Royal Icing - 2 Easy Recipes with Meringue Powder & Egg Whites

Royal icing is a wonderful icing to work with, especially in warm weather. It sets so well, making this my most preferred choice for piping flowers for cake decorating. And its non-greasy texture makes cleaning super quick and easy too!

You only need 3 simple ingredients to make this royal icing recipe i.e. powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar), egg whites (raw or powder form) and lemon juice.

And it is super quick to make too. All you need is 15 minutes to whip up a fresh batch of royal icing which can be used, not only for piping, but also to cover fruit cakes and decorate cut-out cookies.

What is Royal Icing?

Royal icing is a type of frosting made using egg whites and powdered sugar (icing sugar or confectioners sugar). It is used to not only cover cakes, but also as a decorating medium for cupcakes and cookies. Royal icing can be made in stiff or runny consistency, making it suitable not only for covering or frosting cakes and piping decorations but for flooding cookies. Royal icing is also the medium used to 'glue' the parts of gingerbread house and decorate them.

I don't quite know how royal icing got its name, but I always thought its the best description for the icing. In its totally white and silky smooth texture, the icing does indeed carry an aura of grandeur with it. 

The thing I like most about this icing is the fact that it is not affected by its surrounding temperature, which means, it does not melt or lose its consistency in heat. I live in a hot and humid climate and having to work with icing that is heat-sensitive is always a problem. And because of this, when it comes to piping flowers, I always prefer this icing to buttercream.

Also, this is one icing that is so easy to wash up. It's absolutely grease-free and that makes it super easy to wash. Having said that, when making the icing, it is absolutely important to make sure there is not even a tiny trace of grease in any of the utensils used, or else the icing will remain runny and not turn out as fluffy as it should be. 

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Icing Consistency

Another important note about this icing is the ability to change its consistency from stiff to soft and runny. Stiff consistency is necessary for piping work, be it flowers, borders, Lambeth string work or intricate designs. This is the consistency you get in most royal icing recipes including mine on this page.

In its runny or thinner consistency, this icing is used for flooding work. Flooding work or also sometimes known as color flow icing is basically the art of using royal icing in flood consistency to fill icing plaques in various designs and shapes, including decorating cookies. To make runny royal icing, you simply dilute the stiff royal icing with warm water. In adding the water, it's always better to add a little bit at a time, until the icing reaches the right consistency where a cut through the icing with the back of a spoon closes back in the count of 10 seconds. Unlike the stiffer version, you might find it easier to handle color flow icing by pouring in into a squeeze bottle instead of a piping bag.

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How to Make

Although royal icing has always been traditionally made using raw egg whites, meringue powder is now the preferred method for many cake decorators. I have the recipes for both versions of the icing here and although I have personally tried both many times successfully, I now only use the recipe that uses meringue powder instead of raw eggs simply out of convenience. 

How to Make with Egg Whites - The Classic Method

Ingredients

• Egg Whites
• Powdered Sugar
• Lemon Juice (Optional)

Making the icing with egg whites:

• Place the egg whites into a clean and grease free bowl. Whisk them until they turn stiff and frothy.
• Sift powdered sugar to break any lumps. This is an important step in making royal icing as powdered sugar tends to be lumpy and these lumps do not completely break and dissolve in the icing even if mixed at high speed. These tiny lumps will obstruct your piping tips, especially those with small opening.
• Add the sifted sugar to the whisked egg whites, a little at a time until all the sugar is added in. Continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
• Finally add the lemon juice and continue beating until the lemon juice is well incorporated.
• Use the icing immediately, otherwise, cover it with a damp towel to prevent crusting.
• To color the icing, it is advisable to use gel food coloring compared to liquid food coloring for best results. This is because gel colors are much more concentrated and therefore you need not use much. Liquid food coloring, on the other hand is not concentrated and due to liquid nature, has a tendency to alter the stiff consistency of your icing.

How to Make with Meringue Powder - The Quick and Easy Method

Ingredients

• Powdered sugar
• Meringue powder
• Warm water

Making the icing with meringue powder

• Sift the powdered sugar into a dry and grease free bowl of a stand mixer.
• Add the meringue powder and mix well.
• Add water into the sugar and meringue powder mix. Whisk the mixture with a whisk attachment on high speed until it becomes fluffy and stiff peaks form.
• Use the icing immediately, otherwise, cover it with a damp cloth to prevent crusting. Color the icing as you wish.

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Notes

What is meringue powder?

• Meringue powder is powdered egg whites. It appears as white powder and often sold in baking supplies shops.

Does royal icing harden?

• Yes, it does. It is hard in the sense that it will hold its shape (ie you can touch it and it will not smear or smudge) but not so hard that you cannot break it or eat it.

Does the icing taste good?

• Royal icing is made mostly with sugar and egg whites. It is sweet, almost like eating sugar.

How long does the frosting take to dry?

• When the icing is dry, that means it has set completely and will be able to hold its shape even when touched.
• The drying process would typically take a few hours to overnight (at room temperature) for this icing to set completely and that depends very much on its consistency and the thickness of its application. In its stiff consistency (piping consistency), the icing will set faster as compared to when it is in a thinner consistency (color flow icing). That is because the water content in the color flow icing (thinner icing) is more than in the pipeable consistency.
• When in the stiff consistency, the icing would set faster when piped into a thin line as opposed to when it is used to pipe thicker shell borders, for example.

Is lemon juice in the recipe necessary?

• No, it is not. Lemon juice is only optional.
• It is used simply to flavor the icing and gives the icing a delicious lemon taste, similar to lemonade. Adding lemon juice into royal icing is a good idea for those who do not like the icing to taste like sugar.

How long does the icing last?

• Royal icing is a very lasting icing. Once piped onto cakes, it will set and harden and can last for 3 to 4 weeks (provided the cake inside can also last that long).
• It is also often used to decorate dummy cakes or display cakes made using styrofoam dummies due to its ability to set hard and last for years!
• Leftover icing should be kept refrigerated in an airtight container with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel covering the top of the container before covering it with the lid). This will prevent it from crusting and can last for 2 to 3 days.
• When ready to be used, remove it from the fridge, whisk it up again and use it as usual.

How to store royal icing?

• Royal icing will start to crust and then harden when exposed to dry air. In a mixing bowl, if left uncovered, the sides will crust and will obstruct your piping tip when you use it for piping work.
• To avoid the leftover royal icing from crusting (even while you are using it to decorate cakes or cookies), keep the icing bowl covered with a damp kitchen towel.
• If you wish to store it longer before piping, keep the icing refrigerated in an air tight container. Before closing the lid, cover the top of the container with a damp cloth. This will prevent the icing from crusting while in the fridge.

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Like this easy recipe? Other posts you might want to check out

• Frostings, Fillings and Sauces
• Butter Icing Recipe
• Buttercream Icing for Frosting and Piping
• Royal Icing Butterflies
• Chocolate Icing Recipe
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Daisy Cookies - Pretty Flower Cookies
• No Spread Sugar Cookie Recipe

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Recipe 1 (with egg whites)

Here is the full printable version of my first royal icing recipe (without meringue powder), made using fresh egg whites. 

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Recipe 2 (with meringue powder)

And this is the full printable version of my second version of the royal icing. This recipe uses meringue powder instead of fresh egg whites. 

And that's pretty much my royal icing recipes.

Happy Decorating 🙂