Ingredients:

  • 4 cups (500g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tbsp (30g) meringue powder
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (90ml) warm water
  • 2 tsp (10ml) light corn syrup
  • 1 tsp (5ml) clear vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp glycerin

Instructions:

  1. Sift the sugar. Place your 500g of powdered sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer after passing it through a fine mesh sieve.
  2. Add dry meringue. Whisk the 30g of meringue powder into the sugar until evenly distributed.
  3. Hydrate slowly. Pour in the 90ml of warm water, the 10ml of corn syrup, the clear vanilla, and the glycerin.
  4. Start low. Turn the mixer to the lowest setting until the sugar is fully moistened and looks like thick paste.
  5. Whip it up. Increase the speed to medium low and whip for exactly 7 minutes.
  6. Check for stiff peaks. Stop the mixer and lift the paddle. The icing should stand straight up without drooping. Check that it looks like thick shaving cream.
  7. Divide and conquer. Transfer the stiff icing into smaller bowls if you plan to color it.
  8. Thin for flooding. To reach flood consistency, add water 1/2 teaspoon at a time until a spoonful dropped back into the bowl disappears in 10 seconds.
  9. Color the batch. Add gel food coloring using a toothpick.
  10. Rest the icing. Cover the bowls with a damp paper towel and let them sit for 30 minutes. Look for air bubbles rising to the top and gently stir them out.