recipe with fresh brewed coffee. Meanwhile, the best teas include Earl Gray and chai.
- Sweeteners: One of the best sweeteners for an icing or glaze is maple syrup, which adds a bit of nuttiness. Brown sugar is also popular because it offers undertones of caramel.
- Citrus: This involves using a zester to remove strips from either a lemon or orange. The result is a nice bit of refreshing zest. You can also substitute in cardamom pods or peppercorns.
There are plenty more sweet ways to learn about frosting during culinary academy.
