Royal Icing
240 ml egg whites
2 lb 8 oz powdered sugar
1 g cream of tartar
Working in groups we sift our powdered sugar onto parchment making it easy to pour into the mixing bowl. The scaled out egg whites are in the Kitchen Aid bowl with the paddle attachment. The cream of tartar is an acid that strengthens the icing as well as drying it out.
We first add the cream of tartar to the mixer and start mixing on speed 1.
Next the powdered sugar is added, about 1/3 to start and then the rest a little bit at a time. We don't want a lot of air in the icing, so we keep the mixer it at a low speed. Once all of the sugar is added we move it up to speed 2 to insure that all of the sugar is dissolved and to incorporate just a little bit of air to make it more firm.
We knew when to stop by seeing the icing holding its shape and could see the lines of the paddle as it pulled through and off the sides of the bowl. It took on a creamy white color and was very shiny.
I used my regular piping bag and the coupler which meant for an easy transition of tip size. I filled my bag and started with the smallest tip, size 0.
There was an immediate difference between the icing and the chocolate; instead of flowing freely from the piping bag with no pressure applied, the icing took a certain amount of pressure to pipe evenly. I found it worked best by holding the bag above the line I wanted to pipe over, and letting the icing "fall" into place. It held its shape perfectly and looked very nice.
Doing row after row of designs and borders takes a toll on your hand. When piping I use muscles that I don't normally use, it just takes time to strengthen them.
Writing the alphabet with royal icing is much easier because of the viscosity of the icing, and I think it looks prettier.
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