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
You will love this frosting forever. I’ve been using it for 40 years. For spice cakes I add cinnamon always and other spices depending on if its spice cake, carrot cake, banana cake. Awesome on lemon cake, orange pineapple cakes as well. Enjoy it as much as we do!!
Made this last night, was kind of skeptical if it would be as good as it claims, or if it would be a waste of 3 sticks of butter…. But it was FABULOUS !!!! perfect sweetness, perfect smoothness, wonderful flavor, great, great frosting! Adding it to my recipe box, my new “go to” frosting recipe! Used it on a funfetti cake, everyone who tried it loved it! I used my kitchenaid to whip it up, followed the recipe exactly.
The frosting was okay. I made it just as instructed. It was light & fluffy & full of vanilla, but it tasted a little more like cake batter than frosting to me; that actually may be what you are looking for though. Even with the addition of the other ingredients, I was still able to discern a floury taste in the final product. Not bad, but definitely not the #1 icing I have ever made.
Oh my! I literally just finished making this and had to come review. This is exactly what I have been looking for in a frosting; light, fluffy and not overly sweet! Thanks Mel
The frosting and cake/frosting needs to be stored in the refrigerator, because of the cooked flour/milk mixture. 🙂 🙂
I tried this today and was a little disappointed. It’s good, but I don’t know if I would call it “magical”. I tried the chocolate version of the recipe, and it was very light and fluffy (so it would be perfect if that’s the kind of frosting you like), but I realized after making it that I prefer a more fudgey frosting.
Thanks for the interesting recipe though! I will keep this one filed away for the day when I need something really light and fluffy.
OMG, this looks delish! I will try for sure!
Layla – I’ve never really changed up the extracts but I know several other people have used lemon extract in the comments. I’d say give it a try!
Hi there…this frosting is so fantastic, I’ve made it a few times now as is, but I’m wondering (and terribly sorry if this was already addressed!) if you think it would be as successful if I substituted different extracts for the vanilla? I was thinking about trying strawberry but am not sure…do you think it would still work? Thanks!
Hi Mel,
Thanks for your reply, I really appreciate it. I ended up substituting 1/2 cup of milk for lemon juice and used 1.5 tsp of lemon extract instead of 2 tsp vanilla extract. It was AMAZING! The creaminess wasn’t noticeably different but as a lemon lover, I’d sacrifice some cream for lemon anytime! I’ve only used 1% milk every time I made your recipe so perhaps my batches are not as creamy to start with. I’m very happy with the results using 1% milk. Thank you for sharing your recipe! It’s truely delicious!
Hmm, I love love love this frosting but I’m wondering if it can be made into a lemon frosting. Any ideas? Sub some of the milk for lemon juice? Or do you think I’m better off looking for a lemon curd whipped with butter frosting? Thanks in advance!
Hi Judy – I’ve never made it into lemon frosting so you’d have to experiment a bit. I don’t know if I would sub the milk for lemon juice since the milk is integral to the creaminess, but you could try adding lemon extract and/or lemon zest.
I made this frosting a few weeks back for a chocolate cake and oh my is it yummy!!! It was a winner with everyone who ate it. We all found that it was much better after being refrigerated. This will be my stand by frosting from now on. I plan to make Christmas cupcakes this weekend and will be serving to a large crowd. I have no doubt they will be pleased. Thank you for sharing!
You can cook the plain version and add cocoa powder after butter has been incorporated into the frosting. As much or as little as you’d like. Also try some instant coffee, or a tablespoonful or two of rum/cognac. yum!
Hello, I hate super sweet frosting and I tried your recipe after fringing it on google. It was AMAZING! I was afraid it would be too heavy because of all the butter but it was so fluffy it wasn’t heavy at all! I absolutely love it. Thank you for sharing!
Mel – thank you… you made my day yesterday (3 sticks is 340g of butter 😛 )
I have finished frosting yesterday night and decorated my black and white cupcakes to be ready for my today’s 30th Bday 🙂 the frosting is like nothing I have every tasted before – I love it. THANKS for sharing….It is my favorite from now on
Karolina – you can google that info, too, but I believe one stick of butter is 4 ounces (so 3 sticks would be 12 ounces).
I will but could you at least tell me how much ounces is 3 sticks of butter?
Karolina – you’ll probably need to google that information since I’m not an expert at converting to grams.
Hi, ccould u tell me how much grams is 24 table spoons of butter as i live in poland and we have different weight for butter sticks comparing to u.
I was very excited to try this recipe. I was just looking for something a little different. However, I wouldn’t make this one again. It was just so so to me. I thought it was way too buttery. It did look a bit greasy from the butter. It was very light in texture though. I thought it was plenty sweet enough. It was fun to make and good to try something different. Thanks for sharing
If you like frosting with confectioner sugar you might think this isn’t sweet enough. I happen to dislike frosting with CS, and I think this is absolutely wonderful. It’s not gritty or overly sweet like most CS recipes.
Im so used to using confect sugar for icing….is this granulated sugar recipe really that good? Better than powdered sugar recipes???
I adapted your recipe last night and made a cream cheese version. My husband is still raving about it this morning! I only used one stick of butter and added 12 oz. of cream cheese (in place of the other two sticks of butter). I could put my face in the bowl! True, it takes a little longer but it’s so worth it. Thanks for posting your recipe!
i was wondering if it matter if you use butter or margine
Best. Frosting. EVER. Period. Utterly amazing with your chocolate cake recipe. Together they are an EXPERIENCE, not a dessert!
Thank you so much! I have been looking for a frosting recipe without powdered sugar (and artificial sweeteners) for awhile, as one of my little guys is intolerant to sugar and we use HONEY. I made the first part with honey-using the exact amount of honey as called for with sugar since some said it wasn’t sweet (and honey is sweeter)-and I wish I would have used less because it is SWEET! I just mixed in the butter … and it was SO MUCH FUN watching the frosting mix on medium-high for 5 minutes! YUMM!!! It has turned out so nicely! Next time I am going to add some cream cheese in place of butter … just to help counter the honey taste a little bit. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This is AWESOME!
Hi! I’m going to be trying this frosting for my Thanksgiving brown butter pumpkin cupcakes this week… Do you think if I just add some cinnamon that would work? Or is there maybe a way to make this a salted caramel frosting? I may have to do a test run! Thanks!
Love this frosting! Made this in Home Ec. when I was in high school.
my aunt makes this icing. i’ve never had luck recreating her masterpiece. i haven’t tried in years, i think it’s time to try again!
I just made this tonight. AMAZING! My kids went crazy for it. I couldn’t keep my 8 year old son away from it. SO light and fluffy. YUM! Thanks!
Kelsey – nope, I’ve only ever used semisweet chocolate. I think bittersweet would be ok, especially if you prefer the taste anyway.
I also make this frosting with a teaspoon of banana flavoring. It tastes like the filling in Twinkies. :0)
Have you tried this with bittersweet chocolate instead of semi-sweet? I tend to go more for the darker stuff. Just curious. I’ve had this with the semi-sweet and it’s delicious, so I don’t want to mess with a good thing.
Mossy – I don’t know the conversion to grams but I think there are conversion calculators online if you google them.
Heey!!
I loved the recipe!! But I have a doubt!! How many grams is it per butter stick?
Hi MeL 🙂
I tried this frosting recipe last night with your cupcake recipe. I loved it! I saved some for my work buddies tomorrow. Let’s see what they say. 🙂
I personally didn’t like cupcake icing or frosting. They are too sweet for my liking. So I usually scrape them off and just eat the cake part, which is also sweet.
I’m not sure if I did your cupcake recipe right, but the cake wasn’t sweet! My boyfriend was a little disappointed (he has sweet tooth) but after we pipe this magical frosting on the cupcake, it became a hit! My brother, his girlfriend, their friend liked it too! Even my so-freaking-hard-to-please mother said that it was nice. I ate a few too.
Thanks for the recipe! And thank whoever posted it on pinterest!
I will definitely try a few more from your “the best recipes” page! 😀
Just any FYI…..I tried this with honey and it is delicious!! Some people told me it was even better than the original! Seems to have a fluffier texture, almost whipped cream like. I was stil able to pipe with it too. I used 1/2 c of honey in place of 1/2 c of sugar.
Mmmm… Flashback to my grandmother’s kitchen! This icing on a dark chocolate cake is fondly known as a Black Beauty Cake in my family. It thrills my heart to know it is not a lost art!! I was simply doing some late night browsing, but now have a plan for tomorrow morning 😉
Thanks Ladies!!!!
Mel! I’ve made this unbelievably divine frosting a few times before (it’s my most favorite frosting of all time btw). And I just made it again last night for some spiced apple cupcakes I was making for work. And I mixed in your Divine Caramel Sauce because I wanted to make “caramel apple cupcakes.” And wow is it good! I mixed in just enough sauce to give it a slight caramel flavor, I piped it on the cupcakes and then drizzled more caramel on the top. I can’t tell you how good it was. I was almost tempted to fill a bowl with frosting (pretend it was ice cream) and drizzle it with the caramel. Ok… I was tempted but I just did a spoonful, haha. So I just wanted to say again how much I love this frosting. And the caramel sauce too! Thank you!
Just had to make this today- the first recipe I tried on my new stand mixer- yay! I’m a buttercream afficienado-always on the search for a great frosting. It was truly delish, not difficult to make, & made plenty! I think it tastes like cake batter (like pound cake??)…thanks for sharing!
Delicious, just made this and it is the best frosting ever!!!!
OMG!!! This is amazing!!! I was looking for a fluffy frosting for sandwich sugar cookies, and this fit the bill perfectly! I, too, really don’t care for buttercream frosting. I love whipped cream frosting, but it’s just not stable enough for long. This frosting is like buttercream and whipped cream frosting had a perfect love child!!!
I am wondering if you think I could use honey instead? I LOVE this frosting and have made it many, many times according to your recipe. But, I need a honey frosting and since I am spoiled with this frosting and hoping the honey would work. Thanks! 🙂
Sue – I’ve never tried this with honey. It probably will just have to be a trial and error if you are looking for a honey frosting. Good luck if you try it!
Erica – feel free to read through the comments – others have asked this same thing. It fares best at cool room temperature (gets a little melty in too warm of weather).
Tricia – I use salted butter and yes, I have piped with it before.
A – I’ve only ever used cornstarch and haven’t tried other substitutions.
This is the only frosting I use on Red Velvet cake! It is so much better than Cream Cheese frosting on Red Velvet.
Could I use cornflour instead of cornstarch in this? Or normal flour?
Do you use real butter for the magical frosting, and if so, salted or unsalted? And, did you ever try piping/decorating with it?
Thanks!
Hi! will this frosting hold up in warm weather? 🙂 thanks!
Shelley – yes, I’ve piped with it and it works great!
Oh my goodness! I made this for my husband’s birthday cake yesterday, and it was amazing! I made a Chai Spice version….I almost ate the bowl full after the first boiling step!!! lol Everyone loved it, but I will say it makes a lot more frosting than I would normally need, I think next time I’ll try a half batch. 🙂