Basic Desserts Recipes - Royal Icing

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites

• about 675g icing sugar, sifted

• 7.5ml glycerin

• a few drops of lemon juice

• food coloring (optional)

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Method:

1. Put the egg whites in a bowl and stir lightly with a fork to break them up.

2. Add the icing sugar gradually, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition. Add enough icing sugar to make a smooth, shiny icing that has the consistency of very stiff meringue.

3. Beat in the glycerin, lemon juice and food coloring, if using. Leave for 1 hour before using, covered with damp clear film, then stir to burst any air bubbles.

4. Storing: The icing will keep for up to three days, stored in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid in a fridge.

5. Icing Consistencies: This recipe is for an icing consistency suitable for flat icing a marzipanned rich fruit cake. When the spoon is lifted, the icing should form a sharp point, with a slight curve at the end, known as "50ft peak". For piping, the icing needs to be slightly stiffer. It should form a fine sharp peak when the spoon is lifted.