Frosting is a spreadable or pipeable mixture used as a coating, filling, and decorating of baked goods and other dishes. Frosting is often sweet, as used in desserts such as cakes and cupcakes, but can also be savory in other dishes. Frosting is the primary instrument by which bakers give food unique character through various flavors, textures, and functions.
Features:
Functions
Frosting serves many functions. Perhaps the most common purpose of frosting is for final decoration. Frosting can cover a cake in various ways, colors, and shapes. Frosting is often used to form shapes such as floral motifs, beads, ornate scrolls and swags for borders and side decorations, and other more elaborate shapes. In the case of some special occasions, such as birthday cakes, frosting may have far more elaborate drawings.
Flavors
For the vast majority of baked goods, frosting is almost always sweet. However, on occasion, frosting may also be savory, such as when involving herbed cheese or mashed potato.
Textures
Depending on the application, frosting may have drastically different texture. For example, buttercream decoration may often be creamy and fluffy. Even similar frostings with altered ratios may sometimes have very different textures. For example, when used as a top coat for certain cakes, chocolate ganache or caramel glaze may be firm, smooth, and extremely shiny. In other instances, may be quite the opposite – rough and soft such as when often used as swirled cupcake frosting.
Types
Sweet Frostings
Buttercream Frosting
American Buttercream
Butter + confectionery sugar; sweet
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
egg white + sugar + butter; whipped then butter added; less sweet and smooth
Italian Meringue Buttercream
Sugar syrup + egg white; silky and stable
French Buttercream
egg yold + sugar syrup + butter; custard-like and rich (fatty)
German Buttercream
German Buttercream, also called Crème mousseline, utilizes chilled heavy pastry cream/custard (Crème Pâtissière) which is lightened by whipping softened butter; smooth and creamy
Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese + butter + sugar. tangy + smooth. lemon/chocolate/spiced variations
Whipped Cream Frosting
Whipped heavy cream + sugar + [stabilizers]; results in light and airy mixture
Ganache
Heavy Cream + Chocolate; rich and glossy. sets firm when cooled but can be whipped for more fluffier texture
Seven-Minute Frosting
Ermine Frosting
Ermine frosting, also called boiled milk frosting, flour + milk + sugar. cooked into a paste. “old-fashioned” texture, not too sweet.
Royal Icing
egg white + powdered sugar. this icing dries hard and can be used for more solid applications such as hard-set decorations for cookies
Fondant Icing
rolled/poured sugar-based. used to produce smooth finishes and other 2d/3d decorations.
Glaze
mixture of powdered sugar and liquid such as milk/citrus/etc.. produces pourable mixture that sets hard with glossy finish.
Marshmallow Frosting
Comprises marshmallow fluff (or homemade variant), may utilize stabilizers such as gelatin
Savory Frostings
Savory Cream Cheese Frosting
cream cheese + herbs/spices/garlic/hot sauce
Whipped Goat Cheese or Ricotta
Blended cheese + herbs / garlic confit
Mashed Potato Frosting
Some application of mashed potato with butter and cream, producing very smooth, paste that is pipeable
Savory Buttercream
This is used in unique savory pastries where umami-rich ingredients are used or supplement sugar such as cheese, herbs, and miso.
Tofu-Based Frosting
This is typically a vegan-based application where silken tofu is blended with savory ingredients such as garlic or soy sauce