Icing On The Cake

Nothing complements a cake like a good old fashioned icing. There are several kinds from butter cream to glaze that work well on every kind from sheet cakes to cup cakes. The best ones are the ones from scratch. Don;t use the canned ones. They taste artificial and ruin the flavor of a good homemade no mix involved cake.



Icings have been around for along time. From the 1600's to the late 1800's boiled icings were the frosting of choice. (although interesting enough frosting and icing were two separate coverings). Early icings were similar to royal icing which are boiled. They consist of hot water, confectioners' sugar and egg whites. Most Americans prefer butter cream , the usual mix of confectioners sugar unsalted butter, flavoringsuch as usually vanilla and milk. Cocoa powder can be added to create fudge frosting. if you want a simple icing you can just mix water, milk or whole cream with powdered sugar to create a glaze. This last is perfect for Bundt cakes , doughnuts and holiday cookies such as gingerbread.


What kind of frosting tastes good with cakes. I prefer a lemon butter cream with a vanilla cake although orange is good. Chocolate cakes are better frosted with a fudge or a chocolate mint (add mint extract) . The mint will cut the sweetness as does the lemon. Cream cheese icing another good tasting and very versatile icing. It can be used for both carrot and red velvet cake. It;s about as much work as a regular butter cream.


Icings always finish off the cake Think of them as the frame around the picture. A good simple one is all you need to showcase your work.

Coconut Egg That Perennial Easter treat

Nothing says Easter like a coconut egg. Loved by millions over the years, this candy was and still is the highlight of any Easter basket.Nothing compares with the mix of chewy, creamy coconut bathed in milk or dark chocolate (I think the darker the better) and then topped with a sugar candy lily. It also blends well with other traditional favorites like white chocolate and jelly beans.

Coconut eggs have been around for a long time. Candy stores originally made these from scratch , creating a kind of paste using cream of tartar , sugar and shredded coconut and then molding it into an egg shape. Milk or dark chocolate was then poured over it and decorations were later added.If you lived in northern New Jersey, two to one your coconut egg came from Hannah Krause chocolates and was freshly made.

You can still find homemade coconut eggs. Even Almond Joy has a neat coconut egg sixpack that has the traditional bar shaped as an ergg 9with the ubiquitous almond on top). Most candy stores such as Rocky Mountain have a gamut of them running from small to megalarge. There are even recipes on the web where you can make them yourself. If you're ambitious you can also make a coconut egg cake. Bake an egg shaped cake (preferably chocolate) split and fill with a butter cream coconut filling.Drizzle with a chocolate glaze or frost with fudge icing and then decorate with butter cream roses and stems.

Coconut eggs are very much a part of Easter and the joy of Easter candy. They're a sweet special treat that should be savored. Remember to go out and buy yours today!!!