Third kind of icing...?

[glitterkitty]

I know about glace (icing sugar & water) and buttercream, but I want to ice cupcakes with that slightly thicker softer icing you get on shop cupcakes- can anyone help on how to make this?

Dont know how to decribe it really so apologies if this is a bit vague!

fondant?

can buy in sugar aisle alongside standard and royal icing 'dust'

Yup, fondant icing. Comes in a green box. Asda, Tesco, other supermarkets and if you're lucky you'll find it in Aldi (about 40p cheaper than the other shops) its great cos you can make as much or as little as you need

Is that it? Thanks! I'm off to google- unless anyone has recipe they want to share!

I need to make my own as I'm doing lots of different colours etc for Halloween / Bonfire cupcakes...

Can you work colours into the ready made stuff?

When you make your buttercream, are you putting some milk in it? I follow the Hummingbird cafe method and add milk to the butter & sugar mix, then beat it for ages and it's more like shop buttercream? You need to beat it until it's really fluffy. It will stiffen up a little once you've iced the cupcakes.

FWIW - I'm not wild about fondant on cupcakes, it's too flat and not creamy when you bite into it.

Ah, zzzing I'm wanting to do spider decs and stuff made out of icing- but I will make a note of that buttercream tip for another occasion!

You get - butter cream, rolled fondant (the stuff you can make little figures out of, often on wedding/Christmas cakes) and pourable fondant. Pourable fondant is the almost like a thick water/icing sugar mix but it is thicker and sets quite firm. You can colour the rolled fondant but if you use liquid colours it goes very sticky so best to use paste colours to colour it. Pourable fondant can be coloured with liquid colours. You just need to make up a batch and then separate in bowls and colour accordingly. You can buy pourable fondant in boxes and just add water or you can make your own but it is cheaper to buy it in a box.

Thank you yougreatpumpkin! Pourable fondant sounds perfect. Off to the cake decorating shop tommorow so I'll look out for that now that I know what I want!

Although if anyone knows if Morrisons/Sainsbos sell this please let me know, thanks!

...because I am a cheapskate...

Yes both Sainsburys and Morrisions sell it. Tate and Lyle - pale green and white box.

Glitter, thats the stuff I meant. Morrisons/Sainsbos sell it as well as the other supermarkets. this stuff

It isn't ready made, its a powder just like icing sugar and you make it up as you need it

I buy the white ready made Betty crocker stuff and dye it. Red tub.

Cause mass outbreak of local preschooler hyperactivity with DS's fire engine birthday cake last month. It looked fab though.

hurrah! Am really pleased thanks so much, off to get some tomorrow i love Mumsnet :-)