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Almond Icing
2T Snowdrift 1 C powdered sugar 1 t almond extract 1/2 t lemon extract Pinch salt 1 T cream or canned milk Makes a soft filling and nuts or cherries may be used for decoration. Mrs. W. J. Fendick.
A church-supper buttercream built on shortening rather than butter, so it stays white and holds up in a warm room. The proportions are workable as written; the only real decisions are what to substitute for the brand names.
- SnowdriftA brand of hydrogenated vegetable shortening, sold in cans alongside Crisco. Substitute any plain white vegetable shortening, or unsalted butter if you would rather have the flavor and do not mind an ivory tint.
- Canned milkEvaporated milk, not sweetened condensed. Either that or heavy cream works; evaporated gives a slightly cooked, caramel note that suits almond.
- AbbreviationsT is tablespoon, t teaspoon, C cup. So: 2 tablespoons shortening, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon liquid.
- ConsistencyOne tablespoon of liquid to a cup of sugar gives a stiff paste at first. Beat it three or four minutes until it lightens, then add liquid a few drops at a time only if it will not spread.
- Almond extractA full teaspoon in one cup of icing is assertive by modern standards. Start with half and taste.
- YieldRoughly two-thirds to three-quarters of a cup, at a guess. Enough to fill one layer or thinly ice the top of an 8-inch cake, not enough to fill and frost a two-layer cake.
- DecorationToasted sliced almonds or halved candied cherries, pressed on while the surface is still tacky. Shortening icing crusts lightly but never sets hard, so it will not hold an elaborate piped design.
Snowdrift appeared in American kitchens in the first years of the twentieth century, one of the cottonseed-oil shortenings sold as an alternative to lard. For icing the appeal was practical: shortening is pure white, has no water in it to weep, and does not soften as fast as butter on a table of desserts left out through a long afternoon. Almond and lemon extract stood in for ground almonds or almond paste, both of which cost more. Recipes credited to a named woman, as this one is to Mrs. W. J. Fendick, were the whole point of such books.