Royal Icing Mix Help

Decorating By hannahball Updated 1 Apr 2009 , 3:01pm by AnitaK

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hannahball Posted 26 Mar 2009 , 11:00am
post #1 of 9

Hi all. I'm VERY new to cake decorating. For convenience, I've bought some Silver Spoon Royal Icing mix to practice piping with. However, I'm having real trouble getting the right consistency. At first I added too much water, and it didn't hold it's shape when piped. I read that royal icing should have stiff peaks when mixed. I made a stiffer mixture - but only enough to form soft peaks. When I tried to use it I found it very hard to squeeze the bag. In fact my hand ached terribly. I know this is all very basic but does anyone know the ratio of water to mix I need to use? The more obvious you can be with me the better! thanks

8 replies
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cylstrial Posted 26 Mar 2009 , 1:23pm
post #2 of 9

Welcome to Cake Central!!

I can't specially give you ratio or anything. But I can tell you that you'll want to add more water depending on what you are wanting to create. If you are outlining cookies and then filling them in, you are going to want a pretty liquid consistency like you had the first time.

If you are wanting to do scroll work and piping work, it's going to need to be the consistency of peanut butter. (That's straight from Michelle Bommarito's lips). Honestly, my hands do hurt from piping and it is hard to squeeze the bag. You could try to thin it down a little bit...but just know that a little bit of water goes a long way!!!

Hope this helps!

You can also check out this link! It has all the forum acronyms you will need.
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-2926.html

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prterrell Posted 26 Mar 2009 , 5:26pm
post #3 of 9

It's best to practice with the medium you plan to actually use when decorating cakes. If you plan on doing a lot of RI decorating, then practice with RI, but if you plan on doing BC decorating, you need to practice with BC, because RI and BC don't behave exactly the same way. BC does not spoil quickly. You can make up a batch and use it to practice with over and over again and you don't have to worry about it drying out in the bowl or bag like you do with RI.

Sorry, I know I didn't answer the question you asked, but I hope this is helpful info anyway! icon_smile.gif

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hannahball Posted 26 Mar 2009 , 10:24pm
post #4 of 9

Hi. Thanks to both of you. Going to try again tomorrow - peanut butter consistency will be useful! At least I know what I'm aiming for now! icon_biggrin.gif

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cakecookie6 Posted 26 Mar 2009 , 10:35pm
post #5 of 9

I have just used CK Royal Icing Mix. But, I have found that you need to mix it with the water on high for quite a long time. It looks like it may be too soft, just soft peaks that do not hold their shapes. But, if you keep whipping it, eventually it gets fluffy! If you add more water without whipping it a long time, it gets heavy and you can't squeeze it out of a bag. If it forms little balls, you need to add more water, then whip for quite a while until fluffy. Hope this helps. I love the mix.

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hannahball Posted 27 Mar 2009 , 5:09pm
post #6 of 9

Hi. Thanks for that. Sorry to be so thick but do you know exactly how much water to how many grams/ounces of mix did you use?

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Caralinc Posted 27 Mar 2009 , 5:31pm
post #7 of 9

Hi,

To make RI you will want to ensure it is mixed long enough- like 8-10 minutes. The best time to thin RI is when you are initially making it.
(start with a small amount then add as needed) To mix in water later on may not work very well. (if you do you will want to remix for about another 3-5 min.) Like mentioned in one of the previous posts - a little water will go a long way. And a lot of trial and error to get the correct consistancy that works for you.

Also, a question on how much you fill your bags? Do you fill them halfway or more than halfway. I sometimes in error will fill my bags to much and it will be harder to work with. Usually if the bad is filled halfway or less I find it easier to work with. HTH.

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hannahball Posted 30 Mar 2009 , 1:41pm
post #8 of 9

Hi all. Just to say thank you - I've just made my first successful batch of RI! I know that doesn't sound like much to all of you who know what they're doing but it's a miracle for me! Thanks for the tip about it needing more water if it goes into little balls. Wish me luck! icon_biggrin.gif

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AnitaK Posted 1 Apr 2009 , 3:01pm
post #9 of 9

To add to the inital question -
to make flowers - do you use peanut butter consistency - is that considered medium consistency ??
What would you compare stiff consistency to (somthing in your pantry)?

TIA

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