In this blog we are going to tell you about The Difference between Royal Icing and Buttercream Icing, so read this blog carefully to get the complete information.
Cakes are one of the most baked and loved desserts by everyone. Due to the popularity of cakes now, they are cut for every special occasion or celebration, the baking industry is also evolving. The competition is increasing in the cake-making market and this is the reason Baker tries to make their product unique in the best possible way. Two popular icing on the cakes includes Royal Icing and Buttercream Icing. However, people get confused while choosing between them. So in this article, we will tell you more about what Royal Icing and Buttercream Icing are and how they differ from each other so that you can know which is the best.
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What is Royal Icing?
Royal icing is prepared from powdered sugar, meringue powder, and butter. It is not needed to add extracts and flavoring in this type of icing but if you want you can add extracts and flavoring to it as per your choice. This type of icing tastes very sweet because it has a large proportion of powdered sugar in it. Royal icing is thin and stiff in appearance when it is prepared but it instantly dries to a hard solid consistency once it is used.
What is Buttercream Icing?
Buttercream icing is prepared from powdered sugar, milk or cream, butter or shortening, and along with an extract. This type of icing can be converted to chocolate icing if you use cocoa powder or real melted chocolate in it. Buttercream icing tastes creamy and buttery and it tastes better with extracts and flavors. Buttercream icing looks smooth, soft, and consistent in appearance and thus works well for covering the cake. Usually, the amount of liquid added in preparing the icing determines its thickness. However, drying it takes a long time. If you add too much sugar to it then it can become thin with milk, cream, or even water and this makes it easy to adjust buttercream icing just as you want. So that’s how you can make it consistent as much as you need.
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Differences between Royal Icing and Buttercream Icing
Besides both Royal Icing and Buttercream Icing are icing for the cakes, their difference can change the taste appearance and taste. Here are the differences between royal icing and buttercream icing as mentioned below:
- Royal icing is prepared from powdered sugar, water, and meringue powder and tastes very sweet. On the other hand, buttercream icing is prepared from powdered sugar, milk or cream, butter or shortening, and add extract and it tastes buttery and creamy.
- Buttercream Icing has fats in it which makes it richer in flavor and taste in comparison to royal icing as it does not contain any fats in it.
- You have to keep the used royal icing in an airtight container so that it lasts for weeks whereas buttercream icing lasts only for a few days on the shelf. This is the reason royal icing is easier to transport and used preferably in comparison to buttercream icing.
- Buttercream icing is best for covering the cake in comparison to royal icing as royal icing can crack so it is not used for covering large surfaces. This is the reason royal icing is best used as a decorative medium for making flowers, letters, etc on the cakes.
- Buttercream Icing is not as finicky as royal icing as it becomes soft when it comes in contact with grease or any kind of fat.
Conclusion
Both Buttercream Icing and Royal Icing are widely used in making cakes. If you want to cover the whole surface of the cake then you should use buttercream icing as it works as a primary glue between the fondant and cake. On the other hand, royal icing best works with decorating the cake with designs creating letters and for glowing fondant or decorations on the surface of the cake. Furthermore, if you want to transport the cake then Royal Icing will be the suitable option as buttercream icing is more difficult to transport than royal icing. Also, buttercream icing has a shorter lifespan in comparison to royal icing. So we hope that this article was helpful and you will no longer get confused in choosing between buttercream icing and royal icing.
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We Hope this blog is sufficient enough to provide the information about The Difference between Royal Icing and Buttercream Icing. Thanks for reading this blog.