Oh help - please - and yes you may all laugh at me - I have icing sugar..........

[BaroqueAroundTheClock]

I need to make some icing for 12 cupcakes.........what do I do

The instructions on the back of the packet are for vast quantities of icing and as baking is quite a feat for me I'm not making more cakes just to use it up.

I've told DS1 we'll go and ice them once I've finished my coffee - so I have about 10 minutes at the end of which I have to pretened to know what I'm doing

Yes you may laugh as me as MUCH as you like - if you please please please tell me what to do

hahahahahahahahhahaahhahahaaaaaahaaaaa

oi nickel - I said you can laugh at me if you tell me what to do - you're not allowed to laugh unless you help

put icing sugar into a cup.
put in a couple of teaspoons of water.
stir.
keep doing this little by little until you have a stiff paste.

do not be tempted to put shed loads of water in at a time , you will get sticky water.

(i do this a lot - always put too much water in)

you'll be fine.

OK - a simple glace icing - ie runny.

about 4 ounces of sugar - sift it. Stir in some hot water half a teaspoon at a time until you get a spreadable consistency. Apply to cakes. You may have a bit more than you need - just bin it.

either add butter till it tastes right for butter icing

or enough water to make a sticky but still slightly runny liquid for t'other kind

I have just made some cupcakes and am waiting for them to cool down. You could make some butter icing - beat 2 oz softened butter until creamy and beat in 4 oz sifted icing sugar. You may need to add a drop of milk to soften the mixture a little. If you want glace icing sift 4 oz icing sugar and add some water a little at a time until it is the right consistency.

I hope this helps.

(and really, if you put 2 tablespoons of icing in, you only need 2 teaspoons of water)

Thank you both of you - you may now laugh to your hearts content - and I can go off and pretend I know what I'm doing

oh x posts with some others - thank you - you may also laugh at me

What kind of icing do you want?

Assuming buttercream: soften butter and beat it until soft. Add any colouring/flavouring (if you want to). Add icing sugar until it reaches desired thickness.

IMO, you would need about 200g of butter to do 12 cupcakes .... but then, I have been known (in my old bad days) to eat the excess from the bowl ... until I feel sick and my teeth fall out.

If you are nbaking with your DS then I am sure he is just delighted to be in the kitchen with you, making stuff (and a mess ) to be too bothered if you look like you know what you are doing.

Have fun.

I am Not Laughing. Honest.

ahhh but Timbachick - DS1 is 10.........he knows what I look like when I'm floundering and haven't got a clue

You are all wonderful, I think I'll do the simple glace icing - DS3 is going to be sticking the "sweeties" on the top......

Put some spoonsfulls of of sugar into a bowl. then put a few drops of water in at a time and stir it a lot. then add a few more drops.

My top tip is to use the syringe from kids Nurofen.

"IMO, you would need about 200g of butter to do 12 cupcakes"

200g is way too much. I use 2 oz butter, which is 54 g. I don't like the piled up high icing on cupcakes anyway as it makes them far too sickly. I tend to spread the topping on rather than pipe it because we all prefer just a thin layer of icing.

right - coffee is finished - we're off

And I'm off to ice mine too. Happy icing!

yogi - what a superb nurofen syringe recycling tip

(which reminds me - must ask DH to get some more on the way home)

Maybe start with 2 or 3 oz icing sugar. I always put the icing sugar in a jug and have a cup of boiling water. Dip a knife into the boiling water and then mix the icing sugar. Repeat until the icing is smooth and thick - seriously, you don't want too much water and adding it this way gives you plenty of control when you're only making a little bit of icing.

I do about 4 heaped tbsp for 12 cupcakes, do glace icing as no one likes buttercream here. Always sieve it.

Nurofen syringe tip is an excellent idea. I was also very pleased to find recently that food colouring now comes in dropper bottles.

Another tip, get a cupful of hot water from the kettle, dip your knife in it in between spreading each cake, stops it sticking.

Baroque, too late for advice, so can i just laugh?

well they are now iced and decorated - didn't make enough to start with an rushed a second lot - so half the cakes have nice hardening icing on them - the others are ermm, a little runny

Still - DS's are happy - and I pulled off the "knows what she's doing" act

Ah, but bunbaker ... I always make too much, end up eating it from the bowl and then making more cupcakes to finish it off ...

Oh, right. I like buttercream as a finish for a cake, but not to eat on its own. I find it far to rich and sickly. The topping I made yesterday was a mixture of butter, Philly cheese, lemon curd and icing sugar - utterly delicious.

thank you for all your help yesterday - the cakes were scrummy (making more today !)

But.........(figured I may as well use the same thread as my previous dumb blonde daft question).

If I want to double a cake recipe (12 cakes between 4 people don't last very long........) - do I just double everything? Or is there some magic formula

(and yes you may all laugh again )

Nope, you can just double everything :)