The Best Frosting {a.k.a. Magical Frosting}
This magical frosting is simply the BEST frosting ever. It requires a bit more planning than every day buttercream, but the results are worth it.
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}.
The Best Frosting of My Life
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 best 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
The Best Frosting {a.k.a. Magical Frosting}
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (36 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups milk, I use 1% or 2%
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) butter, cut into 24 pieces and softened at room temperature (I use salted butter)
Instructions
- 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
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Country Oct/Nov 2010
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! 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?
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 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!
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 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!
Abby – yes, I still add the vanilla with the chocolate version.
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?
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…
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
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.
Is there any way to make this frosting stable enough to decorate cake? Will adding some shortening help?
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!
Oh, and I sped up the cooling process by placing the bowl over a bowl of ice water.
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!
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!
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.
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!!!
Rohini – I measure the 1 1/2 cups milk in a liquid measuring cup.
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 !
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!
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!!
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!
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 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!
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!
Could you give me this recipe cut in thirds? Like using 1 stick of butter not 3..and so on.
Thank you!
My middle son (6 years) just requested this for his birthday, – “no cake Mama, just this frosting”. And I agree – a keeper for sure!! 🙂
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!! 🙂
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.
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! 🙂
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!
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!
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 – 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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
Kristy – I usually have to refrigerate it a little longer to pipe it. It definitely is on the softer side, though.
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.
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 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.
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.
Oops sorry, I meant 2-1/2 sticks of butter, not 2-1/2 cups. Yikes!
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.
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 🙁
Oh my gosh! I tried this recipe with brown sugar on carrot and banana cupcakes, delicious!
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.