How to thicken icing
Have you made icing and it is too thin for what you wanted but unsure how to salvage it? I break down just what to do in order to thicken your icing while keeping the same taste desired!
It can be super frustrating when you realize that your icing is too thin and you aren’t sure what to do next. Tossing the entire batch and starting over can be costly and wasteful! I will break down two different types of icing and how to thicken them back up to get the desired consistency. You can use the same steps with your favorite frosting recipe ingredients to achieve the same goal.
The key component when trying to thicken your icing is to use the proper ratio of ingredients so you keep the same taste! I know math is not everyones favorite but it is so helpful and necessary here. I will try my best to make it simple for you to achieve.
Royal Icing:
Royal icing can be so finicky especially in areas like NYC with ever changing weather. The humid summer weather means less water used to make the icing then during the dry winter months. My royal icing recipe calls for confectioners sugar (also called powdered sugar), meringue powder (some recipes call for egg whites), vanilla extract, and water. The key here is when we add additional amounts of confectioners sugar we MUST add the correct ratio of meringue powder so the icing remains stable. We will not add more liquid ingredients until the dry are completely added. Once the proper ratio of dry ingredients are added you can add drops of liquid if your icing is now too thick.
Example:
Amount to add:
Original Recipe:
Confectioner sugar - 1 lb
Meringue Powder - 4Tbsp
Water - 1/3 Cup
Vanilla Extract - 1 tbsp
Buttercream Frosting:
There are so many different types of buttercream. Each recipe calls for different ingredients or directions. This example is using my go-to American Buttercream which is a basic frosting and has 4 ingredients: butter at room temperature, confectioner sugar, vanilla, and milk. What is tricky with trying to thicken this recipe is that you need to understand what caused you to have thin or runny frosting. When your favorite type of frosting is made properly it can be used to beautifully decorate cakes and cupcakes.
If the butter was very soft, almost melted, when you mixed your buttercream then you should start by placing the mixing bowl of icing in the fridge for 20 - 30 minutes. The soft butter is likely the cause of the thin frosting in this instance. Once you take it out mix the icing and see if that is a thicker, spreadable consistency.
If you added extra liquid by mistake then follow the guide below to salvage your icing. You will need to add the correct ratio of butter and sugar in increments to keep the same taste you desire!
Example:
Original Recipe:
Confectioner Sugar - 2 lbs.
Butter - 5 sticks (1-1/4 lbs)
Vanilla - 2 tsp
Milk - 4 tsp
Important notes:
It is important to first understand WHY your icing has become too thin. As noted above if butter is supposed to be cold for your recipe but is almost melted a simple fix is to bring the temperature of your mixture back down. If you have added too much liquid be sure to use the proper ratio of dry ingredients to keep the same stability and texture of your intended icing.
If you do not have much extra dry ingredients on hand I suggest splitting your icing in half. Use the dry ingredients to thicken up half of the icing that you have. Then, if the thickened icing is too thick you can add the thin icing in little by little. This will help to avoid too much waste of your product.
A scale is extra helpful when trying to use thickening agents to salvage your icing. My favorite food scale which includes conversions is linked above and inexpensive on Amazon.
Please leave a comment below with any tips you found helpful or questions you still have. Also, feel free to suggest additional posts to be added!