How Did Royal Icing Get Its Name?

In the world of pastry and baking, there are many different types of frostings or icings (and there is a difference). And though you may not have recognized it by name, you've likely seen one of these types — royal icing — on various baked goods, and especially around Christmas time. It's very popular for decorating cookies and gingerbread houses, the latter of which requires a lot of royal icing to keep from falling down. Royal icing is made solely from two ingredients, egg whites and powdered sugar, although some recipes also include water and/or flavoring elements like vanilla and lemon juice.

It is widely accepted that royal icing was created for and earned its moniker from the 300-pound wedding cake made to celebrate Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's marriage in 1840, but older publications suggest otherwise. In "Borella's Court and Country Confectioner" from 1770, there is an entry for "royal" listed under the category "cream." And in 1827's "The Italian Confectioner," the term "royal icing" is used in the description for a rock sugar recipe. It's certainly plausible that while royal icing may have existed before Queen Victoria's time, it wasn't widely publicized until after her nuptials. After all, royal weddings make headlines and start inevitable trends.

Although elaborate fondant and drip cake designs may set the standard for wedding cakes today, royal icing is definitely fit for royalty. The structure of the icing is perfect for intricate designs; it can mimic lace patterns and dainty embroidery, and it dries hard and smooth.

In the midpoint of the 19th century, right before Queen Victoria's reign, royal icing on cakes was used primarily to keep the cake moist, as the icing dried into a hard, smooth shell that encased the baked cake. It was her wedding cake that started the trend of elaborate decoration with royal icing. Ensuing royal weddings utilized royal icing on their cakes as well, with even greater and more intricate detail. Masterpieces in both decoration and architecture, some of the cakes appear to be carved out of stone rather than sugar and egg whites.

When Victoria's sister, Princess Beatrice, wed Prince Henry of Battenberg in 1885, the cake was covered in lattice work, florals, dots, and swirls. Prince Albert and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon's 1923 wedding cake was called "a triumph of the confectioner's art" and featured a castle design with multiple pillars. And while the Prince and Princess of Wales' (or William and Kate) wedding cake appeared to have exquisite royal icing details, their designs were instead made of sugar paste.

Royal icing creates gorgeous pearl designs, scroll work, lettering, thin straight lines, banners, and floral designs. Good use of royal icing can make any baked goods look sophisticated and polished, from wedding cakes and cookies to cake pops and cupcakes.