I had lots of leftover royal icing from my last Valentine’s cupcakes, so I decided to make some more royal icing decorations using these Martha Stewart Valentine stickers
as my design.
As I was making these I recieved an email from Bianca, asking me how long I keep the royal icing in the piping bag and how long I keep it in storage.
She’s one of many who’ve asked, so I thought I’d share the info. here.
So how long can one keep royal icing?
Royal Icing:
Before I answer that question, a little about royal icing.
Royal icing is made using either raw egg-whites (traditional), or using dried egg whites or meringue powder.
Although I have not heard of any documented cases of food-borne illness occurring due to eating traditional royal icing (made with egg whites), there is still a possibility that bacteria such as salmonella can be present in anything made with raw eggs. Although many would not be affected by the bacteria, the very young, elderly, pregnant women and those with weaker immune systems might be.
You could use pasteurized egg whites found in cartons at the grocery store, but I’ve found that the icing doesn’t whip up as nicely using them.
Safest and most effective for cookie decorating in my experience has been royal icing made with meringue powder. I’ll be referring to royal icing made with meringue powder from here on in. All of the following information also applies to both tinted and white icing.
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What is Meringue Powder?
*Meringue powder is a fine, white powder made with pasteurized dried egg whites, sugar and gum; used to replace fresh egg whites when making icings and meringues. (*The Prentice Hall Essentials Dictionary of Culinary Arts, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008). It usually includes vanilla flavouring and is not usually sold in grocery stores but can be found in bulk food stores, baking supply stores or on the internet.
So now that that’s covered:
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How long can one keep royal icing?
Freshest is always best of course, but you can keep your icing for a week or even up to two.
The longer it sits though, the more time it has to separate.
The water and icing sugar separate; after about a week you’ll have to really mix it up again to use it, and it may be difficult to make sure it’s perfectly smooth. -The liquid pools a bit on the surface, leaving the bottom of the container with dry icing.
If you do end up keeping your icing for a few days or more, I’d recommend putting it back in your mixer quickly before you use it, to try and ensure all ‘lumps’ are out. You may also have to add icing sugar to help thicken it, or a little bit of water to thin it out. Whether or not you’ll have to add icing sugar or water depends on a few factors:
Adding icing sugar – Especially if you’re in a humid environment the icing may have absorbed humidity in the air. (Even if it’s in an air-tight container).
Adding water – Mixing the icing really well (especially with a mixer), tends to add volume/air, and thickens it up a bit. It is necessary to mix it really well to get the lumps out though.
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So how long can one keep royal icing in the (piping) bag?
The icing sugar (powdered sugar), and water in the icing begin to separate over time, so if you haven’t used your piping bags for a few hours, you’ll start to see this happen. How fast it separates depends on how runny your icing is. The runnier it is, the faster it will separate. See pic below for example.
You can try and knead the bag a little bit to help the icing combine together again, but it won’t be as effective as taking the icing out of the bag and re-mixing it with a spoon or spatula etc.
If you use the icing that has been sitting in your piping bag for a period of time, you’ll end up with icing that comes out in little pools of water and icing sugar. (See pic below).
Where do you store royal icing?
Icing made with raw egg whites needs to be kept in the fridge, however, icing made with meringue powder can be kept at room temperature. I store mine in air-tight or re-usable yoghurt containers. (Pic below; the dollop of icing on top makes it easy for me to see what color is inside).
To ensure against any crusting, place saran wrap (plastic wrap), on the surface of the icing as well. If some of it has crusted over (if you’ve forgotten to put the lid on the container for example), scoop those bits out; they can’t be used.
How long do royal icing decorations last?
Once the royal icing has dried, the decorations last indefinitley! (forever lol). They don’t spoil but must be stored in a cool, dry place, in an air-tight container. Besides humidity, the only thing to watch out for is breakage. They are fragile and should be stored between parchment paper and bubble wrap inside the air-tight container.
Grease from buttercream, for example, can also affect royal icing over time, but it will take quite a while for the icing to absorb the grease. After I posted these royal icing {LOVE} decorations (below), there were a few questions about grease affecting the royal icing in the comment section.
Since I’m going to be keeping these cupcakes in a display case at school to show students an example of what they will be learning how to make when the new semester begins in a few weeks, I’ll be able to keep tabs on the progress.
So far I’ve had the royal icing toppers in a cupcake for 2 days and there’s no dissolving, but the grease has seeped into the icing. See pic below with today’s date on the phone. 😉
In this case you could only see the discoloration on the back as the front was covered in disco dust.
It’s definitely best not to place your royal icing decorations on your cake, cupcakes etc. too far in advance before you’re serving them. The grease seeped into these royal icing between 24 – 48 hours of being put on the cupcakes. Smaller royal icing decorations would probably be affected sooner, especially if the entire surface area is resting on the buttercream.
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What does royal icing taste like?
Royal icing decorations are edible of course; it’s really just sugar and meringue powder. It’s delicious if you like the taste of pure icing sugar (lol), but in my humble opinion, pairs nicely with cookies especially. It dries fairly hard, but when you bite into it the sensation is kind of like a soft, crunchy texture. If you are unsure about using royal icing, I suggest trying it once to see what it’s like. Here is the recipe I use.*
For a brief visual how-to on making these Valentine cupcake toppers, see below. A more detailed version on making royal icing decorations (also known as transfers, floodwork, runouts etc.), click here.
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How to make these Valentine royal icing decorations:
1. Pipe base colors with royal icing.
2. Add icing details once the first layer has dried.
3. Sprinkle on disco dust if desired.
4. Using a paintbrush (used only for decorating purposes), brush excess disco dust off.
For a more detailed ‘how-to’, click on the image below:
Making the cupcakes:
I’m grateful to Melissa of MyCakeSchool.com for some cool cupcake tips I learned and used after watching some of her videos (Re: paper towel tip – who knew!). She’s got a ton of great advice on decorating.
I wish I had watched one of the videos before I made my royal icing hearts! It mentioned making the tail of your hearts longer, so that when you stick it in the cupcake, you can still see the whole heart.
The cupcakes themselves were dipped in light pink sanding sugar
and for those of you who are interested in cake stands, these milk glass ones were from ebay.
The vanilla buttecream and vanilla cupcake recipes can be found here.
These are just some of the main things I’ve learned about royal icing which have worked for me. If you have any tips, questions or comments, please drop me a line below and come join me on facebook here.
Happy decorating!
xo,
Marian
great, great, great post!
you have answered so many questions…thank you.
your students are very fortunate to have such a master of culinary arts!!!
Love these cupcakes! I love how you go into such detail about storing and the different types of meringues. Helpful as usual 🙂
Great tutorial- but I seemed to have missed the answer- so how long in advanced can the royal icing decorations be made?
I’m not interested in placing them on cupcakes until the day I need them for, I’d just like to make them ahead of time. THANKS!!
@ linda, @ Courtney, @ Edana: Thanks! =)
@ Edana:
As long as your royal icing decorations are stored in a humid-free environment (maybe between bubble wrap in an air-tight box – not stored in a humid area), they will last indefinitely!! (forever lol). They do not spoil. Besides breakage, water/humidity is the main thing to watch out for.
Marian, you are always so throrough in you tutorials! I love this one! You’ve hit on all the important issues that come up with royal icing decorations and also what happens when you store royal icing for more than a day or two! You are an awesome instructor!
Great tutorial post, so helpful! Thank you Marian. If you plan to give online classes, I will be your student. Love your tutorials you make it easy and so much fun! Best of Luck!
mwah!
Incredibly awesome amount of information! Thank you so much. I’m in Florida and my icing separates after only a day in the container. Kind of annoying but I can typically whip it back into shape, at least once or twice.
These cupcakes are adorable! Thank you for all the knowledge sharing you do!
Very informative post Marian. Royal icing decorations can also be frozen until ready to use. Ensure that they are layered between sheets of waxed paper and stored in an airtight container. Keep decorations in their airtight container when bringing to a thaw.
@ Susan, @ Rowaida Flayhan, @ Michele @ crazyfordesign, @ Tara, @ Paula: Thank you for dropping by and commenting!
@ Paula:
Thanks for the tip on freezing! Very helpful!
YAY!!!!!!! they last forever, awesome! I’ve actually been searching for this answer online for a very long time now. THANKS a MILLION! I’m attempting to make 50 hello kitty toppers for a friend’s party..yikes!
I LOVE YOUR BLOG & and all your work. Thank- you for inspiring me 🙂 @ marian:
@ Edana:
=D My pleasure!
Because you’ll be piping Hello Kitty’s black eyes on her white face, maybe check out this post on bleeding:
https://sweetopia.net/2009/10/how-to-prevent-your-icing-from-bleeding-7-tips/
Have fun Edana!
Before I ask my question, I want to say what a fan of yours I am. I check your blog nearly every night while putting my baby to bed and love when you have a new post. So, I get that the icing decorations will last forever, but is that for RI made with egg whites too? Something about that seems weird. Egg whites are my only option as I live abroad and can’t seem to find meringue powder 🙁
@ Anna:
That’s so nice, thank you!
I was referring to royal icing made with mergingue powder.
How about pasteurized egg white powder? Maybe a health food carries them? Maybe contact a bakery in the area which makes specialty cakes… they might have a source.
Good luck!
Hi Marian! I found your blog yesterday and I am in sugar heaven! Now, I am baking-impaired. Or . . . it’s a 50/50 proposition as to the success of what I bake, but I would love to learn how to decorate. Crazy, huh? I’m a painter. So it seems a natural jump to me.
I could stay on your site all day, but alas, I have my own stuff to paint. So I just subscribed by email.
btw, one of my most popular painting tutorials was a cupcake with a heart on top!
http://muralmaker1.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-paint-simple-cupcake.html
@ ColleenwithMurals&More:
You are such a talented painter!! I’ve always wanted to learn how to paint so I just subscribed to your posts too. =)
this is so cute! I can’t wait to bake & decorate some cupcakes for my boyfriend.
Marian,
Thanks so much for the post. It was really interesting and informative. I am so curious about using the real egg whites in RI as i don’t really like the taste of meringue powder. I have made things that only I will consume with them, but I have always wondered about the safety of them for anyone else, so I use meringue powder in anything I give away. I know many people have used them this way for many many years, and even cover whole cakes with the egg white RI. I wish someone would do some food safety testing with them to see. I would love to know.
Thanks again!
@ Paola:
Have fun!
@ Holly at Holly’s Sweet Hobby:
I agree. Traditional royal icing has been used for years; like you said, even covering whole cakes with RI. Even cakes made for royalty were acceptable this way. 😉 I’d love some thorough and rigorous food safety testing to be done as well!
Great post and adorable cupcakes! Thanks for the shout out too :0)!!
@ Melissa:
My pleasure; I’m so glad to be a part of MyCakeSchool.com!
IS THE MOST AMAZING ART.I READ IN MY LIFE!!!
Congratulations!!!
You are an amazing ARTIST!!
UNYKA
Regards from Argentina!
@ UNYKA:
You are so cute – thanks!!
Great post. Very informative! Cute Cupcakes.
@ Melissa:
Thanks so much! ♥
Thanks for the gorgeous informative post. I especially loved the love cupcakes! I just had a suggestion. How do you think it would work royal icing lollipop sticks on the the back of the transfers if that makes sense. It might look cute ( although it’s another process) eliminate grease, and create a different look. Yours look totally fabulous just as they are though!
@ nikki:
Great suggestion Nikki – Thank you!
Fantastic post Marian! Thank you for sharing these tips and info about RI. I love the Valentine cupcake designs! Thanks for inspiring! 🙂
Wonderful post! Your tutorials are always so helpful and enlightening. Thanks to you I discovered the joy of playing with royal icing last spring and I am love, love loving these cupcake toppers!!!! Makes me want to play some more. And dang, a snowstorm on the way…
@ Monica, @ Tracey: Thanks for your sweet comments! @ Tracey: One on it’s way to me too… Gosh those days are the best aren’t they! 😉
Hi Mairian, thanks so much for your tutorials, I have read each one of them ;).
I have one question thou, what happens when there is grease on the RI other than not set? Is there a way to know? I always assume that the separation of water and sugar was due to some grease on the icing.
thanks Liz.
Sorry about the typo Marian 😉
@ Liz:
No worries!
I’m sure grease would also do that (to wet royal icing). I’m not a scientist and don’t know everything obviously, but in my experience I think the water and icing sugar just separate over time. I use a specific spatula and mixing bowl only for royal icing, and even when I store it in a container (which has never been used before), the water and icing sugar still separate.
I’d love to hear more experiences from others if you want to share!
Thanks, you know I even boiled all my utensils once because I thought there was some residue of grease on them, but reading your tutorial it makes sense that water would just separate from sugar.
@ Liz:
No problem; Still a smart what you did! I remember learning that it was a good idea to reserve spatulas/bowls etc. only for royal icing at the Bonnie Gordon School (here’s link in case you’re interested http://www.bonniegordoncakes.com/ ), and since then I’ve been fairly careful with that.
Have fun decorating Liz!
THANK- YOU SOOOOO MUCH 🙂@ marian:
@ marian:
My pleasure Edana!
@ marian: that’s what I figured. I never thought to check Bakeries or health food stores. I might even try a cooking school. I live in Japan, so most of the stuff in our bakeries tend to be either a fairly standard cake or Japanese sweets. I’m hoping that a cooking school might get a bit crazy!!
Tell me please can I for example warm icing a little bit, for gugar better melting, because I was trying to make it with different sugar and always i have it in icing. Even if it looks good I feel some dust when I taste. Thanx
All your tutorials are always helpful and I appreciate them. I would like to see a tutorial of how to make a cookie when you don’t have the cookie cutter for the form you want to make like the ones you did for Christmas for example.
Your blog is such a source of inspiration and full of marvellous tips; thank you thank you so much for sharing it with us!
@ Anna: Hope you find some!
@ Alli: Do you sift your icing sugar (powdered sugar) first? I make my royal icing with warm/lukewarm water, so yes, that might help as well. I wouldn’t recommened heating up the icing, but you never know! If you try it and it works please come back and let us know how it went! =)
@ Julie: Thanks for the idea; I’ll definitely add it to my do do list!
@ Eloïse: Thank you!
I make icing with egg whites, not meringue powder, because I don’t have it in my shops, so I don’t use water. But I’ll maybe try to use a little of water or to heat a bit. Thanx for answering.
Hi, Marian!
This site is pure delight. Thank you for this tutorial. I have a question for you, which I know has been discussed before, but I was hoping for some new developments,as I am half-way through a project and panicked: I am piping on little tiny hearts, and nearly without exception they form craters at the top, where the two sides of the hearts meet. I am using RI (your recipe and technique) and have tried both thick and thin with no difference. The house is not humid, actually a bit dry. Please help!
Thank you!!
Those are absolutely beautiful! You’re such an inspiration! 🙂 How long does it normally take for the royal icing decorations to fully dry after you’ve piped them?
@ Alli: Would love to hear how it goes!
@ Jill: I wish I had more information than what’s discussed in the following posts and comment sections; but nothing 100% definite. I WISH I could give you a perfect answer! It seems to be an issue of surface tension, so I’d then suggest making less ‘poofy’ hearts, but I just made some and no ‘craters’ happened. (and they are poofy). Is it the recipe?
I would suggest checking out the comment section again of these two posts to see the other ideas:
https://sweetopia.net/2010/02/how-to-prevent-air-bubbles-in-royal-icing
https://sweetopia.net/2010/02/part-2-how-to-prevent-air-bubbles-in-royal-icing/
@ Ashley:
Depends on size, but wait at least 12-24 hours for sure.
In case you haven’t seen it, I mention that and more tips on making RI decorations here:
https://sweetopia.net/2011/01/valentines-love-cupcakes/
Great post! I’ve been curious about that! Somebody also advised me to put royal icing in the freezer for storage. I have left-over icing that has been in my freezer for more than a week now, and surprisingly, they don’t freeze! It stays soft…it was weird, but I think that was a good thing. 🙂