Royal Icing Recipe – For Cakes and Cookie Decorating
Royal Icing Recipe is a quick and easy icing that dries hard. It’s very sweet because it’s mostly powder sugar and Egg whites. It has endless uses in the cake and cookie decorating world. Once you learn the right method to make it and the right consistency that works for you, it can be a fun experience.
Royal Icing Recipe – How to make Royal Icing
In this post, you will find (Save/Pin)
- Royal Icing with Meringue Powder
- Black Royal Icing
- Royal Icing made with Egg White powder
- and Royal Icing made with Raw Eggs. (video)
- as well as how to use RI to cover a Fruit Cake
Royal Icing decorations can last forever if stored properly.
Humidity is its worst enemy and grease can break it down ruining all your hard work.
So the key to success with RI to get the recipe and consistency right first..
More about Royal Icing Tips can be found on my Tip Thursday – Royal Icing Basics
How to make Royal Icing Recipe – For cake and Cookie Decorating
Video – How to make Royal Icing
While there are many many recipes out there….there is usually only one that works best for you. These are the ones that work for me. For many years I used the recipe made with raw Egg Whites before I switched to the Meringue Powder.
I find working with the raw egg whites recipe the best for me so when possible I try to get pasteurized egg whites.
How to make Royal Icing Recipe, Royal Icing Recipe. Different ways to make royal icing
Royal icing will break down with grease so before you start to ensure that your mixing bowl and utensils that you use to make your icing are all grease free. I wash my mixing bowl and paddle attachment with warm water. Take a paper hand towel, add a few drops of white vinegar on the towel, use the towel to wipe the bowl dry.
How to make Royal Icing – Three methods
Royal Icing with egg white powder
Meringue powder is usually found in cake decorating stores and already contains cream of tartar and salt to it making it more stable to make Royal Icing. But if you cannot find it and don’t want to use raw eggs, you can buy the egg white powder for your regular grocery stores and add the remaining ingredients
While the method is the same as the video below- here are a few progress pictures of how to make it with Egg white Powder
Royal Icing Recipe, How to make royal icing three different methods
Tools
- Mixer – Hand Mixer/Kitchen-Aid or K-mix type
- Tupper Ware
Royal Icing Recipe with Meringue Powder or Egg White Powder
Prep
Total
Yield 2 cup
Royal Icing Recipe is a quick and easy icing that dries hard. It's very sweet because it's mostly powder sugar and Egg whites. It has endless uses in the cake and cookie decorating world. Once you learn the right method to make it and the right consistency that works for you, it can be a fun experience.
Ingredients
For the Royal Icing with Meringue Powder
- 3 tbsp Meringue powder
- 4 cups sifted powdered sugar confectioners sugar/icing sugar.. (about 1 lb or 450 grams)
- 6 to 8 tbsp of warm water.
- 1 tsp almond extract or clear vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp of light corn syrup
For Royal Icing with Egg White Powder
- 2 tbsp of egg white powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar or 1 tsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp warm water.
- 3 cups sifted powdered sugar (330 grams) more if needed.
- 1 tsp Almond or Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place (dry ingredients) meringue powder (or egg white powder, Cream of tartar and salt)
- Plus half the sugar in the mixing bowl. I prefer to sift them together so there are no lumps.
- Add 6 tbsp of water.
- Start the mixer on low, once all the sugar is incorporated.
- Turn the mixer up to medium and continue mixing for about 5 minutes until you have a gooey consistency.
- Next, add the balance sugar.
- Check to see if you need more water, do not add more than 1/2 tbsp at a time.
- Continue to mix for 3 more minutes.
- Add Extract and light corn syrup.
- Now turn the mixer up to medium and beat for another 2 to 4 minutes.
- Once you reach a stiff peak consistency, your royal icing is ready.
Courses Dessert
Cuisine International
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 100 g
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 316 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Sodium 13 mg | 1% | |
Total Carbohydrates 80.4 g | 27% | |
Sugars 78.9 g | ||
Protein 0.6 g | 1% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Consistency:
It’s best to add water to a small batch when you need it. If you add too much water now, you may end up having to add sugar to thicken it up again. I believe too much sugar makes the icing flaky and once dried it tends to chip off even with the slightest draft of air.
No matter how soon you are going to use your RI, always transfer to a sealed bowl, covered with cling wrap.
The leftovers can be stored in the fridge sealed well.
Black Royal Icing Recipe
Prep
Total
Yield 2 cups
Royal Icing Recipe is a quick and easy icing that dries hard. It's very sweet because it's mostly powder sugar and Egg whites. It has endless uses in the cake and cookie decorating world. Once you learn the right method to make it and the right consistency that works for you, it can be a fun experience.
Ingredients
- Black Royal Icing.
- 3 tbsp Meringue Powder
- 3 cups Icing Sugar (sifted)
- 1 cup Cocoa Powder (sifted)
- 5 tbsp of warm water
- 1 tbsp of black food gel color.
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
- The method is the same as shown in the Royal Icing video above.
- This icing stays a bit sticky and difficult to pipe. But It is still what I prefer because I do not like using excessive food color (esp to make black)
Courses Dessert
Cuisine European
Royal Icing with raw egg whites
For those who cannot find meringue powder, this is a good alternative provided you can find Pasteurized eggs.
Royal Icing Recipe with Raw Egg Whites
Prep
Total
Yield 2 cups
Royal Icing Recipe is a quick and easy icing that dries hard. It's very sweet because it's mostly powder sugar and Egg whites. It has endless uses in the cake and cookie decorating world. Once you learn the right method to make it, and the right consistency that works for you, it can be a fun experience.
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice.
- 4 cups sifted powdered sugar (400 to 440 grams)
- 1 tsp Almond or Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Take all the precautions regarding grease as above then continue.
- Add all the ingredients to the mixing bowl with paddle attachment. Mix on medium for about ten minutes. If necessary add more powdered sugar.
- Once ready you can use it just as regular royal icing, adding 1/2 tsp of water as needed.
- Use fresh, left over can be kept in the fridge for about 3 days. Bring back to room temperature and mix well before using.
Courses Dessert
Cuisine European
Don’t forget to save these recipes on Pinterest for later.
You can find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest
Royal Icing Recipe – Three Different Methods
This picture here below is made with Raw Egg whites. Can you tell the difference? Not really.
Covering the entire cake with Royal Icing –
The above recipe dried hard like candy and cannot be used to cover the cake.
If you do need to cover a fruit cake with Royal Icing. First, cover the cake with Marzipan and add glycerin to the Royal Icing.
- Add 1 tsp of glycerin to your Royal Icing for the bottom tier of the cake,
- 2 tsp of glycerin for the second tier.
- 3 tsp of glycerin for the top tier.
- If it’s a single tier cake – add 1 tsp of glycerin per cup of Royal Icing.
Uses and Storage
- Royal icing dried hard when comes in contact with air. So as soon as your icing is prepared, place it in a grease-free container that has a tight lid. Use a cling wrap/ plastic wrap and place directly over the icing to prevent any air from touching it.
- Royal Icing is best used fresh, the longer it sits around the weaker it gets. You will see the water and icing separate. Mix well before you re-use it.
- Royal icing (not made with fresh egg white) can be kept at room temperature and can last for up to a week. If kept in the fridge can be kept for up to 2 weeks.
- Royal Icing decorations last forever if stored properly. Humidity does reduce their shelf life. So if you do have spare leftover royal icing from your cakes. Don’t throw it away, make drop flowers which are really easy to make and are great to add a little life to any simple cake.
Know your RI – A Good Royal Icing is strong and dries hard.
- When you hold a piece of dried RI you should be able to break it into two pieces.
- If it crumbles into small pieces means your RI is weak with too much water.
- and If it is crusty – turns to a powdery mess… it means you have too much P. Sugar in your recipe you need more egg whites or meringue powder next time.
Oops, that was a long post and too much info in one post. I hope it didn’t bore you..
Ah well, that’s all about Royal Icing for you. I hope that helps you with your next project with cakes or cookies.
If you love working with Royal Icing or want to grow in this field a great book to have on hand is called the Art of Royal Icing – by Eddie Spence
You can also find it on Book Depository with Free World Wide Shipping
Are you new to cake decorating? Do you love cake decorating?
Click here to see some of my Index of all cake tutorials from basic to advance.
Wants eggless royal icing.
Royal Icing is made with egg whites. You can try making a simple glaze icing.. just Simple Corn Syrup with a few tablespoons of water and powder sugar –
Hi Veena,
Thank you for the excellent tutorial.
I’m looking for a consistency of not too hard icing for my Christmas cakes. Will the glycerin help keep the RI soft on the inside and somewhat hard on the outside?
My other question is about using almond or vanilla extracts. In the pure form they contain oil, will this not alter the RI?
With thanks, Kathleen
Hi Kathleen, Yes it suppose to keep the Royal Icing soft but not so soft too. I know some people use Lor Ann Oils which are oil based and they work! I use a water based Almond extract mostly.
how can i preserve a cake i used marzipan and royal icing to decorate.haw can i store it for use after two days.
thank you.
You can store it on the counter top!! Never put Royal Icing in the fridge – It will break down. Always keep out on the counter top.. <3
Yes you can sure keep it for two days on the counter top
please i want to know how i cn preserve a cake decorated with marzipan and royal icing.how long can it stay on the shell. am i suppose to keep in refridgerator?
tnx
Royal Iced cakes can stay on the counter top for a long time. If it’s a fruit cake it has a much longer shelf life. Usually the recipe you follow will have the cake’s shelf life. Never put the royal iced cake in the fridge
Is der any substitute for meringue powder mam..??
You can make the one with egg whites instead
can i have an eggless royal icing recipe please?
Well royal icing is with eggs. I think you can use glace icing which is basically just Corn Syrup, powder sugar and a little water.
Is there anything you can use instead of corn syruP ????????????????
Thank you
You can omit the corn syrup. Won’t be a problem.
Hi veena. I have never commented on anyones blog…EVER. this is my very first comment on any blog. I just wanted to let you know what an absolutely fantastic job you do by giving away your time and knowledge….for free. In this world we live in, nothing comes for free, usuakky people expect something in return for even the smallest thing. So in these times, to know there iare people like you
Thank you so much. SOrry I missed your comment. Not sure how it skipped my eye. Thank you so much for your kind words.
Poornima, Sorry the most important ingredient in Royal Icing is the Egg whites. Meringue powder is dries egg whites used as a substitute due to the fear of Salmonella.
If you do not want to use Royal Icing, use a cookie glaze, that also dries hard.
Here's how to make it — 2 cups confectioners sugar, 2 tbps light corn syrup, 2 to 3 tbsp milk or water. Mix and spread over cookies.
Can anything replace egg in royal icing n also I do not ve access to meringue powder also…. So how do I go about it Veena.
Poornima