Jamie Oliver - Forums / Practice Icing

kah22 · Wed 20 Feb 13 12:27am

I want to practice icing cupcakes and cakes in general. I also want to learn how to pipe cream.

Over this past few days I�ve Googled a bit and come up with two �practice� recipes:

The first is from an American firm called Wilton.
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon wilton clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar ( approx. 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk or 2 tablespoons water

The second is from a blog I spotted.
Solid vegetable shortening / Dalda - 1 1/2 cups - 287 grams
Powdered sugar - 4 cups - 452 grams (lightly spooned into the cup)
Water - 2 tablespoons
Light Corn syrup - 1 tablespoon

The only difference seems to be the absence of butter and vanilla in the second recipe, but it adds corn syrup. When Americans talk about shorting what do they mean. Would that be something like Stork, or Trex

So what would you use to practice icing with (recipe please). My requirements are that it can be used over and over again. It�s not for eating so doesn�t have to taste nice

As always many thanks for your advice

mummza · Wed 20 Feb 13 5:46pm

Could you use a very smooth mashed potato instead ?
It would be cheaper .

I think shortening refers to something like Trex rather than Stork

cohphanta · Wed 20 Feb 13 6:00pm

I use that first recipe and depending on what I am doing either omit the butter and use more shortening or use only butter and no shortening. Crisco is the brand of shortening we use mostly. You can also use sugar water. The place I worked as a decorator we would add that as we beat the icing until it was the consistency we liked. It is not as thick as corn syrup. It's just water and sugar boiled until it was a nice consistency. It's hard to describe what it's like.

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forum: Food, Wine and Gardening

#1 Wed 20 Feb 13 12:27am

kah22

Practice Icing

#2 Wed 20 Feb 13 5:46pm

mummza

Re: Practice Icing

#3 Wed 20 Feb 13 6:00pm

cohphanta

Re: Practice Icing