Is there a difference between choc icing/frosting?

buster31, Feb 17, 1:25am
I am wanting to make a snake cake covered in chocolate icing & then covered in chocolate buttons to give a scaled effect. Not sure what icing recipe to use. I need one where the buttons won't slide down the sides, but also where the icing won't go hard before I have had time to put the buttons on. Any ideas?

hezwez, Feb 17, 2:06am
Why not use chocolate vienna cream? It should hold the buttons well.

buster31, Feb 17, 3:10am
Thanks for that. I have 'googled' a recipe which I will try out. Sounds a bit like butter icing.

hezwez, Feb 17, 4:36am
My recipe from the Australian Women's Weekly birthday cake book, which has never failed through at least 30 birthdays, is 125g butter, one and a half cups icing sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and for chocolate vienna cream, add 2 Tablespoons sifted cocoa to the icing sugar. Have the butter and milk at room temp, place butter in small bowl of electric mixer, (I just use an electric hand-held beater) beat until the butter is as white as possible and gradually add about half the icing sugar/cocoa, beating constantly. Add the milk gradually, then gradually beat in the remaining icing sugar/cocoa. I place the bowl on a damp cloth or it would spin into outer space. You can't refrigerate it or the butter will harden and it may separate. Enjoy your party. For a really big cake I used to double quantities, but it does go a long way.

elliehen, Feb 17, 4:54am
The actual terms 'icing' and 'frosting' are interchangeable. 'Frosting' is used in American recipes because that's what they call 'icing' in the USA. 'Icing sugar' is 'confectioner's sugar' and white sugar in the US is a finer crystal like our caster sugar.

hezwez, Aug 14, 5:47pm
Yummy