Royal icing

I didn't use glycerin when I iced my parents' Golden Wedding Aniversary cake and no-one complained.

I had bought fondant icing for my own wedding cake, and my sister and I swore that was both the first and the last time we would use it.

It was impossible to roll out decently!

Overthemoongran

I don’t mind the fondant icing for a children’s birthday cake but not for my very special Christmas cake, so royal icing it is, with a little glycerine so that nobody requires an emergency dental appointment over the holidays. Of course I’ve already got plenty of glycerin in to make Delia’s truffle torte - anyone else remember the year when we couldn’t get glycerine anywhere because of this recipe?

Yes, I remember searching for glycerine!

Yes,keeps it soft

Glycerin just keeps the icing soft so you don't need a chainsaw to cut the cake.

Glycerine acts as a catalyst, drawing moisture from the air into the icing. This I learned at a cake decorating course I did about 35 years ago and have always added it to royal icing mix.
Presumably the more moisture in the air, the less hard the icing becomes, if you have the cake stored under cover but not in an air tight tin.

The reason glycerine wasn't always used in Royal icing goes back to when Wedding cakes were tiered up with separate plaster pillars. If the icing was soft the pillars sank in and the cake tiers toppled. My mother worked decorating cakes for a company and her biggest fear was that a cake would fall.
They liked the icing to be like plaster of Paris and two layers were sometimes applied a few weeks apart before the decorating started in stages.

I don’t mind the fondant icing for a children’s birthday cake but not for my very special Christmas cake, so royal icing it is, with a little glycerine so that nobody requires an emergency dental appointment over the holidays. Of course I’ve already got plenty of glycerin in to make Delia’s truffle torte - anyone else remember the year when we couldn’t get glycerine anywhere because of this recipe?

It's to prevent the icing going hard and also gives it a shine.

I used to put a tsp of glycerine into my royal icing, it makes the icing easy to cut and the icing melts in the mouth, without breaking teeth. I never bought ready made icing.

If you want to colour it use food colouring paste not liquid. Use it a bit at a time as it more concentrated than liquid.

Always use glycerine in it but don't use an electric mixer or you will get to many air bubbles . It's hard to mix by hand but it's the only way to stop the air bubbles.

If you do use an electric mixer it needs to stand for a 2 hours with a damp tea towel over the bowl so it doesn't set.

If you put it straight onto your cake you will see the air bubbles that will need popping or the icing will set with bubbles. It's ok if you don't want a smooth finish but it's a pain if you do.

Always use white marzipan so it doesn't show through the icing.

Yes glycerine - I always rough ice the cake - no time to phaff around.

I made my royal icing yesterday I think the glycerine helps to emulsify the icing. I combined 500 gm icing sugar 1 tsp glycerine instead of three egg whites I use dried egg white from sachets with three tsp of water.

I forgot the glycerine one year and my beautiful cake was coated in concrete. 😂

I always use Delia's recipe which includes glycerine. I find it still goes hard quite quickly. I hate fondant icing, which seems to be used on all the decorated cakes in the shops.

I haven't done any for ages, but I remember adding a couple of drops of vegetable oil (as colourless and bland-tasting as possible - e.g. sunflower or saflor but not rapeseed or olive oil)

I use glycerin, always have, always will. I am not great shakes at icing cakes or using different types of icing, but royal icing with glycerin to keep it soft is idiot proof (it always works for me) and reliable.

Royal icing seems very outdated now, replaced by fondant which is so easy to use. You can make wonderful decorations with fondant, just like using Play Doh and equally inedible.

We were given some diamond wedding cake, with a thick layer of royal icing.

Have to say I much prefer just a plain fruit cake, no desire for the icing nowadays.

I've always used glycerine. Lasts for ever and not expensive but worth it. Dr Oetker does a small bottle for just over £1.

I like to put glycerine in royal icing, to me, it isn't the right texture otherwise. Asmall bottle lasts for ages though, and it keeps perfectly well, so put it on your shopping list early!

I’ve used fondant icing for years but I fancied a change. Better go and get some glycerine and save the teeth !!

I used to use a drop or two of rose water instead of glycerine. Worked well but may be less easily obtainable now.

I used to ice wedding and anniversary cakes semi professionally years ago. Even then a drop of glycerin was recommended on the cake but not the piped icing. I don’t like fondant icing at all and would rather just have a rich fruit cake. Or just anything with real marzipan/ almond icing. Good job I’m in the land of almonds.

Have to confess I only use fondant icing now, just roll it out and drape over the (home made!) marzipan. I can't bear the shop bought stuff with its artificial almond extract flavour!