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The frosting on a cake is as crucial an element as the cake itself – for it is the foundation on which the aesthetic value of a cake relies. Amongst the few commonly eaten and whipped frostings, most of us are familiar with buttercream, whipped cream and fondant – whereas there are numerous types of cake frostings that can be used to enhance the taste, texture, and appearance of cakes. Get to know the different types of this sweet confection better using the list below.
Buttercream Frosting
Image Credits: Bigger Bolder Baking
A classic frosting made with butter, powdered sugar, and flavourings like vanilla or chocolate, buttercream is light, creamy, and easy to work with. This fluffy and sweet frosting is one of the most commonly found types of frosting on most stacked and layered cakes. Buttercream frosting is also ribboned over cupcakes, in various flavours and colours.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Image Credits: Dessert Now Dinner Later
A tangy, slightly sweet frosting made with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla, cream cheese frosting is commonly used on carrot cakes, red velvet cakes and even cinnamon rolls. Cream cheese frosting has a denser consistency compared to the buttercream and is thicker in texture as well as rich in flavour.
Whipped Cream Frosting
Image Credits: Cake Me Home Tonight
Whipping heavy cream with sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy is essentially what this frosting constitutes. Whipped cream is delicate and has a light texture, perfect for topping and filling cakes, spooning over hot chocolate as well as used to decorate freshly baked pies.
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Ganache
Image Credits: Archana's Kitchen
Ganache is a glossy and decadent frosting made by combining chocolate and heavy cream. It can be used as a glaze, poured over a cake, or whipped to create a thicker frosting. A ganache is typically never changed in flavour profile although you can tweak the sweetness depending on what kind of chocolate is used, A ganache is pretty versatile in its uses and goes into anything from a milkshake, over waffles and pancakes as well as to frost cakes.
Fondant
Image Credits: Bigger Bolder Baking
Fondant is a smooth and pliable icing made from sugar, water, and glucose. It's often used to cover cakes for a sleek, polished look and can be rolled out and shaped into decorative elements. Fondant is considered to be one of the key ingredients used in cake decoration in commercial kitchens due to the texture of the sugar sheet being slightly easier to work with, compared to a buttery frosting.
Seven-Minute Frosting
Image Credits: Land O' Lakes
Seven-minute frosting is a cooked frosting made by whisking egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until it reaches a marshmallow-like consistency. It's light, fluffy, and holds its shape well and works beautifully to pipe over cupcakes, petit fours and even as a glaze for doughnuts and waffle cakes.
