May 7, 2020

6 Easy Cake Icing Recipes to sweeten your day!

Sweeten your day with my 6 Easy Cake Icing Recipes! These easy-to-prepare toppers are fast, simple, and great options for the home baker.

Plain baked goods are delicious, but to take them from the kitchen to the party, it’s nice to dress them up for the occasion. Sweet coverings add moisture, texture, and visual appeal. A Plain Jane cake becomes the Queen of the Prom with a bit of creativity and sweet swirl.

There are many options to choose from to frost, ice, glaze, or fill a cake or other baked goods. To keep it simple, these 6 Easy Cake Icing Recipes require no fuss, no cooking, and minimal ingredients to create the perfect finish to your cakes, cookies, and pastries. Nothing tastes as good as homemade, and when it comes to topping your baked goods, the simpler the better.

Ganache – 2 Ingredients: Chocolate, Cream

Ganache is a French term for any combination of chocolate and cream and is a staple in any pastry chef’s kitchen. It is the simplest of all icing recipes. It’s a rich coating with a sleek finish. Use it as a frosting, filling or glaze. Simply add hot cream to the chocolate and vigorously stir until the mixture is smooth. Pour it over a cake while it is warm or cool it and add to a buttercream recipe. Corn syrup adds a bit of shine.

Crème Chantilly – 3 Ingredients: Cream, Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extract

Who doesn’t love whipped cream? Add powdered sugar and some vanilla extract and you’ve got Crème Chantilly. That’s a fancy French name for a simple pastry topper! The only mistake you could make with this easy recipe is to overwhip the cream and make sweet butter!

Vanilla Icing – 3 Ingredients: Milk, Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extrac

For a quick cookie icing, combine milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and stir into a paste. Add food coloring and use your imagination to spread, drizzle, and drip designs that will delight both the taste buds and the eyes!

Buttercream Frosting – 4 Ingredients: Butter, Milk, Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extract

Icing and frosting are interchangeable words when it comes to recipes. There is a difference between the two. Icing is a decorative glaze of powdered sugar and milk or other liquid. Frosting is the coating or filling for a cake. It is icing with the addition of butter, egg whites, or cream cheese. Classic buttercream requires whipping hot sugar syrup into creamed butter, but you can frost your cake like a professional without having to worry about boiling sugar to the correct temperature. Creaming unsalted butter with powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract will give you a satisfactory substitution. It will taste great on my Devil’s Food Chocolate Chip Pudding Cupcakes!

Cream Cheese Frosting – 4 Ingredients: Cream Cheese, Butter, Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extract

Cream cheese isn’t just for bagels! Mixed together with unsalted butter, powdered sugar, and a dash of vanilla extract, this frosting is the perfect accompaniment for any kind of cake. It is the classic topper for carrot, pumpkin, and red velvet cakes. Try it on my Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread!

Vanilla Marshmallow Fluff Frosting – 5 Ingredients: Butter, Powdered Sugar, Marshmallow Fluff, Milk, Vanilla Extract

Combine Buttercream Frosting with marshmallow fluff and you’ve got an exciting new flavor combination to show off to your friends! Don’t worry if you can’t find a jar of Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme in your local market or pantry. You can make it with melted marshmallows. Scroll down to the notes section of the recipe to learn how!

My 6 Easy Cake Icing Recipes are perfect for the beginning baker or when you need a quick dress-up for your cake. Add a bit of food coloring to your icing or frosting and have a glorious time decorating your confections!

Devil's Food Chocolate Chip Pudding Cupcake with Vanilla Marshmallow Fluff Icing

Print Recipe

6 Easy Cake Icing Recipes

6 Easy Cake Icing Recipes are fast, simple and great options for the home baker.

Plain baked goods are delicious, and to take them from the kitchen to the party, it’s nice to dress them up for the occasion. Sweet coverings add moisture, texture and visual appeal. A Plain Jane cake becomes the Queen of the Prom with a bit of creativity and sweet swirl.

There are many options to choose from to frost, ice, glaze or fill a cake or other baked goods. These recipes require no fuss, no cooking, and minimal ingredients to create the perfect finish to your cakes, cookies and pastries. Nothing tastes as good as homemade, and when it comes to topping your baked goods, the simpler the better.

Course: Dessert, Frosting, Snack

Cuisine: American, English, European, French

Keyword: Butter, Buttercream, Chocolate, Confectioners Sugar, Creamed butter, filling, Frosting, Glaze, Icing, Marshmallow, marshmallow creme, Marshmallow Fluff, milk, Powdered Sugar, vanilla

Equipment

Ganache – medium size glass, metal or ceramic bowl
Ganache – heavy saucepan
Ganache – wire whisk or fork
Chantilly Cream – electric mixer with whisk attachment
Vanilla Icing – Medium size bowl
Buttercream Frosting – electric mixer with beater attachment
Cream Cheese Frosting – electric mixer with beater attachment
Vanilla Marshmallow Fluff Frosting – electric mixer with beater attachment

Ingredients

Ganache – Yields 2 Cups

10.5 oz semisweet chocolate substitution: white chocolate, bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp rum or other liqueur such as Grand Marnier optional
1 tbsp corn syrup optional

Chantilly Cream – Yields 4 Cups

2 cups heavy cream
⅓ cup powdered sugar confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract substitution: other extract flavoring, liquor

Vanilla Icing – Yields 1 Cup

1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp milk substitution: cream, citrus juice, water
½ tsp vanilla extract

Buttercream Frosting – Yields 2 ½ Cups

1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
2-4 cups powdered sugar add to taste
1-2 tbsp milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting – Yields 2 Cups

8 oz cream cheese softened
½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick
2-4 cups powdered sugar add to taste
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp zest of lemon or orange optional
1-3 tsp cinnamon optional
1-3 tsp liqueur of choice optional

Vanilla Marshmallow Fluff Frosting – Yields 3 Cups

¾ cup unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
¾ cup marshmallow fluff see notes for instructions on how to make homemade fluff
1-3 tbsp milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Ganache

Coarsely chop the chocolate and place into a glass, metal or ceramic bowl.
At this point, add the corn syrup (optional) if you want a shinier finish to your ganache.
Bring cream to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer for 2 minutes to sterilize the cream. Stir constantly to prevent the cream from boiling over.
Gradually pour the hot cream into the chocolate stirring constantly until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture (ganache) is smooth.
In the event all the chocolate does not melt, dip the bottom of the bowl containing the ganache in a bowl of hot water and stir until smooth. At this point, you can add flavoring such as rum or Grand Marnier (optional).
Cool to room temperature.
Use the ganache before it sets. If not using right away, it can be refrigerated. If refrigerated, allow 1 hour to bring the ganache to room temperature, place the the bowl over hot water and beat vigorously with a spoon until it is smooth and spreadable.
If storing in the refrigerator, cover the ganache tightly. It will last 7-10 days.

Chantilly Cream

Chill the mixer bowl and whisk for approximately 10 minutes in the freezer. This will help the cream set up faster while whipping.
Pour the cream into the bowl and whip until it thickens and doubles in size.
Add the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract and whip until soft peaks form. Over whipping will push the cream to become the constancy of butter. Stop and start the whipping until you like the cream will hold it's shape and not drop off a spoon.
Use right away or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. The whipped cream should hold its texture and not require re-whipping.

Vanilla Icing

Place the powdered sugar in a bowl. It may need some sifting to break up lumps.
Add 2 tablespoons of liquid (milk, cream, water or citrus juice) and stir to combine. From here, you will add liquid in small amounts until you get the consistency you desire. Vanilla extract adds flavor if you are using water, milk or cream but it's not essential to making this icing. The ratio of liquid to the sugar is the key to a satisfactory result. For a thinner icing to drizzle, add more liquid. For a thicker icing to spread, add more powdered sugar. For extra fun, add food coloring. Liquid food coloring will add moisture, so calculate that into the overall liquid in the mixture.

Buttercream Frosting

Bring the butter to room temperature and place in the mixer bowl. It should be soft, but not squishy. If you don't have time to do so, cut the butter into small pieces so that the air gets to it quickly and the beater attachment will not have to work so hard to break it up.
Beat the butter until it is light, airy and creamy.
Add the powdered sugar and beat until combined. If you don't like a super sweet frosting, start with less and add more until you get the taste and consistency that you like.
Add the milk or cream 1 tablespoon at a time. You don't want the mixture to break or become to thin. The milk will help to loosen it and make it spreadable.
Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.
If the buttercream is too loose, try refrigerating it for 15-20 minutes. You don't want it to harden. You can always add more powdered sugar to get a consistency you like.
The buttercream will store in the fridge for up to 7-10 days. You may have to let it come to room temperature and beat it again to loosen it up or smooth it out for spreading or piping.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Bring the butter to room temperature. It should be soft enough to incorporate into the mixture.
Add the cream cheese and butter mixer bowl and beat until combined. The cream cheese should be cold (not softened) for best results. Do not over beat or you will get a soft grainy mixture that will not hold its shape.
Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract or other optional flavoring and beat to combine. Start with a smaller amount of sugar if you don't like a super sweet frosting.
The frosting should be smooth and thick for spreading.
Use right away or store in an airtight container for up to 7-10 days.

Vanilla Marshmallow Fluff Frosting

Bring the butter to room temperature. Use an electric mixer to beat it until it is light and creamy.
Add the marshmallow fluff and beat until combined.
Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
Add the powdered sugar and beat until combined.
Add milk a tablespoon at a time to smooth out the frosting to make it spreadable.
Use right away or store in an airtight container for up to 7-10 days.

Notes

Icing with a Piping Bag and Tip

The tip opening should be on the larger side to allow even flow. You may need to refrigerate the icing to make it firmer to pipe. If you don’t have a piping bag, use a plastic food storage bag. Slice the end off of a corner and place the tip into the opening. You can also pipe without a tip. You may have to experiment with the size of the opening to get the flow and control that you want.

Here’s a tip: Filling a piping bag can be awkward and messy. With the tip inserted in place, put the bag into a tall drinking glass with a wide rim or a wide mouthed canning jar. Fold the edges of the bag over the sides and spread the plastic open inside the glass/jar. Use a silicone spatula to spoon the icing from the bowl and to scrape icing from the sides. Fill the bag carefully and then gather up the sides. Don’t overfill. Twist the open end of the bag shut and push the icing to the bottom of the bag. Keep a firm consistent pressure on the bag while you pipe the icing.

Icing/Frosting Spreading Tip:

Use a large flat icing palette or knife. A Lazy Susan or other turntable or inventive way to turn the cake will allow for even distribution. A vessel of hot water tall enough to dip the knife into will help to keep the knife clean and the heat will help to smooth the icing/frosting. To spread icing/frosting over a large surface, such as the top of a cake, put a large amount in the center and then spread in a circular motion toward the sides. Allow it to fall over the sides. Gently smooth the icing/frosting down the sides, turning the cake as you go. Too keep crumbs from attaching, wash the knife in the hot water. Once you have the base of icing/frosting complete, add as much as you want to create a textured design or use the warm knife to smooth it.

Homemade Marshmallow Fluff Using a Double Boiler

Put water into the bottom pot of the double boiler and place the cooking pot on top. Bring to a boil.
Place marshmallows in the top of the double boiler. Let melt (10-15 minutes). They should be white when melting. If they start to brown on the bottom, remove the upper pot from the boiling water and let cool before placing back over the boiling water. STIR SLOWLY as the marshmallows get close to being fully melted. Vigorous stirring will cause the confection to stick to the sides of the pot and it is impossible to move back to the center. This is because the sugar begins to cool and stick to the pot. You want to keep the confection warm. Don’t forget to use a pot holder!
Add the corn syrup to the center of the melted confection, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir quickly to incorporate. Add corn syrup until you are satisfied with the consistency of the fluff. It should be shiny, smooth and elastic.
Add the corn syrup to the center of the melted confection, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir quickly to incorporate. Add corn syrup until you are satisfied with the consistency of the fluff. It should be shiny, smooth and elastic.
At this point, you can store the fluff in a plastic container to use later. The warmer the fluff, the easier it is to remove from the pot. It cools quickly, so you have to work fast!
If you are going to use the fluff right away, it may make the butter break down and melt because it is too warm. Add it in small batches to avoid overheating the mixture. Beat to combine.

Homemade Marshmallow Fluff using a Microwave

Put marshmallows in a GLASS microwave safe bowl. Cover with a microwave safe food cover or paper towel to avoid sticky splatter. Using a low setting and short time settings of 20-40 seconds, slowly melt the marshmallows. Microwaves vary in heat output, so it’s best to start with shorter time. Be patient. It can take longer than you think. Be careful not to have the heat setting too high or the sugar will scorch.
When the marshmallows have melted enough to stir, add the corn syrup. Don’t forget to use oven mitts!

Homemade Marshmallow Fluff using an Oven

If you are a young or inexperienced baker and worried that using a double boiler or microwave is not safe, you can use your oven to melt the marshmallows. Set it to a low temperature, 275° – 325°. Put the marshmallows in an oven proof glass or ceramic bowl and place in the oven. Be sure to check the marshmallows often to make sure they aren’t burning. When they are melted, remove the bowl from the oven and stir in the corn syrup. Don’t forget to use oven mitts!