Caking with Mom: The Makings of Icing

Oh sure, icing isn’t healthy for you.  But what in the world is healthy for you when it involves Crisco and sugar???  It’s the moderation that is the key to…….oh heck, what is moderation anymore when a cake is involved???  It’s all about the icing here people!  The icing is my most favorite part of the whole cake process. 

I believe it brings back childhood memories of licking the icing out of the bowl, licking the beaters, licking the spatula…..wow, a lot of licking….and licking my finger after Mom had squirted a dollop of icing on it.  You can’t go wrong here!

It is always a good idea to find ingredients you trust where you know the quality is not going to waiver.  Sometimes, even the generic brands may be your choice…in this case, we used Aldi’s Powdered Sugar.  We also used Happy Home Flavorings, which you already know we love in our households.

The recipe calls for pouring in the milk in two separate amounts.  In this case, the OXO mini-measuring cups come in very handy.  Love OXO, and I highly recommend you give any of their products a try!

One thing to keep in mind.  Since the introduction of guidelines and regulations requiring things to be “trans-fat free”, Crisco has changed it’s recipe.  If you haven’t used it since before the “trans-fat free” movement, don’t expect it to be the same.  Mom says the difference is that the icing just doesn’t hold up as well as it used to.  But, you can’t get around using this hot commodity when it comes to cake icing and wanting a really yummy, rich icing.

When adding the powdered sugar to your mixer, if you drape a moist paper towel or cloth over the top of your mixer head so it drapes over the bowl edges, it will prevent all of the dust usually experiences when dumping the sugar.  A little Momma trick.  *smiles*

Below are some pictures of the ingredients, and the ingredients coming together.

Next up, icing pictures…

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