Ever wondered what’s the difference between frosting, icing, and glaze? Although people use these terms interchangeably, there is a slight difference in them. Well, which term to use much depends on the region you are in. In the USA, the term icing is vaguely used while speaking but the frosting is the word they use in proper writing. Whereas in the UK, the term icing is used often. In Canada, people use both frosting and icing interchangeably.

“Eyes without eyelashes are like Cakes without decoration.” Just imagine how a cake would look without frosting or icing on your special occasion. Decorating a cake is the most important task in a cake baking process. The appearance of the cake decides it all. 

Today the baking industry has grown so much and there are different varieties of cakes available. The whole game solely depends on the overall look of the cake. All these cake decorating things like frosting, icing, glaze, and filling plays a major role in making a cake look tempting. So, it is important to understand these terms and know what they exactly mean.

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Here is a brief description explaining about frosting, icing, and glaze so that you never get confused again.

• Frosting  

“Celebration is life’s frosting: isn’t frosting the very best part of the cake?” ~ Bethenny Frankel

But what actually is Frosting? 

The frosting is a thick and opaque mixture used to cover and decorate a cake. Frosting and icing differ in their ingredients. Frosting basically has butter or cream cheese as a base. Some of the popular frostings are Buttercream frosting, Whipped cream frosting, Creamy cheese frosting, and Cooked frosting. 

Buttercream frosting is the simplest to make. It is made from butter, powdered sugar, and milk.

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• Icing

Icing is a glossier and thinner mixture than frosting and is used to coat cookies, pastries and cakes. It is made from powdered sugar and a liquid, like milk or water. It has a sugar base, unlike frosting.

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• Glaze

The glaze is a thin sugary syrup that is applied on fruit cakes, cupcakes and cakes. When the glaze cools down, it forms a hard rock like top and gives a glossy appearance.

Decorating a cake isn’t that easy. If one step goes wrong, the whole item gets ruined. These are some of the suggestions that you should follow to get a perfect cake top. 

• Never frost a warm cake.

• Always use soft butter. But make sure you don’t overdo it.

• Use an offset spatula instead of a rubber spatula or butter knife.

• Don’t forget to sift the dry ingredients or else they will cause bubbles.

• Don’t overmix or undermix the icing.

• Allow icing to dry for enough time.

• Keep the glaze airtight or else it will get ruined very soon.

• Only an exact amount of ingredients will give a glossy look on the glaze.

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Story By: Aparna Jaiswal