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Safe Royal Icing




Source of Recipe


Food 911


Recipe Introduction


This icing can be used to make Gingerbread House & Gingerbread Men Recipes. It is also used for cake decorating. (Royal Icing with raw egg whites). Meringue powder is available from cake decorating stores or www.wilton.com.


List of Ingredients




2 pounds (6 to 8 cups) powdered sugar, sifted several times

6 tablespoons meringue powder

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 to 1/2 cup warm water, you might need more for consistency







Recipe



1. Stir the powdered sugar with the meringue powder, then add the lemon juice and slowly add the water until it is absorbed. You don't want to add it too fast, it may get too watery too quickly.

2. When it is stiff, beat for several minutes, add water drop by drop to the consistency you wish. If you are using this recipe for construction or delicate lace work, ONLY beat it with a paddle and do not over beat. This prevents too much air being beaten into the mixture and it becoming brittle when dry. I like a medium stiff for building the gingerbread houses and for finished piping. For piping onto gingerbread men, I like the icing to be a little thinner. It is easy to thin the icing, it is HARD to make it stiff again

3. Keep this icing covered at all times by a damp cloth, it will dry out quickly and the lumps are hard to deal with once they form. When piping only keep it in a grease free piping bag or use disposable plastic or parchment triangles. If you use a lot of royal icing, it is good to buy a new bag and ONLY use it for royal icings and meringues.

4. The icing in the photo for the gingerbread house construction is a medium stiff to stiff icing. I prefer this to a softer icing for construction. Softer icing will run all over the place instead of staying put and holding the house together.

OUTLINE CONSISTENCY: Generally, the consistency that you'll obtain following these proportions is thick enough to outline cookies:

5 tablespoons meringue powder

1 pound (3 to 4 cups) sifted confectioners' sugar

Scant 1/2-cup lukewarm water

1 teaspoon flavoring like vanilla, lemon, orange, almond or cherry (optional - Note: will color icing. Clear vanilla will not)

Combine all ingredients. This is mixed with the paddle attachment on an electric mixer for about ten minutes on high speed.

FLOODING CONSISTENCY: “Flooding” refers to the process of filling in the outline with a thinner consistency. The consistency of royal icing can be adjusted to make a flooding consistency by adding more water, just a tablespoon at a time. The way I check for the proper consistency is to add water a tablespoon at a time until you can lift the paddle and see the icing dissolve into itself by the count of three. To make flow icing you need to fill in the cookies after outlining. Fill outlined cookies with a spatula or a bag using a #5 tip.

Royal icing can be made in different consistencies is piped with a pastry bag or decorating cone. The icing can be thickened or thinned by varying the amount of egg whites and sugar. A thinner icing (with more egg whites) is best for flooding, since it spreads more smoothly; a thicker icing (with more sugar) is best for piping.

STIFF CONSISTENCY: This is used for piping, run-outs and sticking decorations onto cakes. It dries very hard and holds its shape when piped. It is made by:

1 large egg white NOTE: If being consumed, for safety, use egg white or meringue powder equivalent to 1 large egg white; 1 egg = 2 teaspoons egg white powder plus 2 tablespoons warm water OR 1 tablespoon of meringue powder plus 2 tablespoons warm water

1-1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

Whisk the egg white in a large bowl with a fork. Add a quarter of the confectioners' sugar and beat well. Gradually work in the remaining confectioner's sugar, beating well between each addition until the mixture holds its shape. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on top of the icing and cover the bowl with a damp cloth to prevent the icing from drying out. Store at room temperature.