My mom has asked me several times about what she calls "old-fashioned, hard icing." She says that "in the old days" that's how cakes came from the bakery. It was definitely all over the cake...so, it couldn't be royal icing (no way anyone could have eaten the cake!).

I've searched high and low on the internet and cannot find anything different from the royal recipe.

Hoping some of you know what she's talking about! I'd love to make her one that reminds her of her childhood.

Hi

Here in the UK fruit cakes used to be covered in royal icing, glycerin was added so it wasn't too hard to cut.

I don't know if that is any help to you?

She probably means 7 Minute Icing - sort of a meringue. It would crust really well after a little while.

Here's a recipe by Paula Deen

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/7-minute-frosting-recipe/index.html

She may be talking about chocolate icing that you cook on top of the stove, which is milk, sugar, cocoa. You cook it for so long and then ice your layers. I do this, because my mama did it at home. My son-in - law was use to his grandma's caramel frosting that you cook the same way. She used a black iron fry pan to make this. His mama is trying her hand at it now. I,m just thinking maybe this type of icing is what your mama is remembering?? hth

It could well be royal icing.

When it's applied on top of marzipan, it falls off as you cut up the cake, but the marzipan sticks.

I remember as kids we used to chase down those pieces of royal icing at family weddings while the adults went for the fruitcake.

I had a customer insist on this. It turned out to be poured fondant. I thought it was disgusting. They loved it.

7 minute frosting. They called it hard icing or boiled icing in the midwest where I grew up.