Decorating/Icing buns

The Lovely Muffin

Hi,

I'm going to make some regular/normal buns and would like to ice/decorate them, if possible.

I'd like to use regular icing, but not sure which type to go for (I've never iced buns before), I'm not really keen on the icing you get on shop-bought buns, I'd prefer something lighter and not as 'hard'.

I'd like something like these, but without buttercream.

http://wisesfarmkitchen.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/jan-feb-march-2011-001.jpg

Could anyone tell me which type of icing I would be best using? Does it have to set or anything? I understand the buns would have to be completely cold/cool before icing them though.

Acoshla

How do you mean without buttercream? You could try a ganache or Italian Meringue Buttercream if you don't want the gritty sickly sweet butter/icing sugar buttercream.

The Lovely Muffin

Acoshla wrote: »

How do you mean without buttercream? You could try a ganache or Italian Meringue Buttercream if you don't want the gritty sickly sweet butter/icing sugar buttercream.

Sorry my fault, I'd like a creamy topping, but not buttercream, as I find it can be heavy.

Does any such topping/icing exist?

Acoshla

That standard buttercream, butter and icing sugar, I find to be very heavy and sweet, yokky, I never use it. The meringue buttercreams are much lighter, but take a bit more work, there's a lot of blogs explaining how to do them well with photos etc.

The Lovely Muffin

Acoshla wrote: »

That standard buttercream, butter and icing sugar, I find to be very heavy and sweet, yokky, I never use it. The meringue buttercreams are much lighter, but take a bit more work, there's a lot of blogs explaining how to do them well with photos etc.

Thanks so much, I'll have a look online and see if I can find a good recipe.

Can anyone explain how to make the butterflies please?

MissFlitworth

+1 on the meringue buttercream. The regular stuff makes my teeth squeak in a most unpleasant way, I could eat meringue buttercream from the bowl with a spoon. (and have!)

I've made it from this recipe before and it turned out amazing. If you just want a creamy topping though, and you'll be eating the cupcakes fairly quickly, you could pipe whipped cream onto them?

The butterflies look to be made with fondant icing and a plunger.

SBWife

The butterflies are punched out of fondant with a plunger tool.

Buttercream has to be full of air (plus have some flavouring added) to be palatable. I find 8-10 minutes in the stand mixer on a fairly high speed does the trick, this also ensures the icing sugar is fully dissolved and there is no gritty mouth feel.

The Lovely Muffin

MissFlitworth wrote: »

+1 on the meringue buttercream. The regular stuff makes my teeth squeak in a most unpleasant way, I could eat meringue buttercream from the bowl with a spoon. (and have!)

I've made it from this recipe before and it turned out amazing. If you just want a creamy topping though, and you'll be eating the cupcakes fairly quickly, you could pipe whipped cream onto them?

The butterflies look to be made with fondant icing and a plunger.

http://www.google.ie/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://www.globalsugarart.com/product_images/23723_S63EV9DH_43-910BU.jpg&sa=X&ei=gTAgT8i9CYqXOpjXxKAO&ved=0CAwQ8wc&usg=AFQjCNF-9zhw5eY6qwXX5qr_8onGBWLpXQ

Thanks so much, I will try that recipe and have a look for that plunger.

Can I use regular icing to make the butterflies, or have I to use a special type of icing?

SBWife wrote: »

The butterflies are punched out of fondant with a plunger tool.

Buttercream has to be full of air (plus have some flavouring added) to be palatable. I find 8-10 minutes in the stand mixer on a fairly high speed does the trick, this also ensures the icing sugar is fully dissolved and there is no gritty mouth feel.

The gritty feeling is partly why I don't like buttercream, and also because I find it heavy.

Thanks so much for all the help

huskerdu

The Lovely Muffin wrote: »

Can I use regular icing to make the butterflies, or have I to use a special type of icing?

There is no one type of icing that is "normal" icing. Different types of icing are used for different situations.

Glace icing is the glossy stuff that goes hard on cakes
Butter icing is soft anf you pipe it
Fondant icing can be rolled and cut into shapes


I am sure I have forgotten a few.

Fondant icing is the right icing to cut into shapes and hold their shape.

The Lovely Muffin

huskerdu wrote: »

There is no one type of icing that is "normal" icing. Different types of icing are used for different situations.

Glace icing is the glossy stuff that goes hard on cakes
Butter icing is soft anf you pipe it
Fondant icing can be rolled and cut into shapes


I am sure I have forgotten a few.

Fondant icing is the right icing to cut into shapes and hold their shape.

Apologies, I am not familiar with icing.

So I should use fondant icing to make the butterflies?

Is this a good recipe for it?

http://www.creative-cake-decorating.com/fondant-icing-recipe.html

Acoshla

Just buy the sugarpaste/fondant icing, Tesco and Aldi sell little packs of it. If you want them pink you'll need paste colour for that, food colouring can't be used to colour sugarpaste, too wet.

The Lovely Muffin

Thanks so much, will have a look around for the icing and paste.

Acoshla

The paste you'll have to get in a cake supply place, www.stuff4cakes.ie, or Decobake, etc.

Mickey Lover

There's also an icing you can use made with Cream cheese - I can give you recipe if you like but you would probably have to make it and then let it set in the fridge first before piping it onto buns

Gatica

just saw this thread while trying to find out about different types of icing or fondants to cover cakes and cup-cakes.
Could you share your cream-cheese recipe please?

I didn't realise there were many kinds of icing. I tried mixing icing sugar with lemon juice but it was too runny to pipe and then set fully hard on the buns. It tasted ok only because of the lemon - will try some suggestions here for buttercream next!

Mickey Lover

Hi

I use 175g of cream cheese or low fat cream cheese - softened
50g butter softened but I normally make sure it's really runny
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
225g icing sugar, sifted

Just beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together (with an electric mixer is easier!) and then gradually beat in the icing sugar (maybe 3 separate lots to avoid lumps) and you get a smooth icing

You can add a bit extra icing sugar if you find the consistency too runny - if not needed straight away I'd put it into the fridge overnight. If you are using it for buns and cupcakes it would be pretty handy for putting into a piping bag after being in the fridge - one thing about it is that it seems to spread but if you are using cases just make sure not to put too much on each cake.

This icing is delicious and I use it to top my extra special carrot cake and always get compliments. Hope you like it

Mickey Lover

Gatica I've also used the Rachel Allen recipe for lemon buttercream icing, it's gorgeous and really simple to make and handy to pipe

75g butter, says softened but I always melt it to avoid lumps
175g icing sugar sifted
Finely grated zest of 1/2 large lemon
Juice of lemon

Cream the butter (but you don't have to do this if you melt it) gradually beat in the icing sugar with the butter and then the lemon zest and juice.

I normally would stick it into the fridge and let it firm up for a while maybe a few hours then get your piping bag out and away you go !

Acoshla

Icing sugar and lemon juice wouldn't be suitable for the type of decorative icing The Lovely Muffin was going to try, it'd be a glace icing, more suited to just putting a little bit all over the top of a bun. It it was too runny you need more icing sugar.

MandyM

The most common frosting is simple buttercream (butter, icing sugar, milk/cream, flavouring), but it's very sweet and when it dries it forms a hard shell. This is used on most store bought cupcakes.

Swiss Meringue is my favourite next to cream cheese frosting. It doesn't form a hard shell, is silky smooth and isn't overly sweet. Here's a basic recipe for vanilla Swiss buttercream but you can change it up and add orange zest, lemon curd/zest, liqueurs, nutella etc. I see my chocolate one was posted earlier, you can sub dark chocolate for white chocolate, it's amazing.

Cream cheese frosting is also delicious, just remember you must use full fat cream cheese, if you use a light cream cheese you'll end up with cream cheese soup, not good! Go for the foil blocks of Philadelphia cream cheese.

As for making your own decorations with rolled fondant or gumpaste, it's pretty easy too! Fondant hearts

Another really great frosting that tastes as though it's whipped cream but is stable and lasts much longer than whipped cream is mascarpone frosting. Whip up 1 tub of mascarpone with 3 Tbsp caster sugar and whatever flavouring you like. It'll start going soft and you might think it's not working, but keep whisking it and it will thicken and whip just like cream does.

Acoshla

Cream cheese frosting and mascarpone icing are meant to be kept refrigerated though, swiss meringue doesn't have to be. Just bear that in mind if you're putting sugarpaste decorations on, they will wilt in the fridge (the fridge will also dry out the cupcake base) so it's best to put decorations on when the cupcakes come out of the fridge to be served, not before.

Twee.

Gatica wrote: »

just saw this thread while trying to find out about different types of icing or fondants to cover cakes and cup-cakes.
Could you share your cream-cheese recipe please?

I didn't realise there were many kinds of icing. I tried mixing icing sugar with lemon juice but it was too runny to pipe and then set fully hard on the buns. It tasted ok only because of the lemon - will try some suggestions here for buttercream next!

I use this recipe for chocolate cream cheese http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2008/04/my-favorite-chocolate-cream-cheese.html It's great, but turns out a flat brown colour rather than her image on the blog. You can adjust the amount of icing sugar depending on how thick/stiff you want it. Stiffer will pipe better and hold shape.