I have, as you may have guessed, been on a quest for a while for the perfect way to finish off a cake or cupcake. I have tried several buttery frostings from Nigella, magazines, etc., but have been left with the feeling that it's all a bit too much. Now, I like frosting, I really do, but I have my issues with it.
1) the ratios are frequently off, both in the recipe quantities and for bakery-bought gourmet, resulting in a would-you-like-some-cake-with-that-frosting? ratio
2) this, in turn, overpowers a simple, fresh, crumbly cake
which is 3) compounded by the fact that butter cream is heavy and rich.
If you spread it thinly over a cake, it can be a nice counterbalance, but more frequently than not, it is slathered on and mounded high and quite frankly, it's gross. If I am going to each a rich dessert, I would rather eat chocolate mousse or cheesecake or molten chocolate lava cake or truffles...the list goes on.
A cupcake is delightful for its lightness, its airiness.
Throughout this quest, I kept thinking about the icing my mother made when I was a child, and I was sure I was remembering it wrong. Didn't my mother make icing simply with powdered sugar and water mixed into a smooth paste?
But no matter which cookbook I tried, I couldn't find this written down anywhere. Not even as a quick hint for a lighter, easier alternative (and I can't believe I didn't think to ask her - d'oh!). When I couldn't take it anymore, I googled "icing water," and this was the first response. I hadn't been imagining it all along!
It makes the prettiest icing, drying almost immediately into a sweet glaze with great tooth-feel. Just add a little bit of water to powdered sugar until it becomes a paste, then smooth over the cake or cookie surface. This a perfect base to add food coloring too, and you can also dampen the sugar with lemon or orange juice for a little zing.
4 comments:
Oh my goodness, that picture is mouth-watering.
This does look good, sometimes the best tastes are simple. Having said that, I do know a recipe which includes chocolate and caramel for the icing and still manages not to overpower the sponge cake. Let me know if you want it :-)(Diana)
ooh! wonderfully simple icing! i also like to add a little alcohol if appropriate; bourbon or grand marnier! just to taste!
Oooh, if you hadn't found this, I would have recommended it. Bon Appetit had cupcake recipes with lemon and raspberry glaze on top and it was basically powdered sugar, water and lemon juice, or raspberry jam. Yum!
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