I am rarely left speechless {if you are my husband you are seriously nodding your head right about now}. I like to talk {husband still nodding}. To dissect the details of important matters, such as great toenail polish and food {husband falling asleep}. However, after taking a taste of this frosting, I was left completely speechless. No words. None. Just absolute, incredible tastebud bliss {husband shocked into silence himself}.
It is the best frosting I have ever tasted in my life.
You might have seen the phenomenon of this type of frosting swirling around. I tried the Tasty Kitchen version (highlighted by the Pioneer Woman) twice, and both times it was a disaster. I had given up on the so-called miracle of flour-based frostings until I saw and made this latest version.
It left me weak and trembling.
And do you know what tops it all? There is a chocolate version. Oh, heaven help me.
I slathered this frosting on the most decadent cake I’ve made to date (posting tomorrow!) and I can’t begin to describe the magical web of fluffy, creamy sweetness that is beholden in this frosting. I am a self-professed frosting hater, which makes my testimonial of this frosting all the stronger. I abhor the greasy, filmy, overly-sugary taste of traditional buttercream. Even the adventurous seven-minute/marshmallow frostings of the world leave me wanting.
But this frosting…well, it belongs in The Best Recipe section no doubt about that. My search for the perfect frosting is over. I’ll be honest, it is a little more work and requires a bit more planning than throwing butter and powdered sugar together in a mixer but I’m promising you here and now that the results are worth every minute. The real issue now becomes making sure any of this frosting actually makes it to the cake before being inhaled by my little lips.
One Year Ago: Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
Note: this frosting takes a bit of advance planning since the frosting needs time to cool so plan ahead! Originally, I put a note on here that was included in the original recipe that the frosting keeps in the refrigerator and then can be rewhipped, but I had to delete that note because every time I have tried it, it has been a major bust. After I have refrigerated it and rewhipped, it separates and never becomes satiny and delicious again. You may find different results but in good faith I have to say that in my experience, this frosting is best made and used fresh. Finally, I pipe a lot of cakes for my kids’ birthdays (think: Spiderman covered in Wilton stars) and although I haven’t tried it, I highly suspect that an hour or so of chilling time will lend this frosting nicely to being piped. When I try it, because I will, I’ll update the recipe with my notes.
This frosting is so magically delicious, it would be perfect on everything from sugar cookies to pumpkin bars to cake. Options are endless!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk (I used 1% with stellar results)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 24 tablespoons (3 sticks) butter, cut into 24 pieces and softened at room temperature
Directions
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium saucepan and pour the milk mixture through the strainer into the saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and is thick enough that it starts to become difficult to easily whisk. This could take anywhere between 5-10 minutes, depending on your stove, heat, etc. It should bubble quite a bit at the end (be careful of the splatters) and thicken considerably.
- Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and cool to room temperature – this is extremely important! If it is even slightly warm, the frosting won’t beat up properly. I refrigerated my initial mixture overnight. If you do this, make sure to pull it out in time to let it warm back up to room temperature. If you try to proceed with the rest of the recipe and the mixture is too cold, the butter won’t absorb into the frosting like it should.
- Once the frosting is completely cooled to room temperature (it should have no hint of warmth at all!), beat the mixture with the vanilla on low speed until it is well combined, about 30 seconds (a stand mixer will work best for this). Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat the frosting until all the butter has been incorporated fully, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and let the mixer work it’s magic. Beat the frosting for five minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Let the frosting sit at room temperature until it is a bit more stiff, about 1 hour. I suspect if you chill it for an hour or so, it would be stiff enough to actually pipe with instead of frosting with a rubber spatula.
Notes
Chocolate Version: Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt mixture in the first step. Once the frosting has been mixed for five minutes and is light and fluffy, mix in 3 ounces of semisweet chocolate that has been melted and completely cooled to room temperature.
Note: I made the chocolate version a few days after I originally posted this recipe and it is delicious! The color wasn’t quite as dark as I was hoping for; it definitely made for a lighter-colored chocolate frosting but the chocolate flavor is deep and terrific. I increased the melted chocolate to 4 ounces when I made it and may even do 5 ounces next time.
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Country Oct/Nov 2010
Lindsay – oh, that makes sense. I usually store the leftovers in a cake cover at room temperature if I think we’ll eat the leftovers within 24 hours. To be honest, we haven’t had leftovers beyond that but if I did, I’d probably put them in the refrigerator after that.
Hi Mel! I was wondering if this frosting could be made a few days in advance? I’ve actually made it a couple of time already and have had a lot of success with it, but I’ve never tried to store it for any amount of time. Thoughts?
Hillary – I’ve made this frosting in advance, just once, and I have to say the results did not fare well for me. I made it a few days in advance, stored it in the refrigerator and took it out a few hours before to let it come to room temperature. Then I rewhipped it (following the advice of the original recipe) and it completely went grainy and separated on me. I couldn’t ever get it back to the right consistency. You may get different results than me, but that’s my fair warning that making it ahead was a bust – which is a bummer since it would be nice to be able to rely on advance preparation!
My son’s girlfriend loves chocolate so I made this recipe (along with your dark chocolate cake recipe) for her. Based on past experience, to get that rich dark chocolate taste, I omitted the semi-sweet chocolate in the frosting and substituted 1 cup (instead of 1/4 c.) Hershey’s dark cocoa. Perfect.
Jill,
It may be that your butter was too warm. When a recipe calls for ‘room temperature’ butter, it means that you can put an indent into the butter with slight pressure, but it should not be squishy. You should still be able to cut it into separate pieces. If you can’t, it means it’s too warm.
Oh, the great frosting debate. I usually only comment after I have tried something because when I read comments, I wish I could filter and only read comments of people who have tried the recipe. But I have a few comments to add here. Fr the carrot cake people, mel’s whipped cream cheese frosting would be perfect. I don’t care for it on cookies, but it’s great on bars and cakes. It is truly divine. I made sugar cookies recently and hidden in mel’s recipe for vanilla buttermilk cupcakes is a great buttercream that I love on sugar cookies. I have yet to try this frosting, but last week for my sons birthday I made the monkey cake on our best bites. The cake was a Martha Stewart and I didn’t care for it but the frosting was from our best bites and so good. It’s a chocolate version of this magical frosting but uses chocolate chips to hold it together. Darker chocolate and very tasty. I couldn’t strain mine…it was too thick. Maybe I cooked it too long. Anyway, there’s my 2 cents. Mel, you have the best recipes hands down. I can’t wait to try this…so far I feel like our taste buds are identical. I am sure people send you recipes a lot. I found a focaccia recipe that people have gone nuts over…my husband says it’s the best bread he’s ever had and it’s way easy. I found it in a cookbook when I couldn’t find a focaccia recipe on your site. If you want to try it, let me know. I know a bread recipe is the last thing you want….you have so many winners….but if you want it, I will send it to you. Thanks for making me a cooking star!
I loved the taste of the icing, however I could not get it to set up. I beat the frosting for over 5 mins and let it set for over an hour, but the frosting never set. I used the frosting on the cake but it just ran off the sides. Help please because the taste is amazing. I would love to make the frosting again just need to know what I did wrong.
Hi Shauntae – sorry the frosting didn’t set up for you. The main reason this frosting doesn’t set up is if the base (the mixture that was cooked on the stovetop) didn’t cool completely. I’ve had the same thing happen to me even when that frosting base was just every so slightly warm. It needs to be completely cooled. Other than that, I’m not sure why that would have happened. If you try it again, I hope it sets up perfectly for you!
I’ve now made this frosting several times and it is *always* much softer than a buttercream. The first time I did this (and I let my frosting cool overnight in the refrigerator and then brought to room temp), I had trouble with my 2nd layer wanting to slide off and the frosting on the top and sides holding on just barely to the top and sides.
I solved this in follow-up batches by not allowing the frosting to come to room temp completely so it was a bit more solid. Then I frosted the top of the bottom layer and refrigerated it so it would solidify. About an hour later, I removed it, put on the top layer, finished frosting (did refrig. the remaining frosting for 30 min. of that hour) and then stuck it back in the refrigerator.
This frosting acts more liked a whipped cream frosting which needs to be kept cool and refrigerated.
Hey!
I am sorry and I don’t know if you said it somewhere else but I couldn’t find it. What was the cake you made this with? Was it the Divine Chocolate one? This is my first time coming to this site. But I found this recipe through pinterest and it looks great. I am a frosting lover so I am interested to see if I will like this. There is a place here in Tampa, FL that has the BEST cupcakes and frosting but it is the most unusal frosting so I am hoping this one is similiar to it. B/c its very light and buttery though the usually the coat the frosting on the top with the sugar crystal sprinkles. So good… I can’t wait to try this! Thanks Casey
Casey – I used the frosting on the Unbelievable Chocolate Cake. Hope you like the frosting if you try it!
[...] ever vanilla cupcake you will ever eat. And the frosting? Don’t even get me started. Mel’s Kitchen Cafe calls it magical, and I definitely think it is enchanted. The frosting takes a little planning, [...]
Mel, can we just adopt you as one of our sisters? I am totally jealous of Erin. Seriously you are amazing! I loved this frosting (and that is understated)! And your vanilla cupcakes are to die for, too. Thanks again for some seriously fabulous recipes.
PS I posted your recipes today at the Sisters Cafe. You rock!
I was sold on this recipe UNTIL I saw it required 3 sticks of butter. 3 sticks?? You have all the fat/oil in the cake and then you slather it was butter?? No wonder you were trembling and weak when eating the frosting… it was probably a mild heart attack. haha
I tried this frosting recipe yesterday and was disappointed with the results. The frosting literally fell off my cupcakes. I have made other flour frostings where you mix the milk and flour first, cool and then add to the butter/sugar mixture and never had this result. Is it possible to overbeat the frosting?
Hi Linda – sorry this frosting didn’t work out for you. Did the frosting fall off the cupcakes because it was too runny? Yes, you probably can overbeat the frosting but it would probably make the frosting very stiff – is that what happened do you think?
Oh my. I must say, I am a sweet frosting fan but this, even though it is not sweet, is DIVINE!!! I am putting it on the sisters cafes lindt truffle stuffed cupcakes and I know it will be perfect with the sweetness in the cupcake. This is much easier than a chocolate frosting I tried that has flour in it. It just takes time. Well worth the wait. I am a huge fan and I am sure this won’t help me to not become huge physically but this is worth every calorie and fat gram. Please make a cookbook Mel. I don’t care if every recipe is on your blog I would still buy it! Love everything that comes from your site!!! Thanks a bazillion.
Mel, may I suggest that you add to this recipe your comment about how I doesn’t work to refrigerate the frosting before piping or spreading this frosting? I had dimmed the comments a week before I made this and must have missed that comment. I was so excited when my frosting worked. It was so tasty and I am glad I indulged myself and had a cupcake with it before I refrigerated the frosting. It was only in the fridge about 5 hours and I tried letting it sit and un-chill and then I rewhipped it….and
. It does not taste as good as when it was fresh. I am glad I tried it fresh because if I hadn’t, I don’t think I would make this again. For me, I will only use this frosting if I have time to prepare it and serve it fresh. I am taking the cupcakes to my family dinner today but my opinion if it has that much butter in it it has to taste incredible or it’s not worth the calories and fat grams. This stuff is definitely worth it, as long as you eat it when it’s fresh. Thanks for an awesome recipe.
I have been using your recipes for a long time with great success but have never commented on your site…but after making this frosting I just HAVE to thank you:) I made it with your chocolate cake recipe for my little boy’s birthday but I added chunks of oreos to the cake and then whipped crushed oreos into the frosting. Honestly, I can’t believe any of the frosting actually made it onto the cake! My boys (I have 4 like you) were begging for spoonfuls of it. My husband NEVER eats cake but I made him taste this frosting and he ended up eating 2 pieces! It really is magic! I’m sad for all the commenters who said it didn’t work for them because it is amazing! Thanks.
Can I freeze the frosting. We are going up north and I want everything already made. This was amazing! I just made it for my son’s 1st birthday party.
Michelle – unfortunately, I wouldn’t suggest freezing this frosting. I’m sorry! I hope you have a way to make it work still. If you DID freeze it and it worked, be sure to let me know! I’m thinking it might have a weird, separated texture if it is frozen and defrosted.
This recipe is my favorite! You could also add a little Amaretto Extract to it if you can find any. I have never been able to.
Yummy Frosting!
1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening
8 oz cream cheese, softened
(Whip these together very well)
2 LBS powder sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla (not imitation, it makes a big difference trust me)
1/2 tsp. pure Almond Extract
1/2 tsp. Coconut Extract
Add milk to desired consistency, I use about 1/4 cup, or even a little less. Depends on how thick you like it. You can also use coconut milk if you are making coconut cup cakes just make sure to add a little more coconut extract if you do. I personally like it with just regular milk.
Oh my gosh! I, like you am a frosting hater. I usually scrape it off to the side, but not any more
since finding this recipe 3 days ago, I’ve made it with your chocolate cake recipe into cupcakes twice! I’m going to be huge from eating it all the time. It’s hard not to eat 6 cupcakes a day! I’m breastfeeding twins and they get so upset when I eat chocolate but I can’t help it, I’ll deal with gassy babies just to have this frosting on your chocolate cake 
thanks so much for sharing! Btw, my Dh has approved of the both the chocolate cake and frosting too, which is huge because he swore I already had the best recipe!
Just an update: I had leftover frosting that I refrigerated for 3 days then took out the morning I needed it and used it about 8 hours later and the texture was perfect, like fresh. I didn’t re-whip it.
Do you think that this frosting needs to be refrigerated? I made this today for my son’s birthday tomorrow…
Maria – yes, this frosting needs to be refrigerated long term. Did it work out?
[...] were phenomenal, to say the least! The other 2 recipes I’ve included from Sweetapolita and Mel’s kitchen Cafe are highly reviewed and recommended all over the blogosphere. We look forward to trying both of [...]
I made this for a birthday cake recently and it was completely awesome! I doubled the recipe because I was making an 11×15 sheetcake and I wanted to decorate it. I chilled the “decorator” icing for just about 20 minutes and it piped beautifully. I even had some leftover. Bummer!
This will definitely be a go-to recipe for me in the future. I made a half chocolate-half red velvet cake and it was awesome on both. I am pretty sure it would make cardboard taste good. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Mel!!
My son and daughter both share the same birthday, it is on Sat. Oct 1st. I was going to make the unbelievable chocolate cake for my son, and do your vanilla buttermilk cupcakes for my daughter. I want to use this frosting for both the cake and cupcakes. I take it I have to double the recipe for this frosting to have enough to frost the cake and cupcakes right? Also, their party is on Sat. at 1:00. Would it be best to make the frosting in the morning that day or the night before? Thanks in advance!!!
Hi Kristen – sounds like a fun birthday bash! In answer to your question, yes, I would double the recipe. I have a feeling you’ll have some leftover but I don’t think one batch will be enough to do both the cake and cupcakes. I haven’t had great success making this frosting in advance, although several other commenters have said it works just fine to make it the night before. If you have the time, I would say make it the morning of for the best results. Good luck!
To save time, I’ve made the flour mixture the day before with great success, that way you only need to beat the butter in, instead of having to wait for it to cool.
I’ve made this frosting twice. I made it yesterday and it was gobbled up by my co-workers in less than 2 hours. I had to make another cake for today because I was craving a slice so badly.
I absolutely love your recipes and have placed you in my permanent read section! Your version of this frosting (adding the sugar in the cooking process) is fantastic and eliminates a good step that would probably make the icing grainy if added after the cooking process. I really really really appreciate your tips and side notes and updates. Keep up the great work or I’ll wither and die into a crumpled mess of flour and sugar!
Hi, I’m thinking of putting this frosting on cupcakes, but you mentioned that it doesn’t really hold up when piped? would it be firm enough to make swirls on cupcakes like regular buttercream? Thanks a lot!
Ruby – I think the frosting is a bit harder to pipe if doing fine details, but I’ve used it to pipe large swirls on cupcakes and it works great.
Hi, I’d like to put this frosting on cupcakes, but you mentioned that its consistency might not hold up being piped like a regular buttercream(?). Would it be too soft to create swirls on cupcakes? Thank you!
wao sorry, didn’t see your response. Thanks a lot! (running to the kitchen!:))
So, I love this frosting as much as you do
I plan on using it this weekend on cupcakes – have you ever ended up piping with it and, if so, did it work? Also, can you add food coloring to this one? I’m going back and forth between coloring it and just using colored sugar on top . .. I don’t want to mess up the consistancy of the frosting.
I did just see in the comments (should have read some of them first) that you said it does work to do the piping on the cupcakes; do you have an opinion on adding food coloring?
Also, the last time I made this frosting – I didn’t want to frost all of the cupcakes at once since it was just for my family. I just kept the frosting in the fridge and we used it when we wanted a cupcake. It stayed perfect; like it was fresh but I did not re-whip it. It was hard to spread being that it was firm and cold though!
Jackie – I’ve never added food coloring to this frosting…I think it might work although I would add it right at the end of whipping so the frosting doesn’t get overwhipped. My only concern is since the frosting is so buttery, with coloring, I”m wondering if the color will fully absorb or if it will look grainy?? Not sure, but it’s worth a try. Let me know how it goes if you try it out!
I’m trying this for the first time and I cooked it for quite sometime and it started to catch on the bottom (will use a double boiler next time), and mine also is the consistency of condensed milk. Could this recipe work with 2 cans of condensed milk or do you need the thickening cornstarch and flour mixture to set up the frosting?
Ron – I’ve never tried it with the sweetened condensed milk so I’m not sure about the answer. My inclination is to think that the frosting needs the cornstarch and flour to thicken and whip properly.
Oh my gosh! I tried this recipe with brown sugar on carrot and banana cupcakes, delicious!
Oh, I’ve added food coloring plenty of times and it works beautifully! I add it at the end of whipping. I’ve used this for piping all my cupcakes and it pipes and holds forever! I also live in Alaska though so no worry about it being too hot
I made this frosting for my sisters birthday last night. As I was adding butter I was taste testing. I also had my daughter get in on the action. We only used 2-1/2 cups butter and added 1/2 cup powdered sugar at the end. My sister and everyone at her house raved about the frosting. It will be my go to frosting (and my sisters too) from now on. Thanks.
Oops sorry, I meant 2-1/2 sticks of butter, not 2-1/2 cups. Yikes!
Thanks for the recipe. My husband and I don’t usually like frosting either. But we had to make cupcakes today for my daughter’s birthday and we loved this. It is so light and creamy, not greasy, and it tastes like Whipped Cream Frosting. I agree with others who said that the flavor seemed to improve even more after sitting about an hour. And I didn’t have any milk in the house, so I used Almond Breeze Almond Milk – unsweetened vanilla, and it was wonderful.
I just posted an eggnog version of this! If you like eggnog you should check it out. Thanks so much for the recipe – I LOVED it.
So yummy!! I made the chocolate version to go along with your chocolate cake recipe! I am never disappointed when I make your recipes
This is my go to recipe website!
I loved this buttercream- it was definitely a hit. I had a little trouble piping it though. Any suggestions for getting the right firmness for piping? Thanks.
Kristy – I usually have to refrigerate it a little longer to pipe it. It definitely is on the softer side, though.
I made it last night for a wonderful chococalte cake. It is awesome. Still I feel I don’t reach the perfect moist, but will work on it. Thanks for your tips!
What a wonderful find! I’ve made this twice now, and used it on my chocolate cupcakes as the final, beautiful counterpoint to the ganache I’ve dipped the cupcakes in. I think I may tweak just slightly with a pinch of salt next time, since I use unsalted butter, but I can’t really imagine it being much better. I use the chocolate cake recipe with the buttermilk and the cocoa, and put a Hershey’s kiss in the center. I think maybe I swiped the idea from the Pioneer woman, but your icing makes it the bomb!
[...] Frosting Source: Mels Kitchen Cafe [...]
I am making the frosting for the first time as vanilla. I’ve been using cocoa powder to turn it into a deliciously milky chocolate frosting and can’t pull myself away from it. I just tasted the vanilla frosting and it holds true to the magical words. I don’t use a strainer and just dump it all in the pot and use all flour cause i forgot the cornstarch the first time and didn’t notice a difference… Soo good!
I have tried this 3 times and failed. The sugar in the blend scorches before it gets thick. I wisk constantly over med to low heat. It never gets near as thick as I know it should. I thought perhaps there was a typo in the milk amount. What might I be doing wrong? H-E-L-P!!! It looks great in the pics!
That’s weird, I even leave mine unattended for a bit and mine never scorches. Don’t give up, this is th best frosting ever!
Carol – what type of pan/pot are you using? Is it really thin on the bottom? I’ve never had trouble with this scorching but I use a heavy-bottomed pot (nothing extravagant or expensive but definitely not thin aluminum). That would be my main guess if you are whisking constantly over heat that isn’t cranked up too high.
I have RevereWare, so I’m guessing it is not the pan. It took about 20 minutes to get to a reasonably thick gravy-like texture. I will purchase some whole milk and try that. (I also used 1%) The only other thing I can think of is my cornstarch. I’ve had the same box for quite some time. Does it ever really go “bad”? I just got thinking about that.
Carol – hmmm, I’m not sure about cornstarch going bad but since it is fairly inexpensive, it may be worth picking up a new box and trying it, although I’m not sure why it would contribute to the sugar scorching. Good luck!
Note to Carol….I had the same problem…..solution…..DOUBLE BOILER! Has been great ever since. Once it thickens I put it in an icebath to cool it down and it’s ready to use in less than 15 minutes. Thanks again Mel….great frosting!
Thanks for the tip, Ron. I will try my double boiler next time. Mel, I just replaced my cornstarch today (just in case that was a contributor), so I’m good to go! Perhaps I’ll get a chance to give it another shot next week! Crossing my fingers!
Hello. My name is Enaj. I have just met you, and I love you
I found your site through Annie’s Eats and started browsing through your recipes. When I stumbled across this one, I was skeptical. Like you, I hate butter-based frosting (always too greasy, always too sickly-sweet). “Magical Frosting?” Not likely, I said. But, I swear, the absolute moment I put a finger-full of this heavenly stuff on my tongue, I was hooked. Goodbye cream cheese frostings, goodbye substandard buttercreams, this is my new go-to frosting recipe.
I’m actually quite embarrassed to admit this, but, I made this frosting to go with your “Unbelievable Chocolate Cake” and I am, at this very moment, waiting for it to cool to room temp. to be frosted. That’s right, this frosting tastes so incredible that I couldn’t even wait to put it on the cake before commenting on how much I love it. It’s perfectly sweet and flavorful and silky smooth.
This is the first of your recipes that I’ve tried and, I guarantee, it will not be the last. Let me say again, I love you … and this frosting.
Delicious! I made this for the first time today. I was nervous because my milk mixture didn’t thicken very much, or not as much as the recipe seems to say. However, i let it cool completely, and whipped in margarine (had this one hand, instead of butter) and it light, fluffy, and delicious!! I also put it in the fridge and it thickened more, so expect it will be great to pipe (haven’t tried that yet). Don’t be intimidated by this recipe- it works!!
My middle son (6 years) just requested this for his birthday, – “no cake Mama, just this frosting”. And I agree – a keeper for sure!!
Could you give me this recipe cut in thirds? Like using 1 stick of butter not 3..and so on.
Thank you!
Hi Ann – I wouldn’t recommend cutting this recipe into thirds…it is definitely best made with the full batch. I’ve had funny things happen to it when I’ve tried to cut it down. If you really want to try, you’ll have to figure out the math on the ingredients – I don’t want to mess it up for you. Good luck!
Hi Mel! I’m new here, I discovered your wonderful site a few days ago. I plan to make the chocolate version of this magical frosting on Friday but I have a question. After melting the chocolate and waiting for it to come to room temperature, will it harden again once it reaches room temp? Should I just wait until it is cool to the touch?
Thank you for any advice!
I’m also wondering if you would recommend halving this recipe? I was going to try out two chocolate frosting recipes on Friday to compare chocoalteyness and I would prefer not to have a huge amount leftover.
Hi Gina – the chocolate shouldn’t harden if it is being cooled just to room temperature…I think we are thinking the same thing – “cool to the touch” is another indicator the chocolate is ready to be used. You just don’t want it warm at all or it will melt the frosting. Also, I mentioned in a comment above that I haven’t had the best success halving this recipe – it didn’t quite work out. You might have different results so I’ll leave it up to you whether you want to halve it but my recommendation would be to stick with the full recipe if you want “true” results. Good luck!
[...] For some fancy, light, and delicious icing, check put this magical wondermousness. [...]
Hello Mel, I just made this frosting earlier today for the first time with chocolate cake and it was really delicious. I added 2 sticks of butter and 8 ounces of cream cheese as I wanted to make it less buttery and it was perfect. I had no problems with the frosting separating or not working except for waiting for the flour mixture to cool down! It is really the best frosting and magical which will become my go-to frosting now instead of the meringue-based buttercreams or the overly sweet traditional icings. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!
I wanted to add that I thought this had flopped because it looked like it was starting to separate after beating for 5 mintues…however, I placed it in the frig and it totally stiffened up perfectly. And the taste is amazing…so don’t throw it out too soon!
I am new to baking, when you say 1 1/2 cups milks are you referring to the liquid measuring cup or the usual measuring cup which is used to measure the flour? Thanks !
Rohini – I measure the 1 1/2 cups milk in a liquid measuring cup.
I am a butter cream hater and I have spent ending hours on the internet searching for a good substitute.. I had bookmarked this recipe for a while and I made it 2 days back and it was truly MAGICAL!!! Thank you very much Mel for sharing this great recipe with all of us!!!
This is the traditional red velvet cake frosting old timey Southern cooks used to use. I made it and it came out perfectly. When I achieved full large boiling bubbles the frosting suddenly completely thickened. I let it fully cool, and the butter was completely room temp. I was surprised at how quickly the butter incorporated because I had tried Swiss meringue in the past with disastrous results.
Next time I am going to try partial cream cheese b/c that sounds really good.
Well, having made this already three times I thought I would add to the comments. The comments helped me decide to make these and I appreciate them and enjoy reading through them. I too started with the PW’s recipe but ended up with lumpy frosting so I googled that and got your blog page about it. Your frosting is much tastier and the people I served it to were quite impressed. The only thing I can add or reiterate (if anyone will read this far) is to cover the flour mixture with plastic wrap while it cools so it doesn’t get the “skin” on it. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Made the chocolate version for my son’s “football” birthday cake. I added brown food coloring to make it darker and used 5 oz. dark/semisweet combination for the added chocolate. Received rave reviews!
Oh, and I sped up the cooling process by placing the bowl over a bowl of ice water.
Mel…..this is my all time favorite frosting and has been for YEARS! This frosting is the classic one for Red Velvet Cake…..but recently I’ve noticed that people use a cream cheese frosting for it. In my (and my family and friend’s) opinions, this is the best!
Is there any way to make this frosting stable enough to decorate cake? Will adding some shortening help?
Rohini – do you mean making it stable enough to pipe with? I’ve piped with it several times and while it is on the softer side, it still manages star tip and other fine tips well enough (although isn’t stiff enough in my opinion for extravagant roses or other flowers). I don’t think adding shortening will help it stiffen more – perhaps powdered sugar or just extra time chilling in the refrigerator.
Hi
Would love to give this ago… But wanting to put it under Fondant on a cake not cupcakes…. Has anybody tried this? Or would you think it being too soft to go under Fondant? (Don’t want it to slide off!!)
Thanks
I would like to let you know you have this frosting recipe down to a T. I’ve made it several times over the past 6 months and it gets rave reviews. The thickness of the cooked ‘batter’ has varied for me but it always seems to still turn out great. It’s my favourite frosting in the world and I am also not a big frosting fan. I love this and your pretzel recipe so much. Please keep up the excellent work, my co workers and tastebuds thank you, my thighs curse you hehehe…
Hey Mel,
I am getting ready to make this and the unbelivable chocolate cakef or my boyfriend college gtaduation this saturday and I was wondering for the chocolate version do you still add the vanilla?
Abby – yes, I still add the vanilla with the chocolate version.
Hi there,
Just a suggestion for the chocolate version, I grew up with my mom making a version of this frosting. She made the best chocolate frosting. I still don’t have the full recipe but it is similar to this one. If you’d like a suggestion to making the chocolate version darker and more chocolate-y then replace the milk with chocolate milk!! I promise. It will give you the desired effect and you will love it even better!
hi, this looks great and i can’t wait to try as an alternative to overly sweet fatty icing recipes. is there any way you can convert the recipe to weighed measurements? i find american cup sizes are different to europe and don’t want to ruin the ratio of quantities (eg how much is a stick of butter?). would be much appreciated as i will be guessing and ‘googleing’ otherwise!
Hi Abigail – I am far from an expert on converting to weighted measures. You should probably trust a google search more than my attempt…sorry I can’t be of more help!
This is the best frosting ever. I use it on my red velvet cake all the time and it is always a favorite. You are right it doesn’t whip well the next day or after it has been frozen, I tried that at Christmas. I will have to try the chocolate version though.
Hi! This recipe looks amazinggg!!! However, after I spread it on a layered cake, can I refrigerate the cake, or will the frosting harden and turn yucky? Should this frosting be kept at room temp?
I tried to make this just tonight, and I can’t get it right. I followed instructions to the t, and on the stove, it just wont harden. i tried hand whisping, machine whisping for 20 minutes.. i can’t figure it out :/
im not much of a baker, maybe thats why :/
please help, im having a party soon and id like to test/master this before then!
Hi Sarang – without actually being in your kitchen with you, I can’t be sure of exactly what happened, but one thing to make sure of is that the stovetop mixture cools completely before whipping the frosting with butter. That’s usually the main reason the frosting won’t whip and become stiff. I’m sorry it didn’t work out!
Katree – I frost cakes with this recipe and then refrigerate them and it works just fine as long as I take the cake out of the refrigerator 3-4 hours before I want to serve it. It can also be kept at room temperature for, I’d say, up to 8 hours without refrigerating.
I never have time to cook and am not very good at it, but I tried this frosting. It turned out GREAT the first time! It is delicious! My husband always wants the whipped frosting when I buy birthday cakes from Walmart (yes, I am usually too busy to cook them) and now that I have make a cake with this frosting, he told me to never buy another one. What have I gotten myself into? If I can do it, anyone can do it, just be sure to follow the directions precisely. Thank you for sharing!
I just made the frosting tonight & after reading the comments about having a problem with the lack of thickening on the stove I found a solution that worked for me. I had the burner on med-hi heat and whisked for 10 minutes but it was just as one described (like gravy) and not thick at all. I went back and noticed that Mel said it should be boiling. So I upped the heat to high until it started to boil, constantly whisking. As soon as it started to boil, I turned down the heat to med-hi and then it was within a few minutes it was thick like paste! It worked great. I thought my observation might help another. {By the way, the frosting tastes and looks AMAZING!!! Thank you so much!!!}
Do you think using a gluten free flour blend would be a workable substitute?
Ann – I don’t know since I’m not very familiar with gluten-free substitutes. Let me know if you try it and how it works out!
My friend kimmie told me about this site after she made this frosting for her sons 1st birthday party yesterday and i was phenominal! she is a journalist for our Journal Gazette news paper and has a blog, she is always trying new things to share with her readers and this recipe is great! shell actually be on the today show with Kathy lee tomorrow (monday 7/9) talking about it so anything she recommends to us we all try and usually love!