Today, some people just buy a can of ready-made frosting to ice a cake. But making your own frosting is not hard. You can try one of the many frosting and filling recipes listed below and perhaps be inspired to create one yourself.

INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS

~~  CAKE ICING RECIPES ~~

HOW TO USE ICING
Over large cakes, pour the icing by spoonfuls near the center on the top of the cake. Spread it all over the cake as smoothly as possible with a broad-bladed knife dipped in cold water, Set it in a cool oven for a few minutes, then in a dry, airy place free from dust, to dry. Some icing does not need to be put in the oven, as it dries immediately. Small cakes are dipped into the icing and then laid on paper or tins to dry.

WHITE ICING
Sift one-half pound confectioners’ sugar* into a bowl, add the whites of two eggs and stir twenty minutes. Add a few drops lemon juice while the stirring is going on. Drop a little icing onto paper. If the icing stands without running, it is stiff enough. If it shows the least tendency to run, more sugar must be added. This icing is used for ornamenting cakes and serves as a kind of paste to stick flowers and leaves onto the top of the cake.

 * confectioners’ sugar – the same as powdered sugar.

ALMOND ICING
Pound three ounces of blanched almonds with the white of one egg in a mortar until it becomes a paste. Mix with one-fourth pound confectioners’ sugar, the white of one-half egg and one-half teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir for five minutes. Dip small pieces of cake into the icing or pour and spread it over whole cakes with a broad-bladed knife. Hazel nuts and walnuts may be used the same way as almonds, as can also pistachio nuts. To the latter, add a few drops spinach green.

FRUIT ICING
Mix one-half pound sifted confectioners’ sugar with the white of one egg and add three tablespoons fruit juice; raspberry, strawberry, currant, pineapple or peach. If lemon or orange juice is used, add a little grated rind. Spread the icing over the cake and set it for a few minutes in a cool oven. Then set it in a dry place which is free from dust to dry.

CARAMEL ICING
Put one cup brown sugar, one teaspoon butter, one-third cup milk, and a few grains of salt in a saucepan. Boil until a soft ball can be formed when tested in cold water. Beat until creamy and spread while warm. Chopped nut meats may be added.

CHOCOLATE ICING
Melt two squares chocolate, add one-fourth cup boiling water, and mix well. Add confectioners’ sugar until the icing is of the right consistency to spread. Add one-half teaspoon vanilla and beat well. Coffee may be used in place of water.

COCOA ICING
Heat one tablespoon butter and two tablespoons milk in a saucepan. Remove from the fire, add two tablespoons cocoa, and enough confectioners’ sugar to thicken. About one cup of sugar will be required.

CREAM ICING
Sift one and one-fourth cups confectioners’ sugar and add heavy cream until it’s of the right consistency to spread (about two tablespoons). Add one-fourth teaspoon vanilla and beat well.

BOILED ICING
Boil one-third cup water and one cup sugar until the syrup forms a soft ball when dropped in cold water. Add one-eighth teaspoon cream of tartar and one teaspoon vanilla, then pour slowly upon the stiffly beaten white of egg, beating constantly until thick enough to spread without running.

~~  CAKE FILLING RECIPES ~~

PRUNE FILLING
To the recipe for Boiled Icing above, add two-thirds cup of cooked prunes which have been stoned* and cut in small pieces. Spread between layers of cake.

*stone – to remove the pits.

In the 1960s, Sunsweet introduced the pitted prune after one of its employees invented a mechanized prune pitter. source

DATE AND FIG FILLING
Wash, dry, and chop one cup figs. Wash, dry, stone, and chop one cup dates. Mix the fruit with one-half cup sugar, one-half cup boiling water, and the juice of one-half lemon. Cook over hot water until thick enough to spread.

FUDGE FILLING
Put one and one-half cups sugar, one tablespoon butter, one square chocolate, one-third cup milk, and a few grains of salt in a saucepan. Heat slowly to the boiling point and boil until a soft ball can be formed when a spoon of the mixture is dropped in cold water. Remove from the fire, add one-half cup nut meats chopped, and beat until smooth and creamy.

MARSHMALLOW FILLING
Boil one cup sugar and one-third cup boiling water until a soft ball can be formed when a spoon of the mixture is dropped in cold water. Soften one-half pound marshmallows over hot water, add the syrup and when partly cooled, add one teaspoon vanilla and beat until stiff enough to spread. Chopped nuts, dates, figs, raisins, or candied fruits may be added.

MOCHA FILLING
Mix two tablespoons hot black coffee, one tablespoon butter, two tablespoons cocoa, and one-half teaspoon vanilla. Then add up to one cup confectioners’ sugar; enough for the mixture to spread without running.

ORANGE FILLING
Mix one-half cup sugar, three tablespoons flour, and the grated rind of one-half orange in the top of a double boiler. Add one-half cup orange juice, one beaten egg, and one teaspoon butter, Cook over hot water for twelve minutes, stirring often.

APPLE FILLING
Press three baked apples through a sieve. Beat the white of one egg until stiff. Add one-half cup of confectioners’ sugar and beat well. Add the strained apples, gradually add another half cup of sugar, and beat until very light. Spread between layers and on top of the cake.

photo credit

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If you’d like to bake cakes using old fashioned recipes for modern times, click on the link below.

Vintage Cake Recipe Books for Modern Times

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Do you make your own cakes or do you remember them from your childhood? Please leave a comment below.

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