ISO an appropriate icing!

[lulu]

DH's birthday this week, I'm baking on Monday, I'm thinking Genoise sponge (for longevity) whith the top part in a decorative mould, so not iced but decorated with icing sugar and perhaps whole soft fruits.

But I need something delicious, and with a bit of longevity to put in the middle, so not cream or buttercream. I have in UK a recipe for a soft uncooked icing somewhat like a merangue or zabaglione ithout alcohol....anyone got something like that they can share? The one I'm thinking of is coconut flavoured and a Nigella Lawson recipe I think, but I'm open to ideas. Thinking a fruity flavour or a light flavour, but not too mild in flavour because with the pain genoise it will be too plain otherwise! No choclate: its just to hot!

 

[redkitty]

How about a nice lemon icing? I have a recipe for that..

 

[lulu]

What kind of icng is it, RK..lemon, but buttercream, cream cheese or other?

 

[redkitty]

Its a very simple staple icing, you can add any flavor...

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed meyer lemon juice **

Combine 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. Add some or all of the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar for a stiffer icing.

** I love meyer lemons, but you can use any lemons.

 

[lulu]

It sounds good, I might opt for that.

I'm still pursuing a miringe icing, but nnot sure about adding too much flavour to it, and then I guess keeping becomes an issue. Its warm, and I CAN put it in the fridge I guess. It will need to keep three days: baking on Monday, the birthday is on Tuesday and on Wednesday whats left he'll take to work Only ones I'm finding with google are plain though. Zabaglione seems so...obvious, so I'd really like a fruity flavour...

 

[lulu]

Italian Meringue Frosting Recipe

Maybe I could add some orage/lemon to this? Or some berries folded through at the end? or coconut flavouring?

 

[bevkile]

Remember that zest gives a more intense flavor than juice.

 

[StirBlue]

DH's birthday this week, I'm baking on Monday, I'm thinking Genoise sponge (for longevity) whith the top part in a decorative mould, so not iced but decorated with icing sugar and perhaps whole soft fruits./quote]

The picture of the cake in this picture has whole fruits and looks really nice.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

 

[lulu]

oooh, that looks good! Whether I used it this time or not thats a keeper! In fact, cream cheese might be the best solution. Oh, its so hard choosing! I've cut down so much on baking that I feel every cake counts more!

 

[StirBlue]

Many people bake two cakes for a celebration. My son dearly loves carrot cake which is not the prettiest birthday cake of them all. So I bake that for his birthday class celebration at school. I also make a sheet cake, either vanilla or chocolate, and decorate it with something personal that he likes for his party.

If your loved one has some item that they are always misplacing, you can put it in a plastic ziploc bag and place the cake over it. (it's always those little things that you cannot find...hopefully in this case or in this cake!) And when they cut the cake....there it is! You can also hide small gifts under the cake like movie tickets in a ziploc bag.

I have decorated cakes with an arrangement of tall thin candles. You cut the candles to give it that shooting star affect. Just use candles tall enough so as not to melt the frosting.

 

[Aria]

StirBlue, Thanks for the recipe. Needed a new frosting. This one is it.

 

[Aria]

lulu, you and I have two excellent icing recipes.

redkitty thanks for your lemon icing and StirBlue. Both are keepers for me.

I just started baking cakes again and needed frosting, icings. Thanks again.