If you are a newbie, you will often come across terms that you are unfamiliar with. I think if a person is educated to the elements of a craft it is less likely to be intimidating. So, with this blog, I am going to try and familiarize you to some common terms.
American Buttercream Icing- American buttercream is an icing made by whipping fats (e.g. hi-ratio shortenings or butter) with confectioner's sugar, flavoring, and sometimes meringue powder.
Italian Meringue Buttercream- (IMBC) is an icing made by combining whipped egg whites, and sugar and adding a hot sugar syrup. Once the heat is distributed through the bowl, butter is added and whipped until smooth.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream- (SMBC) is an icing made by heating egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until sugar is completely dissolved. This mixture is then place in a mixer and whipped to a marshmallow creme consistency and then butter is added a little at a time. Then flavor is added.
Ganache- Ganache is a mixture of chocolate and cream. Depending on the ratio used it can be thick enough for a filling in a cake or thin enough to pour over a cake to be used as your "icing". It has a fondant look when it sets. Ganache can also be used to make truffles. Ganache can be made of Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Semi-Sweet Chocolate, or White Chocolate.
Royal Icing- Royal Icing is made of either egg whites or meringue powder with confectioner's sugar and water. This icing is used mostly for decorations, because it dries very hard. You wouldn't want to ice your cake with it. It can be used for very small decorations such as dots or it can be used to make larger decorations like snowflakes or scrolls. It is also used for holding Gingerbread Houses together.
Color Flow Icing- Is used for making decorations. With the full-strength consistency you can outline pictures placed under wax-paper. Then fill in the outline with the thin consistency. It takes a long time for these to dry. Should be made a week in advance.
Fondant- is a type of rolled icing which contains glycerin, glucose, and gelatin. It is used to cover firm cakes. A cake traditionally would have been covered in a layer of marzipan to seal in the cake's moisture and then covered in fondant. Today a fondant cake can be "glazed" in many mediums including buttercream,ganache, or jams.
Marzipan- Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal. Some marzipan is flavored with rosewater. Persipan is a similar, yet less expensive product, for which the almonds are replaced by apricot or peach kernels. In Goa almonds are replaced by cashews. Many confectionery products sold as marzipan are made from less expensive materials, such as soy paste and almond essence. German marzipan is made by grinding whole almonds with sugar and partially drying the paste, and French marzipan is made by combining ground almonds with sugar syrup. Spanish marzipan is made without bitter almonds
Pastillage- is thick sugar paste, similar to gum paste, is molded into shapes. When dried, it is hard and brittle. Made with gelatin, water and confectioner's sugar, it hardens quickly and can be shaped for a short while by hand, and after hardening it can be shaped using with electric grinders, cutters, sandpaper and assorted files.
Gum Paste- is a dough like substance that can be rolled thinner then fondant, and is used heavily in flower making and decorations that need to "stand up". Gumpaste dries to a hard consistency. It is not meant to be eaten, and it should be removed from the cake before serving.
Gum Paste glue or Adhesive- Gum Paste glue is simply an adhesive made out of Peringue Powder and water, and the glue is used for attaching flowers and other decorations.
Fondant Adhesive- Fondant adhesive is a glue made by adding water to fondant and mixing it until it becomes sticky.
Candy Clay- Candy Clay is made by melting Candy Melts and adding corn syrups to them.
Extended Mix or Box Mix- This is a store bought cake mix with a few added ingredients to extend or stretch out the cake mix.
These are a few terms that should get you started, and I hope maybe knowing what most of them are will make you feel a little less "Newbie".
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