ingredients
enough to cover one 15 - 18 cm cake
1 cup + 2 tbsp (225 g) sugar
4 tbsp water
a pinch of cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence or a few drops lemon juice (optional)
1 egg white
method
1. Have the cake standing ready to be iced, on a turntable, upturned plate, or wire cooling rack with paper spread underneath.
2. Heat the sugar, water, and cream of tartar gently until the sugar dissolves.
3. Add the flavouring if liked.
4. Heat, without boiling, to 120°C, stirring all the time.
5. Remove the syrup from the heat and leave to cool slightly until it stops swirling.
6. Meanwhile, whisk the egg white until stiff.
7. Pour the syrup on to the egg white in a thin stream, beating with a spoon all the time.
8. Continue beating until the icing is of the required consistency.
9. When thick enough, pour it over the cake and swirl with a round-bladed knife.
the sugar is it caster or icing?
if you add chocolate to the mix it will become to stiff, if you leave in the fridge, but you can us it straight away before the chocolate hardens. It will give a different result though.