Sweet Sauces and Icings
What a better way to make a baked good something really special? This is a collection of my favourite, tried-and-true, recipes for sweet sauces and icings!
Vanilla-bean glaze
This is a simple glaze to get ready. The thing that makes it sooooo good is the use of real vanilla bean. If you have vanilla extract, it simply will not be the same.
I keep a stash of vanilla beans in the pantry. When I use one for a recipe, I place the used pod into this large bottle that I am continuously brewing vanilla extract in. If it didn’t get wet in anyway, I add it to a large jar I have filled with white sugar. I continue to mix the sugar with the vanilla beans as I use it and it makes vanilla sugar!
Vanilla beans are expensive so I make them stretch as far as possible! If you have not tried this already, you must! It is little to no effort, and at the end you have made your own pantry staples!
This glaze is perfect for pouring on top of cakes, cupcakes, muffins, doughnuts, croissants, to name a few!
Ingredients
2 cups icing sugar
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 vanilla bean pod
2 Tablespoons warm water
pinch of salt
Method
- In a medium bowl add the icing sugar, butter, salt, and warm water.
- Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise down the centre. Open it up a little and use the end of a knife to scrape out the seeds.
- Add the seeds to the bowl and mix everything together. If you want it runnier just a water, a tiny bit at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
Vanilla Bean Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- 1 vanilla bean pod
- 2 Tablespoons warm water
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl add the icing sugar, butter, salt, and warm water.
- Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise down the centre. Open it up a little and use the end of a knife to scrape out the seeds.
- Add the seeds to the bowl and mix everything together. If you want it runnier just a water, a tiny bit at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
Easy Crème Sucre Icing, or Caramel Icing
This easy Crème Sucre Icing is one of my grandmother’s favourite recipes. It seems like it would be really hard to make, but this simplified recipe, couldn’t be simpler!
If you are making it to go on cake, I suggest you spread it on right after making it. It is very easy to spread when it is hot. Also, as the cake cools it will settle and give a beautiful sleek finish to your cake.
On the other hand, we sometimes will whip up a batch of this to use as a dip for fresh cut apples! So delicious!
The most decadent way of all to enjoy this, is pour it into a square mold, let it cool, and cut it into fudge. This is, a simplified version, of a French Canadian classic!
This recipe is a must try! In any variation you choose to enjoy it!
Ingredients for Crème Sucre Icing
½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons table cream
2½ cups sifted icing sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions to make Easy Caramel Icing
- In a sauce pot, over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add in the brown sugar, salt, and cream. Stir and bring to a boil.
- Stirring constantly, continue to boil for 1 minute.
- Removing from heat. Add in the vanilla, (it will bubble up a bit) and the icing sugar.
- Stir until smooth. Spread on a warm cake. (or pour into a square mold, let cool and cut into fudge)
Easy Caramel Icing
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons table cream
- 2½ cups sifted icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a sauce pot, over medium heat, melt the butter.
- Add in the brown sugar, salt, and cream. Stir and bring to a boil.
- Stirring constantly, continue to boil for 1 minute.
- Removing from heat. Add in the vanilla, (it will bubble up a bit) and the icing sugar.
- Stir until smooth. Spread on a warm cake.
Heavenly Hot Fudge
This is my grandmother’s recipe. She always made it fresh, if we were going to have ice cream sundaes. That way, it was fresh and hot. It is far better than any ice cream chocolate sauce I have ever found since at the store.
You could also use this to top any pastry, cake, or dessert where chocolate is needed. You won’t need to look for another chocolate sauce recipe, after testing this one out!
This recipe makes about 2 cups of Hot Fudge. So, if you don’t finish it all in one sitting, store it in an air-tight container, in the refrigerator, for about a week. When you are ready to use it, heat it back up before serving.
Ingredients for Heavenly Hot Fudge
1 cup of heavy cream
½ cup of corn syrup (I use the one made without high-fructose corn syrup)
12 oz semi sweet chocolate (if you are not using chips, make sure to finely chop your chocolate)
Method
- Pour the cream and corn syrup in a medium saucepan, over med-low heat.
- Stir occasionally until it just comes to simmer.
- Remove from heat and pour in the chocolate.
- Stir until all is melted and combined. As it starts to melt and thicken, it will become smooth and glossy.
- Serve immediately over ice cream or on your favourite dessert!
Heavenly Hot Fudge
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup corn syrup
- 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate if you are not using chips, make sure to finely chop your chocolate
Instructions
- Pour the cream and corn syrup into a medium saucepan. Place over med-low heat.
- Stir occasionally, until it just comes to simmer.
- Remove from heat and pour in the chocolate.
- Stir until all is melted and combined. As it starts to melt and thicken, it will become smooth and glossy.
- Serve immediately over ice cream or on your favourite dessert!
Simple Buttercream
Buttercream is a quick and simple icing. Perfect to cover a cake or sandwich in between cookies.
You can use this recipe as a base to add flavours or add-ins, like mint, cocoa, or fruit!
Simple Buttercream Icing
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 3 Tablespoons cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, cream butter.
- Add icing sugar. Mix on the lowest setting, until all of the sugar is incorporated. Then cream on medium-high until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla and salt. Blend into the icing.
- Thin with cream, you may need more or less, until you have the desired consistency.
Royal Icing
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. of icing sugar
- 5 Tablespoons meringue powder
- ⅔ cup warm water. You may need more or less to reach the proper consistency
Instructions
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, add the sugar and the meringue powder.
- Mix to combine and break up any lumps.
- Add the water and mix on low until the icing starts to come together.
- Turn the mixer up to medium and beat for 4-5 mins, or until light and fluffy and holds a stiff peak. (You may need to add more water to reach the desired consistency for the piping.)
- Keep your icing covered, either with cling-film or a damp cloth, when not in use, or it will start to dry and set.
- The stiff consistency is perfect for making things like royal icing flowers or piping 3 dimensional designs.
- For the consistency for writing or piping borders, the consistency should be similar to mayonnaise. (You gradually add water to the icing until this is reached.)
- For flood consistency, (this is the main inside icing you will be filling the cookie with), add water gradually, until you have a runny honey consistency.
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