When Charles II returned from exile in France to reclaim the English throne in 1660, he brought with him a love of French cooking and some of his favorite French pastry chefs. It was these men who suggested that the cake should be iced with a crust of sugar.
In 19th century, Queen Victoria’s own wedding cake decorated with royal icing which was measured 36 cm deep, 2.8 m and over 7 feet high, It consisted of multiple tiers, only the bottom was real cake, while the top tiers consisted of pastillage and real icing.
Royal icing is made of confectioner’s sugar and egg white, and its consistency is ideal for piping. The generations during that time, tended to cover every surface and fill every niche with imaginary of some kind, whether wall stenciling, stained glass or statuary. Layer upon layer of sugar icing was trowelled on the cake.
History of sugar icing
