What is the difference between icing sugar and powdered sugar

Icing sugar is an important part of any baker’s pantry – however, in different countries it goes by different names, and not all icing sugar is made the same. Find out the difference between icing sugar and icing sugar mixture, how to keep icing sugar soft and how to make it at home.

What is icing sugar in Australia?

Icing sugar is made by crushing or pulverising pure white sugar into powder using a blender. Around the world icing sugar is also known as confectioner’s sugar and powdered sugar. 

Its powdered form dissolves instantly, making it perfect for things like icing, whipped cream and sugar cooking. You’ll also often see it dusted on top of baked goods and desserts for a pretty and sweet finish.

What’s the difference between icing sugar and icing sugar mixture?

You’ll find two major types of powdered sugar in the baking aisle, pure icing sugar and icing sugar mixture. Icing sugar mixture is blended with cornflour to stop lumps. Pure icing sugar has nothing added, which means it can become lumpy and needs to be sifted. The two are usually interchangeable, except when cake decorating. Cornflour in icing sugar mixture holds moisture which can cause mould to grow on your decorations, so you should always use pure icing sugar.

What is soft icing sugar?

Soft icing sugar is another name for icing sugar mixture which is blended with cornflour to stop lumps. Soft icing sugar shoudn't be used for decorations as the cornflour holds moisture which can cause mould. 

How do you keep icing sugar soft?

Icing sugar will absorb ambient moisture, causing it to harden and form lumps. To avoid this, store icing sugar in a dry, airtight container in a cool, dark place. Don’t store it in the fridge. Only use dry spoons and cups to portion out the icing sugar

How do you soften hard icing sugar?

If the lumps are small, use a large spoon or fork to break it into smaller pieces. Pour into a sifter placed over a large bowl and continue breaking up the lumps. 

If there are too many lumps or they’re too large, blitz it in a food processor until the lumps have broken down and sift it again to ensure all the lumps are gone.

Can you make icing sugar at home?

Yes! If you have a food processor or high-speed blender, simply process white sugar until finely ground to the texture of flour. You can sift through some cornflour to make icing sugar mixture, about 1tbsp of cornflour to each cup of sugar.

Recipes with icing sugar

Now you know all about it, it's time to get cooking with it. 

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What's the difference between confectioners' sugar and table sugar?

Find out why confectioners’ sugar can’t be substituted with other kinds of sugar. - by

What is confectioners’ sugar?

It’s a powdered form of table sugar commonly used in desserts, baked goods, and other sweets. You might also know it as powdered sugar, icing sugar, or 10X sugar.

If you’re new to baking, chances are you haven’t heard of those names before. In that case, you’re in for a treat as confectioners’ sugar is more special than you might think. Read on to find out what makes confectioners’ sugar so unique and why you can’t use other kinds of sugar as substitutes.

RELATED: Brown sugar substitutes

Why use confectioners’ sugar?

Confectioners sugar is a crucial ingredient in all of your favourite treats. Without confectioners’ sugar, the milk icing on your favourite cupcakes wouldn’t be so smooth and creamy. Your cheesecakes wouldn’t have that rich texture! And your beignets just wouldn’t feel complete without that light dusting to really give it that finishing touch.

What is the difference between icing sugar and powdered sugar

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Confectioners’ sugar vs table sugar

At first glance, the two sugars aren’t that different from one another. While the crystals that make up confectioners’ sugar are finer than the ones that make up regular sugar, the two kinds are chemically and nutritionally identical. Both kinds of sugar provide the same level of sweetness and contain about 390 calories for every 100 grams. On top of that, the two sugars even carry the same health risks as they’re both made of sucrose.

But, while these sugars are identical in terms of taste and nutritional value, the fineness of confectioners’ sugar makes all the difference in the kitchen. For one, confectioners’ sugar dissolves in liquid much faster than other kinds of sugar, and it’s this quality that makes confectioners’ sugar so important for glazes and frosting. Confectioners’ sugar also helps keep air out of dough and batter as its powdery crystals make it a lot denser than regular sugar.

What is the difference between icing sugar and powdered sugar

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The fineness of confectioners’ sugar is also important for food presentation. While a sprinkling of table sugar adds the same level of sweetness on a batch of freshly-baked cookies, the snowy effect from a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar can make them look absolutely divine!

However, even with the unique qualities of confectioners’ sugar, you can use table sugar as a substitute in a pinch. While your pastries might not get the same texture from table sugar, they would be just as sweet. Just remember that you need about half as much table sugar as you need confectioners’ sugar since regular sugar is a lot less dense. And, if you aren’t sure about your conversions, you can always make one-to-one substitutions based on weight.

Confectioners’ sugar vs caster sugar

Like table sugar, confectioners’ sugar is chemically and nutritionally identical to caster sugar as both are just ground versions of regular sugar. However, since caster sugar crystals are somewhere in between table sugar and confectioners’ sugar in terms of size, caster sugar has unique uses in the kitchen.  

For one, it’s used in sweets like meringue that need the dissolvability of confectioners’ sugar and the rough texture of table sugar. Caster sugar is also often used as a sweetener for cocktails and other cold drinks for its dissolvability. 

What is the difference between icing sugar and powdered sugar

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Where can I get confectioners’ sugar?

Unlike other special ingredients, you should be able to find confectioners’ sugar in most major stores at around twice the cost of regular sugar. However, if you’re shopping at your local Coles or Woolworths, you need to look for icing sugar instead as Australian brands prefer to use that name.   

That said, if you’re looking to cut costs, you can easily make confectioners’ sugar at home by grounding table sugar into a fine powder using a food processor or other similar machines. For decorative purposes, your homemade confectioners’ sugar should be just as effective as the commercial kind. But, if you’re following a recipe, you might want to add a bit of cornstarch as the recipe might need the tiny bit of cornstarch found in store-bought confectioners’ sugar.

RELATED: How to find the hidden sugars in food labels

Can you substitute powdered sugar for icing sugar?

Yes! Powdered sugar, confectioners' sugar (including confectioners sugar and confectioner's sugar too), icing sugar, and 10X (a reference to the size of the particles) are all the same.

What can I substitute for icing sugar?

If you have run out of icing sugar or can't find any to buy, you can make your own by whizzing granulated or caster sugar in a food processor, powerful blender, standard blender, coffee or spice grinder, or more laboriously, in a mortar and pestle.

Is soft icing sugar the same as powdered sugar?

Around the world icing sugar is also known as confectioner's sugar and powdered sugar. Its powdered form dissolves instantly, making it perfect for things like icing, whipped cream and sugar cooking. You'll also often see it dusted on top of baked goods and desserts for a pretty and sweet finish.