CWPR 2015 Fall/Winter

The Icing on the Cake …

You’ve got options when it comes to frosting.

Here is a guide to current faves.

By Anna Sachse, CTW Features

What’s the best exterior for your big-day confection? Here

are some current frosting favorites.

FONDANT

An extremely versatile edible sugar dough (think Play-

Doh), fondant is most often rolled to cover cakes for a

smooth, flawless look. It’s the go-to for sculpted cakes, but

it also can be twisted, painted, air brushed and used for

cutouts, figurines, plaques and toppers. Because it’s trickier

to work with – it dries fairly quickly and can crack – be

prepared to pay at least a dollar more per person. But it’s

a great choice for summer as it won’t dissolve in the heat.

BUTTERCREAM

Tasty and affordable, buttercream can be scraped, piped,

colored and flavored. A favorite is Latte Italian-style But-

tercream. A good decorator can make this popular frosting

look just as smooth as fondant. Skip it if your festivities

will take place in warm or humid weather, as the butter

base can melt.

GANACHE

Ganache is for the true chocolate lover only! This is an in-

tense, smooth combination of chocolate and heavy cream.

Use a good quality dark chocolate for the yummiest

of results – 65 percent (cocoa) is perfect. It can be

poured, dipped, drizzled or even whipped to create

a frosting, but if it’s hot out, make sure your cake is

stored in a refrigerator or air-conditioned space to

prevent any decorations from falling.

CREAM CHEESE

Faster and easier to make than European butter-

cream, this mixture of cream cheese, butter,

powdered sugar and vanilla can be flavored

with some extracts. Just be careful when

using dyes, because too much liquid can

cause the frosting to break down. To cre-

ate a richer, less sweet and more sophis-

ticated taste, try folding in mascarpone

cheese.

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