Frosting versus Icing

This week a discussion rose on a historical writer's loop that I'm on about the use of frosting on cakes. A discussion about the term frosting or icing also developed. The earliest use of the term frosting I found in 1865 Dr. Chase's Recipes.

Icing tends to be for thinner more like a glaze covering while frosting is thicker, creamier.

Below are some recipes for both. However I found another source that spoke about the various sugars and designs with sugar for covering cakes as well. Be creative as your characters decorate their cakes.

Boiled Icing.
Measure 2 cups of white sugar in an earthen bowl, pour over boiling water enough to mix or dampen the sugar thoroughly and boil until thick, or grains. Have the whites of 2 eggs well beaten in a deep bowl, add the juice of 1 lemon or 1 tea-spoon of cream of tartar, pour the syrup over the eggs while quite hot, stirring quickly until cool.

Soft Icing. Mix 1/2lb. confectioners’ sugar with table-spoon of boiling water, and same amount of any preferred fruit juice or extract; spread at once about % of an inch thick.

Icing.
One lb. of pulverized sugar, pour over it 1 table-spoon of cold water, beat the whites of 3 eggs a little, not to a stiff froth; add to the sugar and water, put in a deep bowl, place in a vessel of boiling water and keep on the fire, all the time stirring it. It will become thin and clear, afterwards thicken. When it becomes quite thick remove from the fire and stir while it cools, till it becomes thick enough to spread with a knife. This will frost several cakes.

Frosting Without Eggs, or Water Icing.
Take the amount of sugar necessary for your cake, pour on a little hot water and stir to the proper consistency, add flavoring and spread over or between cake.

Bakers’ Icing.
Sufficient sugar to make the required amount of frosting; pour on hot water, and stir to a little thicker consistency than ordinary frosting. Flavor with any desired extract, and spread over the cake or between the layers. This is simple and very nice.

Plain Frosting.
With an egg-batter whip the whites of 2 eggs for 5 minutes. Add 8 oz. fine sugar, a few drops of flavoring, and if for white frosting use a little lemon juice.

Pink Frosting.
Same as above with. no lemon juice, but a little strawberry, cranberry, or currant juice.

Yellow Frosting.
Same as above “Plain,” omitting the lemon. For coloring, grate the peel of I or 2 oranges, squeeze out a part of the juice, stir together, strain through a thin cloth, and add to the frosting. A little saffron tea strained makes a rich coloring.

Chocolate Frosting.
Enough fora four-layer cake. About % lb. fine sugar, and enough hot water to make a nice frosting. Scrape fine 2 oz. chocolate, put into a tin, to which add no water, and slowly melt. Unite the chocolate and frosting, stir well, and quickly spread between layers and on top of the cake.

Boiled Frosting.
Put into a kettle 1 cup sugar with 20r3table-spoons water, and boil until it threads. Pour onto the well beaten white of an egg, stir a few minutes, and spread it on the cake. A cup of either nut meats, chopped figs, or raisins may be added as an improvement.

Cocoanut Frosting.
Enough f0r4 la ers of cake. Grate a cocoanut, or use the desiccated. ith 3/4 lb. fine sugar and sufficient hot water make an icing. Spread between the la ers and sprinkle with cocoanut. Fine sugar may be use for the top of the cake, with or without the cocoanut.

Chocolate Frosting Without Eggs.
Melt I square of chocolate over steamIstirr I cup powdered su _ar, then add 2 table-spoons milk; spread when cake is a ittle warm.
Source: The Home Queen World's Fair Souvenir Cook Book ©1893