Frosting Face-Off or "The Clash of the Icings"

In response to my first blog post, (Wacky Cake, 3/11/11), a number of readers suggested perfect matches for an accompanying icing.  The suggestion that got my attention was peanut butter.  Elisa, an admitted PB addict, actually slathered straight peanut butter on top of the cake.  Talk about a peanut butter devotee!

In order to get a good peanut butter frosting recipe, my first thought was to contact Nancy Ruoff, the current cafeteria manager at Royersford Elementary School, and the only cafeteria manager with whom I worked as a principal.

Nancy Ruoff, Royersford Elementary Cafeteria Manager

Nancy’s peanut butter frosting is wonderful, (or as my son Matt says, “Wunnerful.”)  I contacted Nancy, only to discover that she has no recipe!  [Insert sad face here!]  As is the case with most excellent cooks, she “just makes it.”  

I started to look for peanut butter recipes online, as there were certainly none in my repertoire…none even in my range of experiences.  And really, once you’ve reached the perfection achieved by Nancy Ruoff, why would you look elsewhere?

Nancy promised to pay attention the next time she made her frosting in order to write down how she makes it.  In the meantime, Ina Garten’s peanut butter icing was recommended.  (For those of you who don’t know, Ina Garten is a cookbook author and Food Network personality.)

Ina Garten, The Food Network

Photo by thekitchendesigner.org’s photostream 

licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

Now you may have noticed a subtle change in my cake-topping lingo.  I refer to Nancy’s cake coating as “frosting,” and Ina’s, (we’re not actually on a first name basis), as “icing.”

While many think that the terms are interchangeable, they are not.  Growing up in Latshaw’s Bakery, we called mostly everything “icing,” but the term “frosting” was used occasionally in reference to the cakes that Dad made.  Here is what I’ve learned from experience, and what, for the most part, has been confirmed by my research.

Icing is thinner and can be runnier.

Frosting is thicker and stiffer.

Frosting stays where you put it, (for the most part).

Icing hardens faster, getting a crust on it more quickly.

Frosting stays moist and workable or pliable longer.

Icing is more “solid.”

Frosting is “fluffier.”

Icing is generally sweeter.

Frosting generally has more butter or shortening in it.

Frosting pipes well.  That means that you can “squirt” decorations on cakes more easily with it.

Both are good.

Just as I was getting ready to try Ina Garten’s recipe and post the results for those who were anxiously waiting for a peanut butter icing recipe, Nancy Ruoff came through.  In her email she provided --- for the very first time in the history of the world --- her beloved and famous peanut butter frosting recipe.

What to do?

I had already posted that I would be trying Ina’s recipe, (I even had the ingredients), but the level of dedication and commitment to Nancy as a faithful co-worker and friend would not permit anything other than following through with hers.

I decided to make both and do a taste test.  It would be risky business.  I knew Nancy’s recipe was good, but what if Ina’s was judged to be better?  Would it jeopardize my long-time friendship with Nancy, who has helped me in so many ways?  Would I even be able to accurately replicate Nancy’s recipe and do it justice?

I decided to go for it.  After all, since retiring it’s not like I’ve had any stress.

Below are both recipes.  Both are pretty straightforward.  Interestingly, both call for one cup of peanut butter.  But….well, wait and see!

First some terminology & tips:

“Cream” means to start with all ingredients at room temperature and using a paddle attachment on your electric mixer, beat until well-blended…NOT whipped.  Creaming is an important first step in making icing or frosting.

As you cream the ingredients, use a stiff spatula or scraper to scrape down the sides of the bowl, (after turning off the mixer!), to make sure that everything is blended completely.

If you don't have one of these plastic bowl scrapers, get one!
This is like the ones that Dad used at Latshaw's Bakery.

After all ingredients are added and blended (creamed), increase the speed of the mixer to whip the icing/frosting to the desired consistency.

Ina Garten’s Peanut Butter Icing (She credits “Kathleen” for the recipe)

Cream together:

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 cup peanut butter

5 Tablespoons butter (unsalted, if you have it)

¾ teaspoons vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt (Kosher salt is recommended.  Use less if you use salted butter)

Add:

1/3 cup heavy cream

Whip on high speed until mixture is light and smooth.

Nancy Ruoff’s Peanut Butter Frosting

Cream together:

4 Tablespoons butter

1/3 cup shortening

1 cup peanut butter

Add:

1 lb. confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 oz milk

Continue beating until fluffy and smooth enough to spread.  Add an additional 1 to 2 Tablespoons of milk to make the frosting to your desired creaminess.

Now, check this out:

Ina Garten’s icing is on the left, Nancy Ruoff’s frosting is on the right.

Wow!  Nancy’s recipe made more than four times the volume.  (That's probably because one pound of confectioner's sugar is equal to more than four and a half cups!)  Also keep in mind that both have exactly 1 cup of peanut butter in them.  Guess which one is going to have a more intense peanut butter flavor?  My concerns about taste test results were becoming heightened.  

Regardless, I frosted both cakes.  Both were easy to apply.  The icing was a little easier to spread, but the frosting could be applied in a thicker coating.

Now for the taste test.  I took both cakes to the monthly Church Board meeting at Parker Ford Church.  At a break in the meeting, each person received samples of Wacky Cake with the two icings, labeled “A” and “B”.  It was to be a blind taste test.

Can you tell which is which?

It was interesting to listen to the conversation and comments.  Momentary panic set in when someone heard me respond to a question about the two cake samples.  When I said, “They’re both the same,” it was initially interpreted that the icings were the same and that the whole taste test was a ruse.  (They know me too well at Parker Ford Church, as that is definitely something I would do.)  I assured everyone that everything was on the “up and up.”

Here are the results:  15 people tasted the samples and voted by a show of hands.  The winner, by one vote, was Nancy Ruoff’s frosting!  The people who liked the Ina Garten icing voted for its intense peanut butter taste, just as I suspected.  Those who liked the frosting voted for it based on the fact that it’s a really good frosting, and is their idea of what a cake should be covered in.

What do the results tell me?  There is room in this world for both icing and frosting!  Try them both.  The choice is yours!