Frosting and Icing Recipes

Ever bake a cake only to discover that someone ate the frosting out of the cupboard? Ever had more cookies to frost then frosting? If the answer to any of the previous questions was yes, then here to the rescue are some simple and easy frosting and icing recipes and concepts. All frostings start with a base to which flavor is added.

The base of a frosting is what determines the texture and consistency of the frosting. The main ingredient in almost all frostings is powdered or confectioners sugar. The sugar can be mixed with the baker's choice of sweetened condensed milk, butter, milk, cream cheese or ricotta cheese. Whichever moist ingredient is used in the base should be chosen for its texture and flavor. It should compliment the flavor of the baked item of which it is going to be covering. Simply add the sugar to the moist base ingredient and then add small amounts of the dry and moist ingredients until the amount of icing is need and the desired consistency.

To get a frosting that compliments your baked good some simple additions can be made to the base to make it special and flavorful. Fruit is a great additive to a frosting it is just important to be sure that the fruit has any excessive moisture removed, this can be done by just draining the fruit or letting it sit on a paper towel. Some fruits that work well in frosting are pineapple, strawberry, orange, raspberry, blueberry and tangerine. The addition of extracts can be a simple and very flavorful way to make the frosting taste homemade and great. From the traditional and commonly used extracts such as vanilla and almond to less commonly used extracts such as mint or orange can be great in a frosting. Additionally, liquors can be added to a frosting or icing base, the choice of the liquor should just compliment the baked item that it is going to be placed on. Finally another great addition to a frosting is sprinkles, it makes it fun and colorful.

Baked items can be topped with things other than a frosting or icing. Some other things that can be used to top a baked item are sprinkles, fruit, chocolate or fruit syrup or even just powdered sugar.

You can take your baked goods from great to amazing by simply making a homemade frosting, icing or other topping,