I love watching out for new trends. One of my favourite trends is the drip or drizzle cake. If you skim through the internet you will find many different techniques and it can be a little overwhelming if you are new to this incredible artistic world we call cake decorating. This blog post is dedicated to the DIY person who, like me, is in love with the drip cake.
Fondant covered cake and the royal icing drip
Which icing to use on a fondant covered cake?
If you tried to use ganache (or any other similar ‘drip') or fresh fruit icing drip on a fondant covered cake you may have run into some problems. The fondant will become soft and sticky ruining your perfectly covered cake and its sharp edges. The best drippy icing to use on a fondant covered cake is royal icing. It has the right consistency and sets hard. It’s made of icing sugar and egg white so it does not hold any water and will not impact on your fondant covered cake.
Can I colour royal icing?
Yes. I like to use powders or gel colours. Bear in mind darker colours such as reds, purples or blacks will require a lot of icing and may make the royal icing too runny. If you find that’s the case just add extra sugar.
Or you can paint over the royal icing using your powder or gel colours. The copper cake below was painted using a copper powder and a little alcohol. Just be sure the icing has completely set before you paint it.
What should the consistency look like?
When you finish whisking the royal icing peaks should be a little runny – ie they should not stand upright when you are holding your beater.
How long does the royal icing take to dry?
Usually 12 hours for a drip cake. It is best to make this cake the night before the event or your icing will not set hard in time and you will have a half-dry sticky drip.
BEST EVER royal icing recipe for your drip cake!
What you need
170g icing sugar – pure icing sugar is best buy it’s also OK to use icing sugar mixture for this recipe
1 egg white at room temperature
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice – this helps stabilize the egg whites
What to do
Place all the ingredients into your mixer and use the whisk attachment if you have one. Beat on med-high for around 5-7 minutes. Your royal icing should be a nice soft peak and ready for the fun part! Drizzle!!!
This recipe is enough for a cake size up to 7 inches.
How to drizzle…
What you will need
Fondant covered cake (preferably covered the day/night before)
Small spatula
Table spoon OR Piping bag with a tiny nozzle (I use a 1 or 2) (if you prefer to use a piping bag for more control over your drip)
Step 1: Fill your piping bag with a few tablespoons of the royal icing if you are using a piping bag. This will be for your drizzle.
Step 2: Grab your spatula and spread the royal icing on the top of your cake quite thickly. You will need to work relatively quickly so the royal icing does not start to set. Keep adding tiny bits making sure the icing just hits the edge of the top of your cake. A little bit of the drizzle will drip over the sides and that’s great. If you add too much icing sugar or if the consistency is not quite right it might not drizzle down the side or it will drizzle in a thick style which we want to avoid. You can wipe this off and start again but you might need to make another batch of royal icing so you have enough royal icing.
Step 3: Grab your tablespoon and start drizzling the royal icing over the edge and watch it drizzle down. Use more or less icing depending on the thickness and length of the icing you prefer.
Step 4: (optional) If using a piping bag skip step 3. Grab your piping bag and start piping from the edge of the top of your cake allowing the royal icing to drizzle down naturally. Once you have made your way around your cake with the piping bag you will have some naturally flowing drizzle and your cake will look amazing!
FREE cake decorating book!
If you liked this blog post then you will LOVE my Carol’s decorating e-book ‘Cake decorating at home’. Grab your free copy here!
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