Producing and Handling Basic Types

Appears in
Professional Cooking: 10th Edition
Professional Cooking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2025

  • About
Icings or frostings (the two terms mean the same thing) are sweet coatings for cakes and other baked goods. Icings have three main functions:
  1. They improve the keeping qualities of the cake by forming a protective coating around it.
  2. They contribute flavor and richness.

  3. They improve appearance.

    There are six basic kinds of icing:

    Fondant Foam-type icing Flat-type icing
    Buttercream Fudge-type icing Royal or decorator’s icing

    In addition, we consider two other preparations for cakes:

    Glazes Fillings