Cake with icing that's not buttercream

[Tintarella]

My DD has a birthday party coming up and I'd like to order her a lovely cake (am rubbish at baking myself). The problem is she doesn't like buttercream or icing made with cream cheese. The only type I've found she does like is the frosting type stuff you get from some supermarkets - no milk or dairy in them, just loads of sugar and lovely e-numbers. Anyone know of any cake makers in London that do that kind of icing (what is it even called?!)? All the ones I've looked at just do buttercream as par for the course.

The only other icings i know are ganache - cream and chocolate, or glace - water and icing sugar like you get on top of eclairs.

Royal icing ? The hard kind with icing sugar and egg white as opposed to glace - icing sugar and water ?

Melted chocolate?

Yes thanks both- ganache is a no-no due to her aversion to cream. Royal icing would probably be ok but I can't imagine most bday cakes use it? I'm really looking for something like that M&S one I linked to but maybe it's just not that common.... I may have to make it myself GARGH

I would think any half decent cake maker could rustle up royal icing and make something decent

Get a plain cake and ice it yourself? It's not hard, literally just mixing water and icing sugar in a bowl then using a knife to smoother it once it's on the cake. Add few drops of food colouring too if you want, it ends up much paler than what's in the bottle. You need much much less water than you think in the icing sugar. Else it's really runny and comes straight off. Put it in the fridge when it's done to harden it faster.

Otherwise there's royal icing (no idea what it's made from), comes in a roll, you unwrap it and lay it over the cake like a cover, cut to fit, fold over at the sides and press together with a knife. It doesn't taste as good as icing sugar though IMO.

Do you mean fondant icing?

Royal icing would probably be ok but I can't imagine most bday cakes use it?

It's what just about every supermarket birthday/Christmas cake is covered in 🤷

If that's aimed at me, IDK what fondant icing is, so can't answer.

Swiss meringue buttercream is very yummy

No they are usually covered in fondant or butter cream - royal is harder and so out of fashion

At least that’s my versions !

Most cake makers will be able to make a cream/butter free frosting. Maybe get in touch with a few, or you could try searching for cake makers who do vegan cakes - they will be able to do a dairy free frosting on a regular cake.

Chocolate fudge icing - uses butter, cocoa, sugar and milk. Google 1 minute fudge icing for recipe. It's easy to make and delicious!

What about fondant icing? The soft stuff that’s not buttery or cream cheesy. You can buy it ready made and roll it out yourself.

Chocolate ganache?

Lemon drizzle cake with whatever cartoon characters she likes placed on top? Feed all the other kids buttercream cake and have a smaller cake covered in supermarket icing for her? Then her one doesn't need to have the fancy decorations for blowing out the candles.

Tottenham cake is great. Do it in a rectangular tin.

It's just 250g of butter, sugar, flour, four eggs, vanilla and some BP. Cream the butter and sugar then add the flour and whisked eggs gradually. Cook on gas mark 4 for about 30-35 mins til a skewer comes out clear.

Then the icing is just icing sugar, tiny bit of water and pink dye and sprinkles.

Or fatless sponge (flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla and BP only) with cream and fruit inside and on top? You can make it two or three layers.

You need some sort of stabiliser under fondant/sugar paste which would usually be ganache or buttercream.

you can’t taste the cream in ganache. It takes like chocolate. Alternatively, if you use chocolate milkshake flavour icing sugar, it tastes like chocolate not buttercream. You can buy it from sugar and crumbs. It’s delicious.

https://www.sugarandcrumbs.co.uk/product/s-c-natural-flavoured-icing-sugar-chocolate-milkshake/

It’s something I associate strongly with my mother’s Christmas cake but it’s definitely not what most supermarket birthday cakes are covered in now. That’s almost always fondant or buttercream, or both.

thanks for all suggestions. I have no problem making her a cake- it’s what I’ve done most years- but I really wanted to order a showstopper for her party and my slightly ropey ones wouldn’t cut it these days!

I would speak to some local cake makers and explain what you want. I'm sure they could accommodate your daughter's preferences, they are used to doing bespoke cakes to suit each customer's needs.

If you want to make the cake yourself make marshmallow fondant - it’s sweeter and softer than royal icing (it is still better with a little layer of buttercream under it!)

I have had a lot of success with water-icing sugar on top and lots of decorations - sprinkles and those edible paper flowers are popular!

It’s fondant you’re looking for. Plenty of cake makers will do it, but definitely some don’t as it can be tricky to smooth onto cakes and not a skill that all bakers have perfected. Definitely not something you could easily whip up at home even if you’re usually alright at baking

I've just eaten a slice of homemade cake with probably the icing you are after. It is chocolate fudge icing. Melt 2oz of butter, add 1oz of cocoa powder, 3 tbsp of milk and then gradually, preferably with an electric beater but it's possible to just use a wooden spoon and beat hard, add 8oz of icing sugar. You have to beat hard to eliminate lumps. It needs to cool a little to a thicker consistency otherwise it just runs off the cake, but other than that, it is pretty straightforward.

Embarrassingly, I have just written that recipe from memory. I do tend to use it a lot!

Cream cheese frosting, as in carrot cake

It says no cream cheese frosting in the OP.

Is she averted to fondant icing, OP? As you don’t mention that. That’s what I would most associate with birthday cake tbh. Like the type you roll out and place over? Lots of supermarket cakes use it and I’m sure professionals too.