Quiet often I hear people getting confused between the terms Icing and Frosting, two very different pastry toppers that each has their own personality. So I thought it will be required to share difference between the two as they are interchangeable but tastes quiet different.
Frosting and Icing are actually two different things?
Frosting and Icing are often used interchangeably when we talk about decorating a baked items. However, in reality, the two are poles apart from each other and you might have wondered the difference between them at some point while baking.
They are often confused because the purpose of both are same. Here is a brief of the differences between frosting and icing
Icing
Icing is a thin, runny sugary liquid that hardens on cooling. It is commonly used on Doughnuts, Pound Cake and Cinnamon Rolls.
To make icing, mix sugar and a liquid, usually melted butter or egg whites, and you can flavor it or color it with food dye. Icing is also referred to as “glaze” because of its glossy texture and hardening upon cooling.
Icing is popular when topping cookies, especially sugar or lemon. It can be used on cakes and cupcakes, but it won’t give you the look of traditional cupcakes.
The main ingredient while making icing is Sugar which is mixed with water, milk, or cream as per the recipe. The icing can also be flavored with Vanilla or Lemon Juice and then the mixture is poured over warm baked goods.
The icing becomes more opaque white in color as everything cools down and the sugar crystals harden.
Frosting
Frosting is the thick, fluffy mixture that is used to decorate our cakes and cupcakes. It is the stuff that holds shape on your cakes and looks pretty in various designs.
Frosting is usually made from some kind of fat like Butter or Cream along with sugar and other flavoring agents like Vanilla, Chocolate, Lemon etc. And I’m not sure if its a rule, but Frosting is always whipped.
There are various types of frostings -
Buttercream Frosting - Buttercream frosting gets its name from the base stuff it’s made of - Butter. The cream part here just describes its texture. It’s made of pure butter whipped with powdered sugar till it becomes creamy and light.
Buttercream is the simplest kind of frosting and the first lesson of Frosting 101. It can be modified of course to add flavorings like Vanilla, Chocolate or Lemon. Whipped Cream Frosting - Whipped Cream, as the name suggests is made from whipping the heavy cream with powdered sugar till it is holding its peaks. Whipped cream is used to decorate cakes like Black Forest & Pineapple Cake.
Cream Cheese Frosting - This is a variation of the classic Buttercream and has Butter, Sugar and Cream Cheese as its main ingredients along with Lemon for the added boost of flavor. Cream cheese frosting is most popular with Red Velvet Cake, Carrot Cake, and Lemon Cake.
Meringue Frosting - This kind of frosting is made by heating up whipped egg-whites on a bain-marie and mixing with sugar till it becomes opaque white in color and extremely creamy and airy in texture. It is also common to toast the Meringue using a blowtorch after decorating, but I have no experience with this kind of frosting myself.
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