HINTS FOR CREAM CHEESE ICING
-Try softened cream cheese.If your frosting is too sweet as well as being too runny, you can try adding cream cheese to it as a way to thicken the consistency and add a contrasting tanginess to the existing sweetness.
Add about 30 ml of cream cheese to your frosting and blend it in well. This works best with frostings that already contain cream cheese or those that could benefit from less sweetness
-Increase the amount of cocoa powder, when applicable. While this is not an option for vanilla, cream cheese, or other non-chocolate frostings, the addition of more cocoa powder is worth trying if you are making a chocolate frosting.
Add more cocoa powder into the frosting 1 to 2 tsp (5 to 10 ml) at a time. Otherwise, you may end up with a frosting that is too thick or too potent. Since cocoa powder is also fairly bitter on its own, too much can also cause the frosting to become bitter.
Cocoa powder is a starch thickener, as well, but does not need to be cooked in order to thicken liquid. As a result, cocoa powder is a better addition than melted chocolate when you are trying to thicken your frosting.
-Mix in more butter or shortening. For frostings that use butter or shortening, using more of either ingredient can help thicken a frosting that is a little too runny.
Only add 1 Tbsp (15 ml) or so at a time to prevent distorting the taste and consistency too drastically.
Note that adding butter to the frosting may not seem to help immediately. As the frosting heats up from being mixed, the butter will melt, making the consistency thinner. Refrigerate butter-based frostings to get an accurate picture of how thick the frosting really is.
-Consider mixing in a dash of heavy cream. For frostings that can stand to be beaten and chilled, heavy cream is another way you can thicken the consistency without making the taste too sweet.
Cream will provide a thick, rich texture.
This works best if you plan on heating or whipping your frosting after you add the cream. Heating cream causes it to reduce down, becoming thicker as a result. Whipping cream causes it to fluff up, which also makes it thicker and causes the frosting to become lighter in texture.
POSTED BY Amanda Conradie
