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}.
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 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk (I use 1% or 2%)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 24 tablespoons (3 sticks) 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
Plan Ahead: this frosting takes a bit of advance planning since the frosting needs time to cool so plan ahead!
Frosting: 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.
Piping the Frosting: 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.
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. This makes 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.
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I made this with brown sugar and put it on carrot cake, AMAZING! My picky husband loved it (he hate cream cheese frosting). As always, your recipes never disappoint. Thank you!
I made this icing and it was wonderful. Yes, a little more effort, but this icing is much, much better than anything else I’ve tried!
This was light, fluffy, not too sweet. Topped delicious chocolate cupcakes with this wonderful frosting and it was delightful. This was exactly the alternative to buttercream I needed! We do so much buttercream and this was just wonderful to change things up. I was a little intimidated by it but when I made it was simple and your instructions Mel were so easy to follow Thanks!!
Yes this is an OLD tried and true recipe that I have been using in my bakery for close to 50 years. Definately worth the little extra time.
Any tips or ideas on how I could make this strawberry flavour with real strawberries? Or any Berry really?
The best way to flavor frosting with a fruit flavor is to use freeze-dried fruit (and pulverize them in to a fine powder and blend with the frosting).
I love this frosting! I have been using it for about 4 years with many compliments. I was wondering if you have tried piping it yet, and if so, could you update the recipe please with your results? Thank you very much!
Yes, it pipes well if it’s chilled until more set up.
Can you use arrowroot instead of
cornstarch?
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure, sorry!
This is truly magical frosting. Thank you for sharing your recipe. It worked really well and its delicious too.
What about using whole milk or heavy whipping cream in place of the 1 or 2% milk?
I think heavy cream will affect the texture (not in a good way) but I think whole milk should work just fine.
I made it yesterday with whole milk and it was great! My husbands wanting me to incorporate white chocolate on the next batch. Have you tried this? If so, how much white chocolate and how much of the granulated sugar would you cut out to keep it from being overly sweet?
I haven’t tried it – sorry! Good luck if you experiment!
Would this work without cornstarch?
No, leaving out the cornstarch will affect the consistency.
I used soya milk and vegan margarine, as my son has a dairy allergy. It came out perfect and was surprisingly quite tasty despite the slightly bland substitutes.
Did you find the soya milk imparted a strong flavor?
love this frosting so much tastier than any frosting i have made before. i used it on my last 2 daughters b day cakes. one was just plain frosted and the other was used to frost the jack skeleton pull away cupcakes. everyone says how delicious it is to i wont go back!
How many grams for the 1/4 cup of flour? I find volume to be a little bit hit or miss, as some people do the spoon into measuring cup then level, and some people go straight into bag which is packed flour and much denser. Any tips? Thank you!
It’s probably right around 36 grams.
Mel ~
Could I do the first phase of the icing 2 days ahead and then resume with the mixture at room temperature and incorporating the butter? I’m trying to make the best use of my time – any advice is much appreciated!
Yes, you definitely can!
Would it be ok to refrigerate the cake once it is frosted? For up to 1 day? Or would that ruin the frosting, too?
Yes, that’s fine. Just take the cake out in time to soften the frosting a bit at room temperature.
Can I make the flour mixture and store it in the fridge overnight then bring it to room temperature and add the butter?
Yes, I think so
This is by far one of the best frostings I’ve ever made or tasted. I’ll definitely have to keep it as a “birthday only” kind of special recipe because I really kept eating just.one.more.bite. over and over again…just to get to that frosting. It’s dangerously good! Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!
Did I miss how to store this once the cake is frosted? May I frost the night before, refrigerate, then serve the cake the next day??
Thanks!
Usually this is what I do but this DELICIOUS sounding frosting also sounds finicky with temperature 😉
Hi Melanie, yes, you can frost and refrigerate overnight. It helps to take the cake out several hours to soften since the icing will harden a bit.
Have you tried piping this frosting? Thinking about trying it on cupcakes for my daughters birthday.
Yes, I’ve piped it before. It’s on the soft side so it doesn’t work for super crisp decorations, but I’ve used it for stars and shells and such.
A funny little story about this frosting and a secret…..I was trying to impress my boyfriends family at a first meeting dinner. They suggested I bring dessert. So I googled “best frosting ever“ because they suggested some kind of cake. I came across this recipe, made it for the first time but panicked because i was unsure of how it would set up…..I put it in the fridge…. mistake. Upon arrival to the dinner the frosting was quite hard but still delicious. They said that their secret family recipe was so very similar… And they called theirs “ Mrs. Oliver’s”. Come to find out, theirs is ingredient for ingredient, measurement for measurement the exact same recipe as this recipe. They were a little miffed at me that I somehow had come across a secret family recipe only handed down with the upmost of trust and secrecy. We laugh now!
I have made this recipe over and over again. On hot days it doesn’t set up as well and on certain days certain butters don’t seem to work… I have tried a quarter cup of instant dry milk added to the sugar mixture and I swear the results are a bit more consistent. Hot days don’t seem to melt it when I use this addition. I would love someone else to try it and give me their opinion.
Thank you for the recipe and the memory!
Wow, sounds like they wanted to set you up to disappoint them – why else would they have suggested cake specifically when they had a “secret” awesome frosting recipe? And then they get to say, “well, your cake is good, but it could be improved with our supar sekret family recipe!”
OTOH I may be overly cynical – both my mother and I had horrible experiences with in-laws, even before the marriages. I hope whatever experiences you wind up having, that they’re good. 🙂
Instant dry milk addition is a good tip, thanks!
How much powdered milk did you add to the recipe. It’s pretty hot here. Thanks.
Does this frosting/cake need to be stored in the refrigerator?
If it’s out longer than a couple hours, then yes, I store it in the refrigerator.
This was absolutely amazing! I’m making it again today. It goes wonderfully on chocolate, pound cakes, and probably everything. I did 2/3 of the recipe and it was enough to frost two full cakes from box mix so be wary.
This recipe is excellent!
Do you have a chocolate version of this frosting? Thx!
Never mind. I’m blind!
Hi Mel- Will this make enough for me to frost a three tier (9-inch) cake? Or should I double or half it?
…And thank you for the ideas for lock down birthdays… We have a twins turning 8 tomorrow.
It really depends on how thick the frosting is – I think I’d probably 1 1/2 to be safe.
Oh man, I have been making pioneer woman’s recommended frosting (from Tasty that you linked above) for years and recently discovered through trial and error that if I added the sugar to the hot mixture the results were not grainy! Then I came here and discovered I’m not the only genius, haha! Haven’t tried the cornstarch addition though. Do you think it makes a difference rather than all flour?
I like the texture with cornstarch and flour.
Made with the chocolate cake. Yes it’s more work but totally worth it. Very creamy and not too seat. Another great recipe Mel.
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I can’t wait to try the chocolate version…this will be my “go-to” frosting from now on! -thank you 😉
This is truly the best frosting I’ve ever tasted. I made the chocolate version yesterday for my son’s birthday cake (used Mel’s Best Chocolate Cake recipe). I frosted three 8″ layers with plenty of frosting between each layer and an extra-thick layer around the outside, and I still had about 1-1/2 to 2 cups left for other decorating (or let’s be honest, eating with a spoon), so the yield is perfect. The frosting seemed a little too soft after I added the room temp melted chocolate (60% Ghirardelli chips), so I chilled it/rewhipped it in 20 minute increments until the consistency was firm enough that I thought it wouldn’t slide down the sides of the cake. Everyone thought it was fantastic. My husband said, “I think this is the best cake I’ve ever eaten.” The credit goes to this recipe, though – thank you so much Mel!
When making the chocolate version, what kind of semisweet chocolate do you use? Is it just regular semisweet chocolate chips, or is it the baking chocolate squares?
I’ve used both – if using chocolate chips, I use Guittard or Ghirardelli brands because they melt better.
Best frosting ever ! Used on red velvet cake! It is to die for !
This is probably my favorite frosting recipe ever (And I sell cakes!) This is actually a variation of flour buttercream/ermine buttercream and it is popular because it is less sweet than traditional American buttercream. I have tried other flour buttercream recipes and this is my favorite! Thank you for the recipe
I’m making the choc version today. Think I can sub coffee extract for the vanilla?
Yes, should work great!
Came out perfectly— best frosting ever! I couldn’t stop tasting it! Thank you!!
I could cry this is so delicious. I struggled with other frostings made similar to this, but this one was simple and easy to follow. I want to eat the entire bowl with a spoon.
Do you think I could half this recipe? I have a small batch of frozen cupcakes left over from my daughter’s birthday two weeks ago. I don’t want TOO much frosting, or I will most vmcertainly eat it all! We are isolating at home, so so don’t want to make another huge batch up cupcakes either. I really only need enough to frost about 8 cupcakes.
Yes, it can definitely be halved!
Have you tried to make a cream cheese version of this?
I haven’t, but I think you can sub some of the butter for cream cheese to do that.
This icing I was skepticsl about but Im here to tell ya… Its DEVINE. And I actually lost the recioe last year and have been searching high and low. Found it printed out buried in my kitchen drawer. HAPPY DANCE!!!
I make a similar frosting that goes on my red velvet cake. I use flour and milk and cook until thick, it pulls from the side of the pan. My butter is at room temperature and I cream the sugar and butter until lightly and fluffy and add my vanilla. I add all the milk and flour mixture (it has to be completely cooled) to the butter sugar and beat until until fluffy. I keep my cake in the refrigerator.
That’s the same version I use but I will try this one too. Also, I’ve frozen leftover frosting and it is very good.
This really is the best frosting! It’s hard to explain how or why, it just is. Try it!
Have you tried piping this? I am thinking about trying it on cupcakes for my daughters birthday.
I am excited to try this frosting next time I make a cake! Growing up I hated cake unless it was frosted with a special frosting that was my great grandma’s recipe. It was called gravy frosting or velvet frosting. It is similar to this recipe. It is not too sweet like most buttercreams and has a lovely texture.
The taste of this frosting is amazing but the texture didn’t turn out for me on my first attempt. The second time around I creamed the butter first and then slowly poured in the cooled milk mixture and it was resulted in super creamy, light, glossy whip.
This recipe is perfect! Not too sweet, fluffy. The first time I used it on red velvet cake, my Grandma was happily surprised! Her mother used a recipe very similar to this one, but gradually it’s use in our family disappeared all together. She loved being able to taste what she had growing up! A note for future makers, it really IS important to let the frosting warm back up if you put it in the refrigerator overnight like I do. Once I didn’t let it warm up but started adding butter, and I thought I ruined the frosting! It was a bit separated, it wasn’t turning fluffy. I about died! I kept beating it for about 15 minutes and it finally came together and absorbed the butter like it should! Phew! Also, using too cold of softened butter (my kitchen must be cold!) makes it harder for the butter to absorb. I had butter chunks for a while. Thank you, Mel! You’ve made my ancestors very happy!
Haven’t made it yet. Is it possible to make this strawberry flavor? Thanks
If you mix in pulverized freeze-dried strawberries at the end, it will take on a delightful strawberry flavor.
This is an Ermine Buttercream, one of the 6 buttercreams: American, Ermine, French, German, Swiss, and Italian. It’s the classic, original, and authentic frosting for a Red Velvet Cake. Of the 6 buttercreams, it’s by far the most stable. That’s why southerners originally made this for their Red Velvet Cakes. My recipe calls for 5 T. flour and no cornstarch, so it’s essentially the same. It’s also one of the Pioneer Woman’s favorite frostings to use on any cake. I recently used it pipe onto 350 cupcakes for a kids’ event at our mall.
Did you have to chill it to pipe? Or does it pipe well on cupcakes well at room temperature?
As long as it isn’t overly warm, it works ok to pipe it at room temperature as long as it set up well after mixing.
Made this for the first time today. Cannot get over how smooth, fluffy, and silky it is!! It really is like magic! ! It came out just perfect! It is now my husband ‘s favorite frosting. I was skeptical after I cooked the first part of it. I could not imagine how that was going to turn into frosting. I like the fact that it isn’t sugary sweet like other buttercream frostings. So happy to find this recipe!!
OMG!!!!!! BEST frosting EVER!!! I don’t think I will ever make any other white frosting ever again!
Can this frosting recipe be cut in half and still achieve the perfect results?
Yes
Can you use gluten free flour?
thank you
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure – sorry!
I’m months late, but yes! You can use gluten free frosting. I used a 1 to 1 gluten free flour and the frosting turned out just as great.
My mom has a copy of the original Waldorf Astoria red velvet cake. This is the frosting that was used on it. I will eat red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, but this one is the perfect one for it and what I think a red velvet cake should taste like.
If you have not tried it, you must! I am glad I have it somewhere that it is much easier to access now!
Will this frosting take food coloring and still keep its consistency? I want to use it for my daughters birthday cake?
Yes, but I would recommend using paste/gel food coloring and not liquid food coloring.
Has it been tried using cream, or heavy whipping cream instead of milk? And does this recipe work to pipe a cake flowers decorations?
I haven’t tried subbing in cream. And yes this works to pipe decorations (although it is on the soft side so they may not hold a super crisp shape).
I’m not a professional, but I’m going to make cupcakes for a friends wedding next weekend. It’s suppose to be still around 90 degrees outside, so I’d like to adjust this recipe to make it more heat stable. What if I use “Bettercreme” or non-dairy creamer for the milk and add a couple of tablespoons of powdered meringue to help stabilize it?
Those are all substitutions I haven’t tried so you would have to experiment – good luck!
I love the recipe but I find that the frosting doesnot firm up as shown in the video. Mine comes out more on the runny side. Any advise? I tired beating it more,still the same issue.
Do you think you might need to cook the flour mixture in the first step longer so it is more thick?
Oh my. I was out of powdered sugar so I cringed and made this recipe. I thought for sure I would mess it up somehow seeing how it’s a bit involved. But the end result was fantastic! I made the chocolate version using 4 oz. chocolate and it was so delicious. So glad I gave it a try! Someone suggested in the comments to put the flour/milk mixture in the mixer at low speed to let it cool instead of putting it in the fridge. I tried this, and it took about 25 min. to cool down, but then I could move right to whipping the butter in. It really helped speed things up. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Does this need to be refrigerated or will it stand up in the heat?
It does best at cool room temperature.
I see many reviews stating that this tastes like pure butter and does not work. This has not been the case with me. This has been my go-to frosting for those that want a frosting that is less sweet than the traditional American buttercream. I used an “average” salted butter, nothing fancy. Everyone that I know that has tasted it loved it, and it has been requested repeatedly. Thank you for sharing.
Hi, I have had this recipe for a few years. My cousin gave it to me. It was her moms recipe. It is my absolute favorite go-to recipe
Delicious!! I actually was able to re-whip the leftover icing (we’re talking days later here) by microwaving a small portion (maybe 1-3 TBS) until melty and warm (maybe 10-15 seconds) then reintroducing it to the rest of the cold icing and whipping as usual. It became fluffy and smooth again. Just thought I’d pass that tidbit along 🙂
Hello! That looks really good, I always find frostings to be a bit too sweet so this one might be the solution! Do you know if it’s possible to make it vegan? With almond milk and magarine for example?
Thanks for your reply 🙂
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure!
I make it with coconut milk, and it’s got a definite coconut flavor but I love it.
Does this work in a 13×9 inch pan?
I have made it vegan with almond milk and earth balance vegan butter sticks and it work out well
Someone mentioned powdered sugar but the recipe calls for granulated sugar. Can I use powdered sugar instead of granulated? Would the ratios be the same?
You can try subbing and see how it goes – not sure on the amounts since I always make it per the recipe.
Hello! I never comment on recipes. NEVER! This frosting intrigued me. I do not care for boughten frosting, and have been making my own as long as I can remember! I am no stranger to baking! This recipe is indeed time consuming. I scraped my gel/pudding into the metal bowl of my stand mixer. I let sit at room temp to cool, about 1/2 hour, then to speed it up I put it in a sink of cold water, stirring every so often, for about another 20 minutes. I feel the directions a bit confusing, at first thinking each piece of butter took, 2 minutes, but then I just plopped each piece in and about 15 seconds later added another, until all in, then I mixed 2 min on low and 5 min on medium as I think that’s what she meant. VERDICT: Texture is perfect! The taste is intriguing. With my first bite, I did taste butter as others have mentioned. I liked the overall sweetness though, not too heavily sweet like some frostings . So, I added 1/4 c. powdered sugar, and quite a bit more vanilla. Next time I might decrease butter slightly and increase vanilla (like 1 c. butter and 1 Tbsp. vanilla). I kept sneaking fingerfuls, so it clearly was not awful! I put this on a chocolate cake (I think a frosting like this needs a deeply flavored base to pair it with). OVERALL: We all liked the cake, and my husband had 3 pieces!!
hi mel, if I wanted to make this as a white chocolate frosting would I adjust the sugar content or do anything else differently? I plan on just pouring cooled melted white chocolate into it, at what stage do you propose I do that?
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure, but as long as the white chocolate is cooled, you could probably add it in at the end.
How much and what type food coloring to make vanilla icing baby girl pink? Thank you! So Excited to try this!
I prefer using gel food coloring vs liquid but the amount will definitely depend on the brand/color. Just start with a tiny drop on a toothpick and add more if needed.
This reminds me how of the old original frosting that went with the red velvet cake. Very similar.
Yes! That is the only way a red velvet cake should be served. Otherwise it is too rich and sweet.
So is this ermine frosting?
Hi, is this recipe a stable frosting recipe for hot, humid climates such as Houston, TX? Thanks!
This frosting does have a tendency to melt in really warm conditions. It’s best kept at cool, room temp (both the frosting and once the cake is frosted).
I made this with an airplane bottle of baileys instead of vanilla and it was absolutely amazing on my chocolate brownies. Super rich though.
on the magical frosting, I’m making it for my daughters wedding cake, could I substitute cream cheese for part of the butter to give it more of a cream cheese taste?
The recipe sounds wonderful and I’m excited to make it.
Yes, others have done that!
This is by far the best frosting I have ever tasted. Super rich and creamy but not to sweet. This is now my new favorite
On your frosting, I am assuming (and we all know what happens when one assumes, but I’ll take a shot anyway) you use unsalted butter as you don’t specify and there is salt in the recipe. Just want to make sure. Thanks.
Oh, to the lady that wanted a chocolate flavored frosting that is white, how about if you melt down white chocolate chips instead of the semisweet to add to the frosting? I know it’s not the same as a regular chocolate flavored frosting but it might work.
Joan
Hi Joan – I actually use salted butter. I’ll update the recipe so it is more clear.
I’ve made it and it turned out velvety smooth. Here’s a tip for cooling quicker: put the cooked pudding mixture in you stand mixer and turn it on to a medium high speed. The motion of the mixer will release the heat and the mixture will be cool within 20 minutes.
Can this be kept at room temperature for a day or two ????
I think that might be a bit too long; I usually refrigerate if it’s going to be longer than 4-6 hours.
I made the chocolate version of this for some chocolate cupcakes I made. It was delicious. I took some cupcakes to a friend’s house and she also commented on how good it was.
I’m putting this frosting in between layers of pound cake, since pound cake is so heavy, will this frosting hold up or will it melt into the cake? Also, if I frost the cake and put it in the fridge, how long will it last? Thanks!
I’ve never used this frosting with pound cake so I honestly don’t know, but I do worry it might be on the soft side for a heavy cake like that. You could frost a day ahead of time, I think.
How do you think this icing will do if you frost the cake and freeze? How long will it hold up on a cake in the refrigerator?
I’ve never frozen it so I don’t want to lead you astray – I’m not sure how it will freeze. But a frosted cake could stay in the fridge for 2-3 days (you’ll definitely want to take it out in time to come to room temp before cutting).
Has anyone tried making a gluten-free version? Maybe increasing the cornstarch?
I really wish I had read the reviews before I made this. It tastes like a big slab of butter. I’ll keep looking.
Was really, really hoping this recipe would be absolutely to die for. It left me saying, “Meh.” The recipe was hard to understand regarding the flour/cornstarch pudding and how long to cook it and how thick it should be. I did not think it turned out like frosting but more like whipped cream. Was also a lot of butter which made it taste like you were eating whipped butter with a bit of sugar. I’ll keep looking for the perfect vanilla frosting recipe.
Litterally tastes like pure butter
Hi there – do I used regular butter or unsalted?
I use salted butter
I have said I will make my nephews wedding cake. Cake flavor chocolate. They do not like almond or vanilla flavored frosting. Do you have a recipe for white frosting that tastes like chocolate?
I don’t, I’m sorry!
One time I ended up having to make this (and your best chocolate cake) gluten free, and it turned out wonderfully using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour. It and the cake got stellar reviews at our work Halloween party, and I ended up sending the rest home with the person that needed it gluten free. I had a back-up frosting planned in case it didn’t turn out, but was thrilled to find it wasn’t needed.
I’ve also made a strawberry version of it! Put about an ounce of freeze dried strawberries in a food processor until it’s a fine powder (or put it in a sealed bag and crush to a powder with something that won’t tear the bag) then just add it at the same time as the vanilla! It turns the frosting a lovely pink and has a fantastic strawberry flavor, better than you’ll likely get with a flavoring, and won’t change the consistency enough to be noticeable, like jam would.
Does this need to be refrigerated?
I love this frosting! My favorite
If the cake is out for longer than 4 hours or so, I suggest refrigerating.
I was really hesitant to try this recipe because the frosting Ive made in the past turned out terrible but this one was really easy to make and tasted wonderful with the chocolate cake (also by Mel). It was worth the extra time of cooling and the whole family enjoyed it. Thank you!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet. My question is, can this frosting be use on cookies? If yes, can the cookies be stacked without sticking together. I did read that it doesn’t crust,. Probably because there is no powdered sugar in it. I did see someone added a 1/2 cup powered sugar, did it gather a crust by adding such a small amt.?
I think this might be too soft to use for stacking cookies.
It seems I’m in the minority that doesn’t like this frosting. It spread beautifully (I did a crumb coat first, which helped) and I like the generous quantity,. But I agree with other posters that it tasted mostly of butter, but not in a good way–it might be more precise to say it tasted of fat. Following another poster’s suggestion, I added about 1/2 cup of confectioner’s sugar at the end, which improved it–but I still really didn’t like it. My family was divided–some liked (but didn’t love) it, some agreed with me.
I also dislike most frostings (overly sweet, too greasy, whatever) so I was hoping I’d prefer this one. Oh well, the search continues.
I’m wondering if you used salted or unsalted butter. Believe it or not, it makes a difference. For frostings and my Swiss Meringue Buttercream I used unsalted butter. I then add a tiny bit of salt myself, The other day I made a mistake and used salted butter and I did not like it at all. All I could taste was butter. Had to make another batch and mixed the two. This is the recipe I normally use which is very similar to this one http://leelabeanbakes.com/blog/2013/05/22/even-better-cooked-flour-frosting/. I have tried the cream cheese version and chocolate and it was a big hit,
Thanks so much G P and sorry I only just saw this! I always use unsalted butter. So I don’t know….I think I am a tough customer when it comes to frosting though, since I really do find that I don’t like most recipes. It was nice of you to weigh in–thank you! (And thanks Mel too for posting the recipe–I should have included that in my original review!)
A lovely frosting, and much better than American buttercream. I used egg nod instead of regular milk, and it was so delicious. I used it to frost a gingerbread cake. Can’t wait to try different flavors, maybe mix in raspberry coulis. Thank you for sharing.
I use a variation of this recipe on red velvet cake but I am going to try this with the cornstarch to see if it alters the texture. I love all of the ways that people mentioned on how to flavor it for different types of cake. And, I would also add that I am astounded by the recent trend towards outright rudeness on cooking blog comments. It’s not just this one, every single blog or video I watch lately comments are really getting less civil and more and more rude and nasty. It’s disturbing.
For some reason my comment ended up tagging onto Lianna’s but I actually intended it to go in the general comments as stand alone. I’m sorry, I don’t know how to fix it.
I JUST made this recipe. It was time consuming and I was disappointed with the solid buttery taste. I’m not a baker at all, but I have been known to have a lot of common sense. I did add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at the very end, after the 5 minutes of whipping, and oh what a difference! It took away the buttery taste and added a bit more sweetness. 🙂 I’m very glad I tried this recipe!
Can I frost my cake with this recipe and freeze the cake until time to serve? I am making an ice cream cake.
I’ve never frozen a cake frosted with this recipe, so I’m not sure. Sorry!
Tried this for my son’s birthday cake. It did not disappoint. Happened to see in time that salted butter was recommended and included 1/2 teaspoon of table salt with my unsalted butter. Made me cringe to add salt to frosting, but it really delivered. I am not normally a fan of buttercream and it’s oily feeling. Household of six and everyone really likes it. Bonus that it actually hardens instead of melting like my other heavy whipping cream versions. Definitely going to use it again! Thanks for sharing!
I will make this again, but will try with removing at least 4 T of butter. I really felt like I was eating butter with a hint of sugar on my cupcakes. The kids were split 50/50 whether they liked it.
It came out really smooth and I liked the addition of cornstarch which I haven’t seen before, but still, the butter was overwhelming.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
After the cooking step, should the mixture still taste of flour? Or is that a sign its not quite ready?
It will definitely still have a bit of a flour taste, but it shouldn’t be overwhelming.
This frosting recipe does not work. After a fairly time-consuming process, it just ends up tasting like soft, weird butter. If this recipe requires fancy, expensive butter to taste good, then the writer should have said so. I have doubts, however, that even fancy butter would make a difference.
I used this recipe and combined it with your “tie-dye” idea to make ‘unicorn cupcakes.’ They were beautiful and I felt like a total ROCKSTAR, so thank you! It was totally easy to pipe out the frosting even without additional cooling.
I will say that waiting for the frosting to cool to room temperature after boiling took a few hours. This may have been because I doubled it.
In response to some of the other comments, it did not taste like butter. It tasted like whipped cream and everyone who tried it said the same. Perhaps it has to do with butter type? I always use unsalted good quality butter.
I bet those cupcakes were AMAZING!
This sounds wonderful! My daughter has sensory issues related to food and I think this may work for her and be a nice change from stabilized whipped cream (the only frosting we can use right now). Thank you for sharing this, I can’t wait to make it!
I usually make a swiss meringue buttercream. Today I made your recipe. A lot simpler, a lot easier to make and it tastes so good and the buttercream is so smooth. It holds its shape, easy to apply. To me it is a discovery and a good one. For those who said it tastes so much butter, well it is a BUTTERcream.
Adopted.
Thank you
Thank you for the recipe, I used it to make wedding cake and it turned out pretty good
All in all, a decent icing if you are looking for variety. I’ll probably make this again.
Pros: nice to have a white icing recipe for which I will almost always have the ingredients (granulated instead of powdered sugar, no shortening); no weird ingredients; tastes good; probably tastes how icing did back in the day?
Cons: taste wasn’t that much different from a traditional buttercream but more work (if you, like me, avoid traditional buttercream because the texture is heat-sensitive and tastes too much like straight butter, you’ll have the same problems with this one); have to plan ahead (lol); adding gluten to something that is typically gluten-free; seems like it would be really difficult to pipe and I’ll probably stick with Wilton’s buttercream for that (seems like it’s either really, really soft or instantly firm in the fridge, so you’d have to do small batches in a bag at a time otherwise your hand heat would be a problem).
our house divided. some liked it, others did not. since momma (me) didn’t like it (way too time consuming for what it was) i get to choose to never make it again. my husband said, “what’s the big deal? it tastes like store bought.” one word: yuck.
Amazing! I’ve been making cakes for years…birthday cakes, wedding cakes…wish I’d discovered this recipe years ago. Light, creamy, pipes like a dream. I can’t wait to try the chocolate version.
It is very smooth and creamy, but almost like eating pure butter. Mild flavor.
yes!
What am I missing? This tastes like a mouthful of butter.
Same thing I thought!
I am new to using a stand mixer. I have a kitchenaid and wondering if i should use the normal mixing paddle or the big whisk?
I think I’d use the whisk for this frosting.
Right?
Is there a recommended substitute for butter?
No, unfortunately, butter is pretty important in this recipe
We only used this recipe with shortening growing up, it’s what grandmothers recipe book called for. I use butter now due to taste preference but those who do not like the taste of butter would benefit from using very cold shortening. I sometimes do half and half when I am unsure.
I have substituted butter for heavy wiping cream that i beat until it thickens ( 1 cup and 1/2)
Hello, my name is Sarah and I’m 14. I tried out this recipe and to be honest I didn’t think it would be good since I used whole milk instead of 1% or 2%. It turned out alright, but I think it needs a tad bit more sugar. (I didn’t add any though). I finished making the frosting. An hour later, I read that the frosting was supposed to be made fresh. I, at this point, am annoyed because it took a lot of time to prepare and make. I think I’ll only make this frosting on\for special occasions.
Is the semisweet chocolate baking chocolate? Or chocolate chips?
Usually baking chocolate will melt better than chocolate chips; but I often use Ghirardelli or guittard chocolate chips (they melt well).
Hi. I’ve always made this type of frosting with flour only. Is there a difference with using the addition of cornstarch? Thank you. Stephanie
I’ve made this several times and it is absolutely wonderful! Since I found this recipe, it has been the only frosting I make. Today, though, I’ve discovered that if it is too warm in your kitchen when you try to whip it up, it doesn’t come together properly. It’s much warmer in here than it normally would be (80°).
I have just started making this Ermine frosting. I have never made your recipe but will definitely give it a try. The one I’ve made has only flour to thicken. I always mix the flour with a little of the milk and whisk until lumps are gone. Same thing when I use cornstarch to thicken things, take a few tablespoons of liquid and mix with corn starch before adding it to rest of liquid . If you do it this way I don’t think you will need to strain it. Also the recipe I have creams the butter until fluffy with mixer and then the pudding mixture is added one spoonful at a time and waiting until incorporated before adding another. This has worked well. It pipes beautifuly and I have frozen on the cupcakes which is my preference as they can be made ahead of time. I have noticed it is more susceptible to heat when sitting out. Must be in air conditioning. Chose not to use it for three layer cake with piped roses as I was not sure if it would hold up on sides of cake due to gravity. If anyone has had experience in this please share. I would much prefer to use this recipe as it is much less sweet.
Hey Mel! Does this buttercream frosting crust?
Can you use the paper towel method to smooth it out ?
Thank you
Debbie
I don’t think so.
I have to make cupcakes for my twins first birthday. The cupcakes will be displayed inside an air condition house probably around 72 degrees for a couple hours before eating. Would this frosting be a good option for that? It sounds so good and I really want to use it but I’m afraid it will melt in those conditions.
It will be fine if kept indoors in air conditioning – it’s more of an issue if it’s taken outside in direct sunshine and lots of heat.
The only frosting recipe I use its awesome!!
Perfect! Seriously, perfect! Next time I may just scoop this into dishes and garnish with strawberries. (Not really, but I can fantasize). Now about that toenail polish . . ..
Salted or unsalted butter?
I always use salted butter
Does the granulated sugar make the frosting to Grady? The recipe calls for granulated sugar. Is this correct or should it be supposed confectioner sugar. Can’t wait to try this. Thanks for sharing !
Grainy Not Grady
The recipe is correct as written with granulated sugar.
Amy I have a great cooked recipe from my big sister and is similar to this. I would like to try this one although the one I use is awesome! I wouldn’t recommend piping mine though I’ve never tried it! Lol! Also I wouldn’t recommend trying any cooked frosting recipe if you don’t have a stand mixer unless of course it’s cooked Coconut-Pecan Frosting for a German Chocolate Cake.
Frosting for Devil’s Food Cake:
1 cup milk
3 Tablespoons flour
Cook & stir constantly until thick (thicker than gravy, but not as thick as mashed taters. COOL-COMPLETELY-stirring every so often. As this cools IT WILL become as thick as mashed taters.
In a stand mixer bowl Beat Until Fluffy the following:
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup salted butter at room temperature
1 Teaspoon vanilla
Scrape down sides every so often. *****This mixture will still be grainy even when it becomes fluffy!*****
Add in cooked flour/milk mixture to FLUFFY sugar/butter mixture and continue to beat/incorporate all until no longer grainy. As before scraping down sides every so often.
You could probably use this frosting for a Red Velvet Cake and Whoopie Pies.
FYI I have left this frosting beating in my stand mixer while I’ve grabbed a quick shower!
This frosting is AMAZING! Well worth the wait! To make it cool down quicker I put it in the freezer. I couldn’t stop trying bits and bites of it 🙂
Good stuff, will hang on to this recipe…thanks
I see you said you shouldn’t refrigerate and rewhip, but can you ice the cake and then refrigerate overnight? My daughter’s party is at 10 in the morning and I would like to have it fully ready the night before.
Yes!
Is this frosting thick enough to pipe on cupcakes ? I am looking for frosting that isn’t so sweet for cupcakes and it’s so hard to find anything good.
Yes, I’ve piped this on cupcakes many times.
OMG Magical is right. When making I had doubts. I even checked my pantry to see if I had the ingredients for a different frosting. So to say I was skeptical is an understatement. BUT what an amazing surprise the more butter I added the more it began looking like frosting. When it was done and I tasted it WOW it was the best.
Hi! I both opinion is this frosting thick enough to use for piping cupcakes ?
I loved it, the consistency of the frosting was perfect and i was able to frost my 2 tier cake.
Want to try this recipe out tomorrow! Can you use almond extract instead of vanilla?
Sure, you could definitely try that .
Does this frost a one layer or two layer cake ? And chocolate is my favorite it will be my next try . Thank you
It can probably frost a 2-layer cake if you don’t overdo it with thick frosting.
I love this frosting so much, I could literally eat it with a spoon!! I can’t wait to try the chocolate version and was also thinking of trying this with almond extract. I did notice it is a little salty with salted butter, maybe next time I’ll try it with unsalted. Thank you for a great recipe!!
Thinking about trying this and adding a bit of Chambord to the frosting. You think of I added a tablespoon of Chambord and cut back a bit on the milk that would work?
HI Mel,
I want to make this frosting for my chocolate cake can I use half shortening and half butter? Thanks in advance.
I’ve never tried using shortening, Ann – sorry!
The best frosting. Ever since I found this frosting it’s the only one I use. I always get compliments on how good it is!
Do you think I can substitute milk with cashew milk?
I haven’t tried that Linda, so I’m not sure, but it might work pretty well!
Hi! Can you make the cake a few hours before serving it? Would you put it in the fridge or leave it on the counter?
Yes, you can definitely make it a few hours ahead! If it’s cool room temperature, it’s fine to leave out on the counter but if it’s overly warm, I’d refrigerate.
This is one of the best frostings that I’ve ever tried. The flavor is creamy and stiff enough to pipe with.
s’il vous plait la recette on grame
This recipe is perfect! My wife hates frosting and can’t get enough of it. It tastes slightly like cream cheese frosting but it’s so light and fluffy! This will definitely be my go to frosting for everything.
I need to make cupcakes for my 3 year old granddaughter. Can food coloring be added, she loves purple! If not can you recommend another recipe? Thanks
Yes! It definitely can! I recommend gel food coloring so it doesn’t thin out the frosting.
Besides chocolate, have you tried adding different flavors to the base frosting recipe? Adding fruit purees for example? Does it hold up well?
Thanks!
I haven’t, but I think if you wanted a fruit flavoring, the best way to get that (based on my experience with other frostings) is to pulverize freeze-dried fruit and add it to the whipped frosting.
I am making a sheet cake for my daughter’s birthday this weekend – should I double the recipe to make sure I have enough frosting?
Also I am making a Curious George image out of fondant that will cover about 1/3 of the cake. Will the fondant hold up on this kind of frosting? Should I put the fondant on the cake at the last minute or will it hold up if I place the finished cake in the fridge?
Many thanks!
Yes, I think the fondant should be fine as long as the cake is kept at cool room temp (or refrigerated). This frosting doesn’t hold up as well in heat. I always worry about running out, so if it were me, I’d double the frosting.
How much icing does this recipe make?
The yield is right above the recipe title, it makes about 4 cups. 🙂
Has anyone used this recipe for piping ? Should I place it in the fridge for an hour before? I’ve used a very similar recipe before and don’t want it to fall apart like the other did.
Yes, I’ve used this for piping, works great! If it seems too soft, refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour (not too long or it will firm up too much to pipe).
I’ve always been happy with my buttercream frosting and since it is so much easier I’ve never bothered to try anything else. I was curious though so I decided to try this frosting. It was a lot more effort, but it was so worth it. This is the best frosting I’ve ever had. I could eat just straight frosting and wouldn’t miss the cake. I couldn’t resist licking the beaters clean which I have don’t since I was a little kid. I don’t think I can go back to buttercream frosting.
I want to make this for my sons first birthday coming up but am a bit confused by one thing… after I’ve completely made the whole thing, and it has set and is ready to use, can I frost the cake then place it in the fridge (or covered on the counter) the day before? I usually like to make cakes the night before so I don’t have to worry the day of their bdays, but if that wouldn’t work well for this recipe I’d love to know. Thank you! 🙂
Yes, you can definitely do that!
If I make and frost cupcakes and cover, will the frosting still hold up overnight? I have to take them in the morning to a birthday party and won’t have time to make the frosting that morning.
As long as they are kept at cool room temperature, they should be ok.
Are you supposed to add melted chocolate during the cooking of the rue process or the beating process?
Try adding the melted chocolate when you beat in the butter.
My son who is a lover of icing says this is one of the best. He insist that there is cream cheese in this icing which there is none. I like how it doesn’t have the overly sweet taste that is common with butter cream
Rich and creamy and not too sweet! Piped it by snipping the corner of a baggie! Held up like a champ.
Would love to use this recipe on a gluten and dairy free cake. Would vegetable shortening work in place of the butter?
Thank you for a great recipe!
I think the shortening texture might take over the silkiness of this frosting – but I haven’t tried it. Good luck if you do!
To make this frosting gluten and dairy free, I used an equal amount of Spectrum shortening in place of the butter and substituted the milk with almond milk and added a 1/4 tsp more vanilla. It worked fantastic on top of and as a layer between 3 layers of very dense gluten and dairy free chocolate cake. Very versatile frosting. The key is to let it thicken and then cool completely. Thanks for the recipe!
I use the smart balance butter and almond milk to make mine dairy free. Its is amazing!
What about the flour ? What’s a good replacement that works?
This frosting is so good! I followed the recipe just as instructed and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results!! I used it for my red velvet cake and used almond flavoring- it was so creamy and easy to spread.
Just when I thought I had outgrown licking the bowl and beaters along comes this delicious icing! I’m fairly new at baking so I was a little worried about trying something new on a cake I was sharing with others but I’m glad I did. I followed your directions exactly and it came out great. After all the butter was added I continued beating for about 7 minutes, it probably could have used a couple more minutes but I was using a hand mixer and my are was getting tired. Thank you for sharing.
Can I use heavy whipping cream? Do you think that would be good?
In place of the milk? I think that might affect the texture of the frosting since it is so much thicker than milk (and has a lot more fat).
This is absolutely 100% the very best frosting I have ever had in forty years .. I am about to make it again right now..both are fantastic !!
You note that you use 1 or 2% milk. Does whole milk work?
Yes!
Hi, I am planning on making this along with your chocolate cake for a birthday.
Can I make and frost the cake the day before and still have to stay fluffy and tasty following day?
Would i keep the frosted cake in the fridge overnight?
Yes, I think it can be made a day ahead of time! Do you have a cake cover? That will help keep it moist. I’d probably refrigerate overnight but take it out several hours in advance of serving so the frosting can soften.
This is actually the frosting we have always used on red velvet cake I usually cringe when someone brings red velvet with cream cheese frosting because we all prefer this decadent frosting over cream cheese frosting. So thanks for posting this! It isn’t a recipe you find very often!
Can we agree to disagree…? In my opinion, the only reason to make red velvet cake is because it gives you an excuse for multiple layers of cream cheese frosting.
Back to the point, though, I have piped this frosting, colored orange for Halloween, and it holds up great!
(I haven’t had a chance to read through all the comments to see if someone else has already address this piping issue, so there’s just my two cents!)
I’m with you Kate, cream cheese frosting is such an insult to red velvet cake and was not part of the original red velvet recipe, ermine frosting was. Yum! This recipe is made even better somehow with the addition of cornstarch. I’m not sure what it changed but it’s good, like a more satisfying texture.
Made this four years ago for my daughters 2nd birthday and have another daughter who just turned 2.. so decided to make the best chocolate cake ever… again! Loved it!
It doesn’t specific salted or unsalted butter? Does it matter? What about imperial margarine?
I always use salted…never tried margarine in this recipe.
Salt cuts the sweetness of sugar so it does matter if you use salted or unsalted butter but if you have one on hand most people can’t tell the difference in the taste so it’s fine to use one or other. If you make any kind of frosting (like a traditional buttercream) and it’s too sweet you can add a dash or two of salt and it’ll make it less sweet.
Margarine is softer so while it can be used, you’ll get a better flavor and frosting if you use butter.
I used all unsalted butter and l don’t like it as much. Someone else said it was too salty but ldk… next time I’ll try 2 sticks of salted butter and 1 stick of unsalted and see how that balances out.
If I make this tonight and put it in the fridge do you think I could pipe it on cupcakes tomorrow? I’ve never made it and I don’t like buttercream, so want to try it!
Hey Lynn – it does pretty well made in advance, but you’ll want to bring it to room temp out of the fridge and rewhip it for a creamy consistency before piping.
Can you tell me what the shelf life is on this icing? I just made it and it’s SO GOOD. I’ll be putting it on a cookie cake and am wondering if the icing should be refrigerated or if it’s ok to sit on the counter?
It’s ok out on the counter up to 24 hours as long as it is cool room temperature (probably 70 degrees or lower). If not, I’d refrigerate and take it out a couple hours before serving.
Hmm…. this frosting is good, but the texture is not super perfect and was not worth the extreme effort (in relation to other buttercreams I have made). I got a slight hint of powder in the end texture? And the amount of frosting does not look to be enough for “The Best Chocolate Cake” recipe I made from your blog… I do not have a stand mixer, so maybe that accounts for the error with this frosting. Thanks for sharing this though! Just wanted to share my experience.
If you can taste the flour or is tastes “powdery” then the flour/milk mixture was not cooked long enough. I’ve made that mistake before. Made me so mad because because I was racing the clock getting cupcakes ready for a bridal shower.
This is the best frosting I have ever tasted! I just finished making this, and did it turn out great. I refrigerated the cooked mixture overnight and then let the butter and the milk mixture come to room temperature until about an hour and a half before I am to serve it, then I whipped it and am letting it sit right now. I can’t wait to dig in after lunch!
Thank you so much for this great recipe!
Hi there. I am in South Africa and thus the temp is always hot.
I have always been told not to use milk in buttercreams due to spoiling in the heat.
Should I remove the milk? I’d love to use this on cupcakes for a friends wedding and thus they may be sitting out for a while
I don’t think this recipe would work without the milk, unfortunately.
Ok thank you for your help.
About keeping this frosting in the fridge or when the butter was not soft enough, whenever it separates and becomes grainy I warm the frosting in the microwave or over a bowl of hot water for 5 to 10 seconds and whip it for a minute. It becomes silky as it was meant to be.
Its okay. Taste like pudding
I was skeptical til I read originally you weren’t crazy about frosting. So I gave it a try …after years of making buttercream frosting. And I must say it was a winner for me. (Though our daughter claims she likes the sugary taste of the buttercream!!) Yes, it’s more work but worth it. I’m so glad I came across your site. I’d never heard of a flour based frosting before. Thank you for your posts!!!
Delicious. I used almond extract instead of vanilla. Wow! Yum!
This is really great, not too sweet and texture is silky smooth. I also like that it doesn’t have powdered sugar in it and I can use raw. My new favorite…
Omg!!! I will never buy frosting again!! This is so light and fluffy……heavenly is perfect description. My guy is gonna think I’ve morphed into Betty Crocker when he tastes this cake and frosting! If I can make this ANYONE can. This novice cook thanks you for sharing!!
Can you double or even triple this recipe?
I’ve doubled it but haven’t ever tripled it.
Hi, how many cups does this make? Thank you!
About 4 cups.
Hi Mel! I have been searching everywhere to for a filling recipe that is not too rich or sweet, as my hubby feels the same about icing ad yourself. I need to fill a soccer jersey shaped, fondant covered cake, for my ten year old son’s birthday on Sunday afternoon. Since I have to fill it, them dirty ice it before I put the fondant on, will it hold up if refrigerated inside the cake after the last step of the recipe for 24hours???
I am so looking forward to trying this recipe out, thanks for your blog on it and I will let your know how it works for me and my birthday boy….
Yes, I think it would hold up just fine!
This one didn’t work for us – followed to the T and was a separated goopy mess. Out to buy more butter…
Hi, i have tried it a 100 times and everytime it turns out great. However right now i just made the first step using the chocolate version and it didnt thicken up as it does without the cocoa powder. Where did i go wrong? Please help as its urgent.
Unfortunately it’s really hard for me to know what might have gone wrong without any more details. Can you try refrigerating to see if it will thicken?
I just made it, and You should rename it “Heavenly Frosting” because by a long shot, this is the best frosting I’ve ever tasted, store bought or homemade. I had to hurry (a little), so I used the refrigerator for the cooling, and it turned out amazing and was ready just in time!
I’m totally a frosting lover/snob. This really is the BEST I’ve ever had! It’s like velvet! For some reason it didn’t pipe too well for me… Maybe it was still too chilled? Will totally give it another shot. Delicious!
Hi Mel, if I reduce the sugar further, would it affect the stability of the finished frosting? The ‘roux’ would no be as thick as if I had used the full 1.5 cups of sugar, I presume, so I am worried the finished frosting won’t hold up as well as.
I’m not sure – I’ve never reduced the sugar. Good luck if you experiment!
Hey Mel, love your site! This recipe is very similar to the only icing my mother used to make. It was always so delicious, but I never got the hang of preparing it. I like your version, it might be better suited for me (I had problems with the cooking part of Moms version.)
I can’t wait to try it, my husband is grossed out by buttercream icing (too sweet and heavy) so I’m looking forward to his reaction to yours. It sounds like a perfect sub for him. I’m a frosting freak, so I’m excited to have a replacement that will please everyone. Thanks!
Help, Please!!!
I, like you, dislike traditional buttercream icing. Too sweet for me. But it colors & decorates very well….and its easily made Gluten Free. I really want to make this frosting, but I need to make it Gluten Free for my celiac nephew. Any hints? I noticed that someone recommended rice flour rather than a wheat flour. Has anyone tried that and at what ratio/measurement? Also does this icing decorate well? Does it run? Will it pipe well as decorations not just for cupcakes.
This frosting does do well for decorating/piping as long as it isn’t warm. I haven’t made it gluten-free but others in the comments have. Good luck!
There is a frosting that one of our grocery stores called Rouses makes. It is so lite and airy.It floats into your mouth. I love love love it. I hope this is the recipe for it. I always ask almond extract to be added. If it is not I will keep looking for the recipe.
I would love to hear if this is close to the frosting you are talking about. Since I found this recipe, it is the only frosting I use. I find it to be amazing! I am making it right now for my son’s birthday cake!
If I wanted to make this into a strawberry frosting how would I go about doing that? I was going to make this as is for Mother’s Day but my mom wanted either a strawberry or raspberry frosting. Would just adding strawberries be enough or do I need to change the recipe a bit?
If you can, I’d pulverize freeze-dried strawberries and add them at the end…it’s my favorite way to flavor frosting without changing the texture (with extra liquid).
Ok I’ll try that! Thanks!
How many strawberries would you recommend I add? (Sorry I forget to add this to the first reply)
I’d probably start with about 1/2 cup pulverized freeze-dried strawberries and see how that goes and then add more to taste, if needed.
try strawberry koolaid
I have been looking for a recipe like this so I have just made half of it cant wait for the morning to taste it
I LOVE this frosting! It turns out perfect every time! I wanted to have a cream cheese flavored frosting…would you substitute some of the butter for cream cheese (if so how much), or would you just add some in after you whip the butter in?
Thanks in advance!
Yes, you can sub one 8 ounce block of cream cheese for one of the sticks of butter. 🙂
How many cups?
Nina Donovan
St. John’s, Newfoundland
Canada
1 cup of cream cheese
Hi I’m in a bit of a hurry I hope my question isn’t repetitive but I want to use this frosting for my cupcakes that I want to bring to school tomorrow, and the cupcakes won’t be in the fridge at school. I’m worried that the frosting will melt if I carry the cupcakes around for seven hours (thats how long I have to keep them with me before they will be served). What do you suggest? I’m from Germany and I decided to make this because my classmates don’t like really sweet things.
As long as the cupcakes can be kept at cool room temperature, they should be fine. Any warmer than that and the frosting might melt/sag a little.
Great Caesar’s Ghost! This is just like the silky rich chocolate frosting my great grandmother used to make with boiling water. (Until I was an adult, I thought she used tea because kettle = tea in my little mind).
It’s rich, holds up well, the butter and chocolate taste come thru beautifully and it’s not super sweet. I used the special jet black cocoa bought online and the cake looked like it belonged in a catalog. And it tasted even better!
Hi, I am from India and I just had a little doubt that are we supposed to use Salted or Unsalted butter? I’ve made it and it is Amazing but it is a bit salty and too thick. I think it might be the salted butter I used.
I always use salted butter.
So if I use salted butter do I still add the extra salt?
I use salted butter and make it according to the recipe. 🙂
This was so good, I always hate homemade frosting because of the powdered sugar. This was perfect! Made it for my great grandma and she was licking it off the cake the whole time
Hi,
I love this frosting and it’s all I ever use but I was wondering how I could make it lemon or other citrus flavoured. I once put orange zest and juice in the pudding base and it ended up tasting like cream cheese frosting; not bad but not bright and tart and fresh like I was hoping for. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance and keep up the good work!
I believe others have commented in the thread that they’ve added orange extract and zest (or lemon extract and zest) at the end for a citrus frosting.
I have used freeze dried fruits in frosting, process the fruit till powder, then add to frosting.
Hi,
Do you think this recipe would be a good substitute for 7 minute frosting on a coconut cake with lemon curd filling?
Thanks,
Liza
It’s not quite as sweet as 7-minute frosting, but I think it would be delicious.
Hi Mel! I didn’t have time to read all the comments, so maybe you have answered this, but, I’ll ask! Have you tried piping this yet? And if I make it Saturday (for a birthday party on Sunday) can I pipe and refrigerate on Saturday and it will still be great Sunday? (and it needs to travel in my car for a few miles too).
I have made this before but only iced a cake with it. And good GRIEF it was amazing! Would love to wow 20 ladies at a birthday party with this icing if you think it will pipe! Thanks!
Hi Tara – yes, I’ve piped with this; works great. I’ve found this frosting refrigerates well as long as it’s already on the cake (frosted or piped) and then the cake is taken out of the refrigerator in order to come to full room temp so the frosting softens. The times I’ve made just the frosting ahead of time – it doesn’t re-whip very well. I think it would be just fine to make a day ahead of time!
The Icing was a big hit! It piped absolutely beautifully – – I wish I could post a photo! It was so much softer than Buttercream, I was nervous the piping would collapse but that was unfounded (and I pulled it up very high line bakery style cupcakes)! It traveled well, also! Thank you! I used this on your yellow Cupcake recipe. Delicious!
I’m so happy this worked out, Tara!
the kids at my kids prek loveeeed the frosting ..thank you so much
Love this recipe. If I publish a trail and cooking book may I have your permission to print this with credit to you?
Sure! You might want to give credit to the original recipe source listed under the recipe, too (I adapted it from somewhere else).
Great recipe Mel, and clearly a popular post even after several years. I wanted to leave you all a few comments about why this recipe doesn’t refrigerate well. Starch-heavy foods go through a process called retrogradation over time after they are cooked. It’s the process that causes things like gravy and pudding to get watery after refrigeration. It is also the reason why refrigerated bread gets sweaty in the bag and becomes stale. The starch granules shrink and expel trapped water. Refrigeration accelerates and intensifies this process, and it is irreversible, causing the frosting to separate. This frosting is best if not refrigerated after making, and consumed within a day or two. There are other starches and additives that can slow or stop the retrogradation process, but most aren’t accessible to the home cook. One starch that is widely available is “sweet rice flour.” This flour needs to be cooked slowly and for a longer time than wheat flour, but I bet it would make a good frosting that could stand up to refrigeration or even freezing. Unfortunately, I don’t know what the quantity substitution would be of rice for wheat+corn. Best to you.
I loved this, Chuck! Thanks for adding your advice about refrigeration to this recipe. So very helpful – and I love knowing more about the science behind food. Thank you!
Hi Mel, just found your recipe yesterday. It was exactly what I was looking for, so tried a practice run last night before making it this weekend for DD’s bday party. Amazing! I am in a sugar coma still from all the finger licks I took:) In case people are wondering, I was able to whisk this no problem with an old hand mixer, BUT I did read somewhere else to cream the butter first, then add the roue scoop by scoop –opposite of how you did it. Worked like a charm! Thanks so much for the recipe
LOOOOOVVVVEE!!!!! Added almond extract for a REEEAAALLLLY yummy frosting! Thank you!!
I’ve been making a similar frosting for nearly 40 years and it is my family’s favorite. It isn’t overpoweringly sweet, and it looks beautiful. I plan to try yours next time to see how they differ.Looking forward to trying your version. k
I just made the chocolate version of this and it is very yummy! Not very chocolatey, but still good. My comment is regarding the cooking time. I wish it was more specific. Mine had to cook for 35 minutes before it got thick and was hard to whisk. When it cooled, it was like thick, sticky caramel, but the frosting still turned out well. I wish the recipe had a “time to cook once it’s boiling”. I will definitely try the vanilla version. Thanks for the recipe!
Do you think this could be used as a “tunnel” in a bundt cake?
Sure, I don’t see why not! 🙂
We call it 7 minute frosting . It is really good .
hi mel, u mentioned that its best to use a stand up mixer, I only have a hand held 1, will this work just the same?
I recommend not using a handheld mixer because I don’t think it’s powerful enough to get the frosting as light and fluffy as it needs to be (it has to be mixed for a really long time).
ok, Ty so much for responding so quickly
Hi Mel,
Was just wondering if you would be able to help me here : I made this frosting yesterday to go with your Unbelievable Chocolate cake. Both the frosting and cake were delicious (as always !) but the only thing that didn’t turn out quite as I expected with the frosting is that It didn’t have at all the same white colour as yours…mine was more like…well yellow…do you have any idea why ?
Thanks !
I’m guessing it has something to do with the butter you used. I’ve noticed that butter color differs based on brand (some are much more yellow than others). What brand of butter did you use?
Yes that must be it. I used Elle&Vire, but don’t know if you have that brand in USA…I live in Europe.
Anyway, not a big problem as the frosting tasted very good ! =)
Hi Mel,
I am not a fan of frosting. Yet as I was making this, I couldn’t stop myself or anyone else in the household from testing it. Lol thank you for sharing.
I tried the chocolate frosting yesterday and could never get it to come together. I seriously must have let it beat in my stand mixer for 20+ minutes and every time I stopped, it would separate and start to look grainy. I did cool the mixture in the fridge prior to beating and adding butter – it felt maybe slightly cooler than room temp (but only ever so slightly, because I had just checked it minutes before and it was still warm). Is the temperature of the mixure really that finicky? Looks like an amazing frosting so I’m just wondering what could have gone wrong! Thanks Mel!
Hi Amanda – I do think the temperature of the cooked base can be the factor – it needs to be completely cooled and I’m guessing that might have been the issue. I’m sorry this didn’t work out – I know how frustrating that can be!
Mel this is a weird question:
Do you whisk this in a non-stick sauce pan? That is the only type I have…so I have to use a silicon whisk (which bends more easily and can’t take thick mixtures) I am wondering before starting this if my silicon whisk will be able to handle it….OR do I need to buy a sauce pan that is not non-stick—so I can use my metal whisk?
Sorry, I know you get a million questions—But I am planning this for my b-day and I don’t want it to fail!
I use a stainless steel pot (without a nonstick coating) but if your silicone whisk is sturdy it should hold up to the job. It will be like whisking pudding or something similar to that consistency.
Thanks Mel:)
And have you ever frozen the cake with this frosting on? Does this frosting hold up to being in the fridge if not the freezer?
I’ve refrigerated it a lot but never frozen so I’m not sure how well it would do.
This turned out great! Hopefully everyone likes it 🙂 I added 2 tsp of rum extract at the end (along with the vanilla) just to sweeten it up slightly and its amazing! I am making it along with you chocolate cake which so far so good!
Thank you!
C
Hi. I love your site! I would like to make this frosting along with the chocolate cake. Would it be OK to make the cake and frost it the day before and leave out until the next day?
Yes, as long as it stays at cool room temperature, that should work great. It usually keeps a cake nice and moist to frost it all the way if it’s going to be a day before you serve it.
This frosting was lovely! Seriously my new go-to. Not too sweet but delicious, light, and airy! I even won over my coworker who hates traditional buttercream.
Hello! Can’t wait to try this! At what point do you add food coloring of using? Thanks so much
I usually add it at the end as it mixes.
Thanks!
I made the chocolate version of your icing, and my husband said this was the best icing I’ve ever made! So thank you for sharing your recipes! And it paired beautifully with your Perfected Yellow Cake! Just one question, though ~ does the iced cake need to be refrigerated?
If it’s stored at cool room temperature it should be fine for 8-12 hours. Longer than that, I’d refrigerate but it will take 4-5 hours at room temp for the frosting to soften again.
Hi – first, I just have to say that your site is my absolute favorite and I recommend it to everyone! I have never made a bad recipe from your site and I am not an expert chef/baker.
I was wondering if you had ever gotten around to piping with this recipe. I have to make a cake this weekend and the frosting needs to be piped and I wanted to try this recipe because of the great reviews but if you hadn’t had success, I will try one of your other frosting recipes instead.
Yes, it pipes great!
Hi Mel! I’m hoping you might see this before tomorrow (Thursday) sometime. I’m making a birthday cake for my friend, and she requested this icing with your chocolate cake for her party. I’ve made similar frostings with cutting in the butter while whipping, but honestly can’t recall which beater I used in my Kitchen-Aid. Do you recommend the whisk or the beater for this one? Thanks!
Hi Lynn – I use the whisk attachment for my Bosch when I make this so that’s probably what I would recommend. Good luck!
Thank you! Whipping right now.
Hi Mel,
Love you, love your site! I was just reading your post about brown butter yesterday, but I haven’t tried it yet. I’m wondering if it would work in this recipe?
I’m not sure how the browned butter would do added at the end of the frosting – it would have to be cooled (resolidified) but honestly, you’d have to experiment since I don’t know if it would set up in the frosting like butter in stick form as called for in the recipe. The idea sounds heavenly though!
Recently, I tried this frosting, using heavy cream, and upping the sugar by one-half cup to 2 cups instead of the 1 and 1/2 cups the recipe calls for.
During the cooking phase, however, the liquid never thickens substantially, as described. … Instead, the liquid just bubbles into a frothy mixture that is like syrup. … It still sets up well, and it tastes pretty dog gone good, but it just never thickens, really. … Is this because of the extra sugar?
It could also be because of the heavy cream – the extra fat may make the texture (thickness) different.
Hi Mel, I am a huge fan of your blog and have used many of your recipes as staples in my collection. You are the best! I am just wondering if, in your honest opinion, this frosting would be good on an angel food cake? I make one for my husband every year and I was thinking about either making this frosting or going with the other recipe you have with the whipped chocolate frosting and toasting almonds to top on the cake. Thanks so much for your time!
Hmmm…I think the flavor and texture of this frosting might be a little too rich for an angel food cake but that’s just me. My favorite frosting for angel food cake is just heavy whipped cream, whipped to stiff peaks with a bit of powdered sugar and cocoa. So light and yummy.
I am new to baking. LOL. Do I use salted or unsalted butter?? Thank you. Merry Christmas!!
I use salted butter for this recipe.
Hi Mel.
I made this frosting for my sister and she loves it!! She won’t make it herself – just insists that I make it for her. For Liz who said the frosting came out salty, I always use unsalted butter in eveything, and especially for any recipe that calls for salt. That way I control how much salt is actually in the recipe. I totally spaced and forgot the salt the first time I made this recipe and it turned out great. I have a friend who is lactose intolerant so am going to try substituting the milk with plain and flavored non-dairy creamers to see how that works.
Hi Mel! How long do you think this leftover frosting will last in the fridge?
Merry Christmas! Hope you are well!
A week or so. 🙂
Hello! Delicious, decadent frosting recipe! Made it for my son’s first birthday yesterday and made extra. Hoping to use it on the extra cake I made for his other party this weekend. How would you recommend I store it in the fridge? It’s currently in a lidded Pyrex bowl. What would be your recommendations for using this frosting after it’s been refrigerated for a week? Bring back to room temperature? Re-whip or not?
Thank you!
That container should work just fine. Yes, I’d bring it back to room temperature and beat until light and fluffy again.
I whipped this with a hand mixer not realizing the whipping needed to be so vigorous. I thought it seemed smooth enough and then my husband put it in a piping bag and it separated like nobody’s business. Did I not whip it long enough?
Sounds like that might be the issue – this recipe definitely benefits from using an electric stand mixer to do the work.
Hello I love vanilla frosting but cannot find a homemade one I love except for one that doesn’t taste good next day if left out and I hate to refrigerate my cupcakes. I refuse to use store bought because there is so mich garbage in there. I made something similar to this but didn’t get it perfect. I have two questions I want to make for my sons school party next week can I make a day ahead and frost and leave them out and if so are they still safe to eat and just as yummy? If not can I do the flour part and leave that out overnight and finish up the rest in the morning Because there is no way I would have time to do it all in morning lol. Thanks
You could definitely make the flour base of the frosting, refrigerate it and finish it up the next day.
Amazing! The chocolate frosting version is so good I wanted to cry! For any readers wondering…. I place in ziplock in fridge overnight, let come to room temp and piped cupcakes no problem next day.
I’m using chocolate for inside layer of my daughters cake and outside vanilla.
Gonna be amazing!
Did you ever try using this to pipe with? I’ve made it before it is my favorite, but I haven’t tried piping with it. I’d like to use it for my daughters cake. Thanks!!
This has been addressed up above in the comments so scroll through for some great feedback from other readers! 🙂
Hi,
I have been looking for an icing to make my son’s birthday cake. I don’t care for the sweetness of buttercream. Is it possible to get the correct consistency with just using a hand mixer with the whisk attachment? I don’t have a stand mixture. Also, would the icing be okay with some fondant accents on top of it? Lastly, I was hoping to ice the cake Friday night for a Saturday afternoon party. Would it keep well for that if I refrigerated the iced cake and pulled it out a few hours before the party?
Thank you!
Hi Shannon – I haven’t tried this with a hand mixer because it requires such a long (and vigorous) mixing time. I haven’t used it with fondant but I believe others have up above in the comment thread. And yes, you could ice the cake a day ahead of time – just take it out in time for the frosting to soften to room temperature. Good luck!
Hi,
Please let me know is this good enough to use under fondant?? TIA
This is addressed further up in the comment thread – I haven’t tried it but I believe others have. 🙂
I dont like icing that is too sweet and this was perfect. This recipe is similar to Italian buttercream without the risk of burning yourself on boiling hot sugar. Thank you for posting this!
Made this yesterday and it was really good I add some dulce de leche when I cook the mixture and turnout great. this will definitely replace my buttercream, thank you so much
I made the chocolate version today using Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa and Ghirardelli’s chocolate bar. OH MY GOODNESS!!! Best chocolate frosting ever. Also made your chocolate cake and layered it with raspberry filling and it is AMAZING!!!
Can you use Gluten Free Flour?
I haven’t tried it but you could definitely experiment.
What happens if you would use brown sugar? I’m wondering how that would work in the chocolate version. Also, can I use 1/2 cup cocoa powder, what would the extra dry ingredients do for the texture? I’m looking for a deep chocolate frosting and love this.
I haven’t made either of those substitutions so I’m not sure, Lisa. You’ll have to experiment. Good luck!
Lisa, Cook’s Country also developed a brown sugar version and called it Caramel Miracle Frosting…it is also delicious! P.S? So is their Cream Cheese version (amazing!), and the chocolate one is great too, though I prefer a frosting with a stronger chocolate flavor.
This sounds amazing! Would this frosting work with the Viva paper towel frosting method?
No, I’ve tried it. Because it’s an all butter frosting, it doesn’t crust over like frosting that has shortening in it (which is the best for that Viva paper towel trick).
Holycrapthiswasamazing! Seriously so delicious! This might be the only frosting I ever make again.
I totally loved this recipe I made it twice and it came out perfectly I used half and half cream 10 percent I was wondering if I could use a smaller amount of butter say 1 cup butter I have a stand mixer so I beat it for 10 min I really thank you for this recipe my son in law said he liked as well as the expensive one they got on holidays so this recipe is making me look good my granddaughter is having a baby so they asked me to do them for here big shower thanks again
Have you (or anyone) tried to make this with shortening to get it to crust?
I haven’t tried it with shortening.
I have never made this with shortening, but may years ago I had a neighbor who used either all shortening or half shortening and half margarine* (I don’t recall which). I don’t believe this made it crust over but did give it a different flavor and texture, and is whiter than one made with all butter.
*This dates back to the days when people used margarine and was probably more of an economic issue for her than anything else.
PS I never had a problem with the separating as I do with this version but it’s an easy fix. Just keep beating it and it will come together. I’ve even made this ahead and frozen it.
I have been making a version of this recipe for as long as I can remember. Cook’s Illustrated made it better by adding the sugar to the cooked mixture (instead of creaming it with butter and then blending the two mixtures together which makes for a smoother end product with no grittiness at all) and by swapping out some of the flour for cornstarch. The straining also eliminates any possibility of lumps.
I recently started a batch and realized I only had half and half. I also used some vanilla which had come from the Dominican Republic (much thicker than what we are used to) and it was UNBELIEVABLE.
Also, I recently made a batch with a gluten free flour blend. It came out just fine. So yes, you can substitute the flour. You could probably also eliminate the flour and replace with just cornstarch, but I suspect the texture might be a bit gummy.
I have never tried the caramel version and don’t recall the ingredients list, but I just made a batch using light brown sugar instead of granulated in an attempt to achieve a cookie dough flavor. This worked perfectly fine as well. Based on previous comments, I might try the chocolate version and pipe both together into two-tone rosettes.
Help! I just made the milk mixture for this and it turned out more like a thick syrup than pudding consistency. Has this happened to anyone else?? I’d hate to use all that butter in the next step of its not going to turn out! 🙁
Third time making it – LOVE IT – shared with lots of folks! Thanks for making buttercream go away :).
Hey Mel!
Just wanted to say thanks for this recipe! It’s turned out absolutely amazing both times I’ve made it and it pipes beautifully! This is the first time I’ve come across your blog and I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Tried again and it still separated! It’s sooo yummy (pretty sure I gained 10 pounds today) but just looks funny. I added the cocoa to the original mixture but didn’t add chocolate at the end. Is that my problem? Maybe I’ll just try the original next time and see if I have the same issue. Everything was room temp etc. Grrrr. On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t perfect it so I can fit into my jeans! 3 birthdays in 3 weeks is bad news! Love all your stuff.
🙂 — a fellow Boisean (if that’s a word)
Shoot, Natalie. Sorry this still separated when you made it! I suppose it could be due to the cocoa powder without the chocolate – the melted chocolate may act as a bit of a binder. If you make it “normal” and it still separates, let me know and we can do some more troubleshooting. I hear you on the yumminess, though – don’t even TRY it sandwiched on graham crackers. Just don’t.
Hi there!
I’ve made this frosting hundreds of times and tonight it “broke” or separated and I couldn’t not fix it. Do you know of any tricks to salvage the frosting?
Thanks!!
Can you try adding some powdered sugar and rewhipping?
Mel, can I add food coloring to this. I need to pipe trees, will it stay formed?
Thanks,
Rhonda
Yes, you can add food coloring. I’m not sure what type of trees you are wanting to pipe – tall, stand-alone trees probably not. But just a decoration piped onto the surface of the cake should be just fine.
Remember this icing has real vanilla and butter and although it might not look it, there is a yellowish tint to it. So if you add a true green food coloring you might end up with olive green. Pink might be just a bit orangey and so on. This can even change with the time of the year because the butter changes.
I tried it and it seemed to separate as it sat. What did I do wrong??
Usually it means the frosting needs to be whipped longer to avoid separation.
This sounds delicious! I think I’m going to try your frosting for my son’s upcoming birthday party cake. I am doing a chocolate sheet cake (double layered) and then carving it into a number “5”. I would like do your frosting as filling, and then also as the main layer of frosting all over, but then to decorate with piped frosting in different colors and also a few fondant decorations. Do you think it’ll hold up to that kind of abuse? Haha. Will the color run? Thoughts? TIA!
This frosting pipes really well (especially if it’s refrigerated for an hour or so after it’s whipped up) and I haven’t had any issues with the colors bleeding. Good luck!
Thanks a bunch!
This is a fantastic recipe. I have successfully made the chocolate version with a lot more chocolate and it was to die for. I have also reduced the 1 1/2 cup sugar to 1 1/4 cup with no issues intact for what ever reason it came out better. We are toning down on sugary stuff and find as we go lower in our sugar content we are more sensitive to it in baked goods. I’d rather focus on favors then just sweetness anyway. So if you want to reduce it even more… You can definitely do so with a 1/4 cup…. Depending on how we like it I may even try 1/8th less next time.
“Magical Frosting” is a totally apt name for this. I was incredulous (which is silly because every recipe on this site is amazing) and I felt like an actual magician. This frosting was PERFECT. I piped it on cupcakes, and my coworkers raved about the frosting more than the cake! Thanks for giving me a new (and super impressive) go-to frosting!
I made this frosting and your Unbelievable Chocolate Cake & it was wonderful!!
Could you please tell me, how long does the frosting last in the refrigerator since it has milk in it? Thanks!!
Probably up to a week.
Thank you Mel!
This frosting knocked my socks clean off, from here to Texas. Seriously. It’s truly magical – best frosting I’ve ever had. I’ve made it (along with your chocolate cake recipe) at least 3 times now. I’ve even told my husband not to bake me a birthday cake (which always offers to do) because I simply MUST HAVE THIS ONE!
I have a lemon cake on the agenda, and I wonder if this frosting would work with some lemon juice and zest added to it, or whether I should just stick with a lemon buttercream / confectioners sugar-type frosting. Any thoughts? Have you ever tried it with lemon or any other flavor?
Hi Aimee – happy to hear you love this one. I haven’t made it with lemon but I believe several people in the comment thread have with great success.
Hi Mel,
I think I have finally decided I am making this frosting and your chocolate cake for my daughter’s birthday! Will there be enough frosting from this recipe to ice a 13 x 9 sheet cake and to have some left over to add food colouring gel to pipe letters on the cake? Thank you.
Are you frosting just the top of the 9X13 cake? If so, then yes, I think you would have enough to frost the top and do some piping.
A follow-up on making strawberry frosting: 6 dark strawberries mushed into milk and strained to yield 1.5 cups milk came out suuuper delish and very strawberry flavored. In all other ways like the original. However, the vanilla made the whole thing brownish, so I had to use 2 drops food coloring for pastel pink.
Also, I tried to chill this for piping, left it in the fridge too long and had to rewhip it. It was a hot mess texture-wise after that. But still delish.
Hi Mel,
I was wondering if I could pipe “happy birthday” on this kind of frosting since it does seems so light and airy…I am worried what ever I use may bleed into the white frosting? Can you suggest what to do? Should I frost the cake with this magical frosting and use another for the piping? Any suggestions are very much appreciated! Thank you!
Hi Melissa – I pipe with this frosting all the time (it helps to chill it first like the recipe suggests). Once you frost the cake with white frosting, it helps to refrigerate to let that frosting harden before piping another color on top.
I DID! Thank you! You are right about how great it’ll turn out! only downside is it can’t hold shape too well.
Hey Mel, I’ve just finished cooking the milk and flour mixture. The consistency is as you described it should be, but the color is strangely dark! I’m a bit worried and am hoping it lightens up once I add the butter. Any ideas what may have gone wrong?
Just wanted to say I finished making it and it is DREAMY!
I am glad it worked out!
Hmmm, that’s odd, Ruby – it should be a light color. Did you use all-purpose flour? Any chance the mixture overcooked?
Can i freeze this frosting?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this.
If you frost first and then freeze it once it is on a cake, you’ll have no problems. My mother-in-law froze a leftover cake (who’s ever heard of leftover cake???) I made using this frosting, and it came out just as delicious when they ate it a few weeks later.
Mel, your frosting is perfect for me. Thnaks for this post. I will back.
Hi Mel,
I’m wanting to use your frosting recipe on a birthday cake. Have you had luck piping this frosting?
Thank you!
Yes, it pipes great.
^^sounds like a german buttercream.
I would describe the taste as whipping cream mixed with white chocolate. It bountifully frosted 24 cupcakes.
It was very good, but a few mouthfulls did leave me feeling sick (maybe it was more than a few?) I am already thinking about tweaking it with a cooked thick vanillia pudding replacing the flour & milk mixture. I think this will get rid of the “cookie dough” taste some were decribing.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Sort of sounds familiar. Make a custard, then beat butter into it. But custard has eggs in it and now you would have to keep refrigerated,
Hi Mel,
I LOOVE this frosting! I made it along with your unbelievable chocolate cake, and they were DELICIOUS. I am in no way an experienced baker, this is actually only my second time “baking” anything. My first time I baked a rainbow cake for my sons birthday and the frosting ended up being a total bust I just used cool whip as frosting ( lol). But I am so glad I found a frosting that is delicious, not too sweet, and overall amazing! It will be my go to. The process is not hard at all, a little time consuming but it’s worth it! Tastes better than any other frosting I’ve had (store bought) . Thanks for the recepie!
Hi, just saw this recipe and wish to try it. Would like to know if you can leave the cake for a few days without it spoiling. Th cake is not for a special occasion, I just like to bake and I make large cakes. Thanks, I am sooo tired of confectioner cakes like WIlton,s recipe. I will have to try it at another time though as I want to finish tonight
I reduced the amount of butter by a couple tablespoons and still had great results!
Can this be made to be peanut butter. I have used this as is and love, love, LOVE it. Just didn’t know if it would work and if so what would I have to do to adapt it to make it PB.
Thank you so much
I’ve never tried a peanut butter version but maybe you could decrease the butter by a few tablespoons and mix in 1/2 cup peanut butter at the end while whipping the frosting?
I haven’t tried it, but PB2 powder would probably work great!
I’m wondering if Kristy or Karen or anyone tried the PB version – AM LOVING THE IDEA!
Would you guess that one might add in PB2 powder in the same way one would add in cocoa powder? IN ADDITION TO ? or INSTEAD of actual PB when adding butter?
So I made a peanut butter version. I added 1/4 cup slightly packed PB2 to the flour mixture. I have a 3 tier chocolate petal cake to ice and half way through making this realized I probably wouldn’t have enough frosting. This is my first time making a cooked frosting so I. Wasn’t sure but wanted to err on the too much side. So I quickly cooked up a second batch and put it in the fridge to cool for a few hours. I had left the first batch on the counter with the butter while I was at work. I also needed more volume for my mixer to work properly. It’s a 5qt bowl lift. I was getting more butter out when I realized I wouldn’t have enough. So I added all I had, about 4 1/2 sticks. It needed more fat to it and didn’t have the peanut buttery taste I was going for. So I tried adding some regular peanut butter to a small sample and it worked wonderfully. I then added 1 cup to the whole batch and is great. Still short a few tablespoons of fat so I hope it holds up okay. It’s doing it’s hour of chilling now. When I finished I couldn’t stop eating it so I guess that’s a good sign. Will update when cake is served in a day and a half. I used my family chocolate cake recipe which is quick and easy and so good. It tastes better after sitting a few days.
Thank you Karen! I didn’t know that existed.
I’m making a birthday cake for my father-in-law for tomorrow afternoon. Can I use this between layers of a round cake, or is it not stiff enough to work there? I have four skinny layers (about half an inch) planned. Thoughts?
Hi Kasey – I use this between cake layers all the time! I hope this worked out for you.
It was perfect! I even added a little food coloring to two smaller batches and piped rosettes and a Happy Birthday message. No chilling of the frosting required! If I knew how to include a picture, I would. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
I would love to see how it turned out
Can you pipe this frosting with a pasty bag or is it betsy used to spread on cakes?
OOPS – best not betsy! 🙂
Yes, I pipe with this frosting all the time.
I think the quality of butter and chocolate play a big part in this recipe. Having tried both the pioneer woman’s and this recipe, I can’t see why this one would taste more buttery as I do not like the PW recipe for that very reason.
Hi Mel! I hate to say it, but this was the worst frosting I’ve ever made. It was for a birthday cake, and everyone commented on how it just tastes like butter. I made the chocolate version and it came together well, but the flavor was horrible. I’ve made the Pioneer Woman version, I think I’ll have to stick to that one in future. I was really disappointed, I wanted it to be great! Any ideas on why the flavor was off?
Not sure, CJ. Sorry you didn’t like it – it must boil down to personal preference since this is a favorite for us. Did you whip it for the amount of time in the recipe? I’ve found the long whipping time helps balance the flavor.
That was probably Pioneer Woman herself 😉
Good one, chuckle,chuckle.
Oh yum! What a great recipe! For years I’ve wanted an Icing recipe that isn’t sickly sweet and here it is! Absolutely divine! I didn’t have enough butter so I used margarine and still incredible and light. So I wonder how much better it would be with butter! Thank you for this. It will be used frequently in the future!
Looks yum!
Question! Will whole cream milk work in place of 1% milk?
Yes, I think you could sub in 2% or whole milk with good results.
I just made this frosting with mostly 2%milk. I put about 3 tbs of evaporated milk and the rest was 2%. (I thought it might need more fat?) It came out awesome! It’s going on my daughters birthday cupcakes. She said this frosting is what clouds would taste like. So light and creamy! great recipe.
I’ve made the PW’s version several times and this is superior. Cooking the sugar with the milk instead of adding it later makes it smoother. I’ve also been recently diagnosed with wheat/gluten intolerance, so I used GF flour (Krusteaz Gluten-free AP Flour). It worked very well! Once it was ready, I also stirred some lemon curd into the portion used between the layers. Delish!
I love the idea of having a frosting that is not super thick or super sweet, like most of the buttercreams that I’ve made in the past. I like that this is light and fluffy. I did add some whipped cream cheese at the very last stage, because I thought it wasn’t actually sweet enough. I also added maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar at the end and let it all whip in together. It was delish! Thanks for sharing!
I will definitely have to give this a try. I am a HUGE fan of whipped icing, and I seriously cannot find a recipe that compares to an icing I tried several years ago made by someone who won’t give up the recipe. I HATE that. It was like whipped cream, but not whipped cream. I don’t think I will ever get it, but I definitely want to give this one a try.
I live in Israel and we don’t have the same butter sticks as you have in the States. do you know the exact weight/grams/ml for the butter needed (24 tablespoons (3 sticks) butter, cut into 24 pieces and softened at room temperature)?
Thanks!
One stick of butter is 4 ounces.
Your recipe was amazing but a but on the salty side. I may leave out the 1/4 teaspoon of salt or use unsalted butter next time. What do you suggest?
Either of those suggestions sounds like it could help – I haven’t tried either one since I like the recipe as written but it’s worth experimenting to see. Good luck!
I use unsalted butter in all my frostings and baked goods. That way you control the salt. I made this recipe for my sister and forgot to add the salt and it came out perfect. The salt helps to cut the sugar so the frosting isn’t overly sweet.
Hi, I looked through the comments for this, but I don’t have time to read all of them all the way back in time.
I was hoping for a little more detail on the “difficult to easily whisk” step – I think “difficult” depends a bit on endurance levels and determination factor. 🙂 How would you describe the consistency of the mixture at the point when it’s thick enough to take off the heat – chocolate syrup, caramel sauce, paste?
It’s very thick, like a pudding consistency.
My cake partner and I used to call it “the blob” 😉
HI!! OMG can i hug you/ kill you? I have been looking for the perfect frosting since forever because i always try the American Buttercream but am always disappointed by the sweetness/grittiness. This cream is sweet and fluffy but the sweetness is not overpowering and makes one want to try more 😀 I am thinking of adding various flavors to this frosting, for example, some salted caramel. I will update you on the results later! Thanks!
Yes, I used to sell cakes and my customers from India , Pakistan and the far east were always surprised that they actually liked the taste of their children’s birthday cake.
I’m scrolling through the comments, but haven’t come across the answer yet. Have you or do you know if anyone has had success subbing gluten free flour for the flour. I’m recently eating gluten free, but love this frosting.
I’ve never tried a gluten free version, sorry, Kelley!
Hi there, I just added a new comment below about subbing GF flour. Success!
I was wondering if I could substitute liquid stevia for the sugar? I wouldn’t normally question it but I’m not sure if the sugar does more than sweeten in this case (texture, bulking, etc.)
That’s a good question, Rachel, but I’m afraid I don’t know the answer. You’d have to experiment to find out (or maybe someone on this thread could chime in if they’ve tried it).
Hi! This is my all-time favorite frosting recipe, but I’m not an experienced enough baker to know how to correctly adjust recipes (I am, however, an expert at INcorrectly adjusting recipes). My soon-to-be six-year-old has requested a vanilla cake with strawberry frosting.
Is there a way to add strawberry puree to this frosting without it becoming runny and/or off-putting??
The key with this frosting, in my opinion, is to add any extra liquid to the beginning step (cooking the flour mixture). I haven’t tried it but I wonder if you could replace some of the liquid with strawberry puree at the beginning?
I recently made this into a strawberry version, replacing the milk with frozen strawberries (the kind that come in the freezer aisle at the store that are sliced and sweetened) and blended them up and it was delicious! We used it on our favorite strawberry cake recipe found here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/strawberry-cake
I tried this recipe with fresh strawberry puree and it came out great! I took your suggestion Mel and put in the strawberry puree in during the step with the milk. I did not exclude any of the milk, but added about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of puree. It took closer to 8 minutes for the mixture to boil with the added liquid, but was fine. The frosting piped really well too after an hour in the refrigerator.
Sounds fabulous!
Hi Mel,love your page! I’m trying to make this frosting and my issue is i think i cooked the moisture out of it because it turned into crumbs-lol- i think thats a no-no! Please help.
Hi Gina, not sure what happened, sorry! You’d have to cook it an awfully long time to cook out all the moisture – are you sure you added all the liquid called for in the recipe? Did it turn to crumbs while cooking on the stove or later when you mixed in the butter?
i realized that i did not use enough milk lol-tried again and it came out perfect! Thanks Mel.I also made the chocolate cake last week-to die for! Keep the recipes coming they are fabulous.Merry Christmas
Hi, I am making this frosting for my daughters birthday on Sunday. I would like to make it and frost the cake on Saturday. Will the frosting be ok to do that ahead? I see you say don’t make the frosting ahead then try to beat it back together, but if its already together and on the cake will that be ok?
Hi Amy, from my experience yes it should stay fine in the refrigerator. I used this frosting on cupcakes for my son’s birthday. I made them a day ahead and they were all good the next day. The cold frosting even tasted better actually 🙂
Good luck.
Yes, Amy, that should work great! I’ve done that several times. I usually refrigerate the frosted cake and pull it out several hours before serving so the frosting can soften up a bit.
How about if you wanted to make these ahead of time and freeze them (the frosted cookies) I’m thinking they won’t stack well if the frosting doesn’t get hard.
This frosting stays on the soft side.
I don’t know if someone has already commented on this but I just used this recipe last night to make cupcakes in a slight panic because I didn’t have any frosting, with an hour to go and then realized it takes a lot of time to cool down/warm back up, etc. I would just like to note that instead of waiting for the frosting to cool down on its own, I put it in the fridge for 5 minutes and the freezer for probably about 30, and it turned out great (in my opinion). I will probably even do that next time even if I am not short on time.
LOVE IT THIS WORKS WELL
I see there is caramel version of this frosting. Have you heard of it or know how to make it? Can’t wait to try it!
I haven’t made a caramel version, Dianna, but I believe others have in the comment thread if you want to scroll through the comments.
Mel: does this frosting crust? Would it work on a wedding cake?
No, this frosting doesn’t crust (in my experience, the best crusting frostings use shortening or at least half shortening).
When beating the frosting, do you use the paddle or the whisk attachment?
The whisk.
Hi, if I made a cake used this frosting inside and covered in fondant on a Wednesday would the frosting keep ok if I didn’t cut the cake Saturday?
Not sure since I haven’t tried it but as long as the cake is kept in a cool location (not overly warm or humid), it should be fine.
hi, Can we dispense the flour or Is there an alternative to it?
Hi Suzanne – the flour is necessary to this recipe. You’d have to experiment if you wanted to leave it out or sub another ingredient.
I don’t have a problem with the flour but I was thinking, maybe could substitute coconut flour for the white flour. 🙂
Lovely! I want to make the chocolate version, but we love milk chocolate and dislike dark chocolate. I would have said we hate dark chocolate, but in this case it would have cake attached to it, so at least we’d like the cakey bits. Anyway, couldn’t one use milk chocolate instead of semisweet? Any suggestions for adjusting the recipe to make rich milk chocolate frosting?
Thanks for this. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Actually, the chocolate version is quite light and creamy. I’d still use the semisweet chocolate chips – it doesn’t lend an overly bittersweet chocolate taste to the frosting.
I’ve been looking for a good frosting recipe to use on some black forest cupcakes instead of whipped cream, and I think this is the one!
I’ve heard this type of frosting be called “mock whipped cream” before, does it taste a lot like whipped cream? Or should I sub some of the milk for heavy cream? I want to achieve a somewhat whipped cream taste, but want something more interesting than just a chantilly cream!
Hi Michelle – this frosting definitely has a whipped, light, creamy taste and consistency. I’ve never subbed cream for the milk before – I think you’ll like it the way it is. Good luck!
i”m making this first time baker, can i mix in with it cream cheese??????
You can sub out some of the butter for cream cheese – I believe the details are in the post.
Hi Mel,
I totally agree with everything in this post – I too am not a huge fan of traditional buttercream. Homemade versions are always grainy, and I feel like the sugar coats my teeth when eating it! I tried the pioneer woman flour frosting, and that too was a disaster. But this frosting, WAS AMAZING!! With traditional buttercream I could only handle a small layer of frosting, but with this, I can put thick layers, and it still tastes great without being too much sugar! This will forever be my favorite frosting, I can’t wait to try the chocolate version. However, I did have a mishap, I put the butter in microwave for 5 seconds just to be sure it wasn’t cold…accidentally did 5 minutes and had a pool of 3 sticks of melted butter :-/ !! Despite this, I was able to make this perfectly! Thanks for the recipe and the step-by-step instructions!!!
Just make the base and set in the fridge with plastic wrap directly on it. When you need it, take it out and let it come to room temp or close and whip
with butter. So easy!
Oh! This looks lovely! I’ve been trying to find the perfect frosting recipe that isn’t overly sweet and this is perfect! I have a question though. Can this frosting be made a few days before actually using it, or should it only be used when made?
The frosting can be made ahead of time and then rewhipped when ready to use but personally I find it’s better made fresh.
Mel, I baked your Yellow Cake and frosted it with this frosting for Mary’s birthday cake. What a hit!! Adam was over and was amazed I had it in me to produce such a treat. I gave you all the credit. Your directions were easy to follow and in spite of my awkward kitchen skills, I pulled it off. Thanks for the help!! We miss you guys!!
Greg
Hi! I made this frosting today using a hand mixer. I let everything cool to room temp and I put it in the fridge 30 minutes ago and it’s still so runny. I did use skim milk because that’s all we ever get. Should it thicken up with more fridge time?
I really really want to try this frosting for a birthday cake but im always nervous making ANY kind of frosting because i don’t own a stand mixer (yet)…will a hand held electric mixer do just as well to make this magical frosting?
I wouldn’t recommend this with a hand mixer because I’m afraid it might burn out the motor in the hand mixer (it needs a lot of high speed mixing).
Hi Mel!
I would love to make this but was wondering if I could substitute the cornstarch for an extra 3 tbs of flour. Would this change the taste/texture of the final product?
Thanks!
Subbing flour for the cornstarch might change the texture or taste but you could still try it (there are other widely used flour-based frostings like this online that don’t use cornstarch; I’ve tried a few of them in the past and far prefer this recipe, though, because the texture is lighter and less gummy). The reason the recipe uses both flour and cornstarch is for the extremely creamy/silky texture. Changing any of those amounts may affect the outcome. Good luck if you try it!
I pipe with this all the time! Perfect swirls every single time 🙂
You said you would try piping this and let us know if it worked…did it?
Yes, I pipe with it all the time – there are lots of details from other people who have piped with it, too, listed in the comment thread.
Every buttercream recipe I’ve found has threatened to give me a tooth decay at first bite. This is perfect! A little extra work, but you’re right, it’s so worth it! I made it to frost a chocolate cake and I added a hint of orange flavour to the vanilla. It turned out beautifully. Thank you! I actually made the cake to celebrate my blog turning one. If you’re interested, http://corianderandgarlic.wordpress.com/2014/09/19/milestones-vanilla-orange-chocolate-cake/
I would just add espresso powder to the milk mixture.
Absolutely DIVINE. I don’t think I will ever make buttercream again! THANK YOU! Piped wonderfuly (just big swirls on cupcakes) after being in the fridge for a bit…Going to try some more serious stuff in the morning! We’ll see how it goes!
I made this frosting for a giant cupcake, IT WAS AWESOME!!!!
I would like to know, can I double the recipe or make separately?
Debbie – As long as your mixer is big enough to beat the frosting in one bowl, you can definitely double. When I’ve doubled it, I add a few extra minutes to the beating (when adding the butter) since there’s more frosting to whip.
Hello.. is there any chocolate version for this?
Hala – Yes…the chocolate variation is below the recipe.
I would reduce the amount of milk by a few tablespoons and replace it in equal amounts with the liqueur, then add more if needed in place of the vanilla. I’ve flavored this frosting many ways, and it seems best to add it to the liquid in the beginning. Later than that you run the risk of too soft of a frosting. Good luck!
Hi Mel.
Firstly, thank you so much for all your incredible recipes – you know how people used to have that trusty old recipe book, full of hand-written amendments from your grandma? This website is that for me.
I just wanted to ask – I am wanting to make Amarula flavoured frosting for my brother’s 21st. Amarula is a South African liquer made from marula fruit. I would say the closest comparison would be Bailey’s Irish Cream liquer. I have baked with it before (Amarula cheesecake – yum!) and when it is added to other stuff, the flavour tends to soften (I normally add 3/4 Tablespoons to a standard cheesecake). Which can be nice if you are wanting a subtle flavour. But for this, I want the flavour to really shine (although perhaps without the intention of intoxicating everyone…). I am guessing I will need even as much a 6/7 Tbs?? How and when would you suggest I incorporate this? Thanks for the help!
Thanks, Teagan – you are so sweet! About your question, I would suggest adding it with the vanilla (I think that’s the best bet for not messing up the consistency of the frosting). If you taste the frosting after the butter has been added and the flavor isn’t strong enough, you could drizzle in a bit more (taking care not to liquify the frosting). Good luck!
Hi Mel, I do not like overly sweet cream. Can I reduce the amount of sugar? Will I ruin it? Thanks in advance.
cakeholic – This frosting isn’t all that sweet in my opinion so you might want to make it as is to see how sweet it is for your taste. Good luck!
This is the second cooked frosting I tried and this one is perfect. It came out like Satin. I cooled in an ice bath and in the freezer (with careful monitoring and stirring). I used 2 parts salted butter and one part shortening (to help with humid climate of Honolulu). I cut out salt, since butter was salted. About an hour from start to finish- perfect on my traditional red velvet (which has no red dye, so really brownish-red velvet 🙂 I love this website!!!
Hi! I’m really interested in this recipe! I’ll be making a (vegan!) cake for a friend this weekend, but I’m unsure if this frosting will be stiff enough for a ruffle cake decoration. And also, we’ll be holding the party outside at a temp of 32 F, 77% humidity. Will it be able to hold the ruffle shapes without melting/drooping?
Please do reply to my inquiry! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! Can’t wait to try it.
Flora – This frosting has piped fine for me in the past (although others have reported it is a little on the soft side so it may be worth doing a trial run for piping purposes). The one downfall of this frosting is that it doesn’t hold up well in warm or overly humid temperatures so it may not be the right fit for the outdoor party.
This recipe minus the flour has been THE buttercreme frosting used for YEARS in our family. I’ve added 1- 2 tsp of cherry flavoring from a jar of maraschino cherries along with 1 tsp. of almond flavoring for a varied taste. YUM!!
Thank you Mel, I tried your recipe and everyone loved it. I added some powdered sugar at the end. it piped beautifully. I only left it in the fridge for 10 minutes and it was ready to go on cake.
I made the roux last night. Left it and margarine out on the counter overnight. Started the whipping process… and it separated instead of whipping nicely. It has happened twice to me now. But 2 other times I had great success with this recipe. Any ideas why it separated???
Kitty Schafer – Margarine can’t be subbed for the butter; also if using butter, the frosting may look separated at first but it needs to be whipped for the full amount if time in the recipe and should come together. The butter should be at cool room remp…too soft and it may not whip correctly. I hope that helps. I am sorry it didn’t work out for you.
I just made this – frosted the easy yellow cupcakes- from this site. Both are amazing!
But…even after generously frosting 2 dozen cupcakes, I still have tons left over. If I had time, I’d whip up more cupcakes, but I don’t. Any suggestions? Is there a way to keep this frosting, even a couple days, in hopes of being able to use it up?
Hi Traci – I store the leftovers of this frosting in the fridge and then let it come to room temp before spreading on sugar cookies or using again (sometimes it helps to whip it again so it is creamy after refrigerating).
You must live where it’s super hot because I never have problems piping or holding shapes with this frosting.
This frosting was not good for piping. After refrigerating at the end it went really grainy and was a nightmare to work with. Tastes great but does not pipe well
Okay, this frosting was absolutely DELICIOUS! 😀 I just wanted to comment today after I made it on Sunday and let you know this is the best homemade frosting I have ever come across online, and I’ve tried very many with lots of failing alongside of them. Finally found the one I was looking for, I guess, and I cut out a stick of butter and used just two, unsalted – worked like a charm! My boyfriend keeps sneaking it out of the container it’s in , in our fridge (and me too, I’m not going to lie!) Thanks for sharing this!
Have you tried using skim milk? And what do you think about halving the recipe? I just made your Unbelievable Chocolate Cake in a 9×13 pan and I don’t think I’ll need the full 4 cups to frost the top of the cake… Thanks for your help! Can’t wait to try it!
Emily Bessey – I have not tried skim milk – personally I’d recommend using 1% or higher. Halving the recipe should work just fine though. Good luck!
I would just make the base ahead, then take the few minutes on the day of to whip the butter in.
i want to try this for my daughter’s birthday on saturday but i’d like to know if i could make it today and keep it in the fride for a little less than 48 hours without compromising the texture. with 2 kids and a newborn i try to make thing ahead of time when i can!
Hi Clodie – this frosting is best made fresh (in my opinion) but I totally know what you mean about trying to get things done in advance. It can be made ahead and refrigerated – you’ll want to take it out a couple hours before using it and then rewhip it. I have to be honest, I’ve done this and it isn’t quite as smooth and silky made in advance (and sometimes can separate a bit) but others have commented they’ve made it ahead and been fine. Good luck!
Mel, I just found your website and signed up. I was browsing your recipes and came across this one. I, too, hate super sweet greasy frosting – I usually scrape the frosting off the cake – unless it’s whipped cream frosting which I love. But I digress. I used to have a recipe very, very similar to this and lost it. We called this Ice Cream Icing and it was incredible. Reading this recipe I would say it’s better than what I used to have because you didn’t put the sugar in the cooked mixture, it had more cornstarch and no flour. After you cooled the mixture you had to incorporate the sugar which took forever, then the butter. This is way better. Can’t wait to try it – I’ve missed Ice Cream Icing and will use this next cake I make!!! This is a great website – you have recipes I can actually make!
Thanks, Jane – I hope you enjoy this frosting and any other recipes you try!
Loved this … and all three of my kids loved it, too! To sweeten and stiffen it up a bit I added one cup of sifted confectionary sugar at the end – I wanted to be able to pipe it. I also added some vanilla bean paste which left little specks of vanilla bean in the frosting …. DELICIOUS!
I just finished making this frosting, and I have a couple tips:
1. If you are on a diet, do not make this!! You will want to taste a little, then you won’t be able to keep yourself from “just getting a little more.”
2. If you hate frosting like I do, you will love it after making this heavenly dessert that shouldn’t even have the privilege of being called frosting.
3. Stock up on butter!
Can you freeze this frosting?
Kristen – No, I wouldn’t recommend freezing this.
One word: fabulous. I made this for my family’s birthdays (had three within the past two weeks and we celebrated all together).
I made this with your unbelievable chocolate cake. Holy yum!!
After reading your tips/comments, I decided to use a 9×13 pan and it came out perfectly. When I make it again, I might add chocolate chips to the cake mix.
This is will be my go to frosting and cake recipe for sure!
Thank you!
Because the admin of this website is working, no doubt very
rapidly it will be renowned, due to its quality contents.
Butter is fairly expensive here in China. I usually use oil instead of butter for most recipes. Is it possible to use oil instead of butter in this recipe? I know to reduce the measurement by about half to keep it from being too liquidy.
Ashley – Unfortunately not. Butter is pretty essential to this recipe. Sorry!
Mel, Do you know if I could make this the day before and store it in the fridge before I frost my cake?
Hi Mel, I’m one of those who love this recipe. So smooth, creamy and not gritty at all. In other words, I’m so pleased with the result. My only problem is, I made a layer cake with mousse filling and we had leftover. I didn’t know whether to put the frosted cake in the refrigerator or not. I was afraid that the frosting would hardened and separate as you described, but at the same time, I was also concerned that the filling would be spoiled. What would you do in my case? Where would you keep the leftover frosted cake? And how long would it keep at room temperature? Thanks.
Ela – I would refrigerate the cake – should be fine for a couple days if covered well – just take it out a couple hours before serving if it has been refrigerated so the frosting has time to soften.
I will try this recipe. My mom had a cooked recipe only it called for on egg flour, Sugar,milk mix and cook til thick. Let cool, then using unsalted butter ,vanilla and some powdered sugar. This is like ice cream!
I tried to save it with more flavoring and more powdered sugar, but the magic didn’t happen for me, I’m sorry to say. I really wanted it to, after reading all the raves. I guess I just tend to like the more traditional buttercreams. I really like your cream cheese butter-
creme. Thanks for all the experimenting you do for us, and for all the great recipes. Its nice to know that even if a certain recipe doesn;t work out, we can still be friends.
bluebaker – of course! We’ll always be virtual friends. I like it when people can post constructive advice/criticism on a recipe. I’m sorry you didn’t like this frosting. A hand mixer may not be able to whip up the magic like a stand mixer. But I am glad you have another standby that you love.
Just FYI, I used a hand mixer and it turned out perfectly. 🙂
I made this today, and the unbelieveable chocolate cake. The frosting seems too soft, but that could be because I only have a hand mixer. I added some conf, sugar to see if I could stiffen it up., and I added a little more vanilla and some almond extract ( my favorite)to see if I could punch up the flavor. This will be a good Sunday dessert for tomorrow, but I think at this stage of the game, I will stick to your cream cheese/ buttercream one (the one on the polar bear cupcakes) . Reading thru the comments, its funny that there are so many opinions about what is good, and best, but we’re all trying to do the same thing- please our family and friends with great homemade food. so,
I think if I had a stand mixer with more power it would have been better. It was fun to try this new method.
Do you know if this frosting would stand up to a chocolate ganache drizzle over it? Or will it just reduce/fall? Hope that makes sense.
I wanting to make a coffee infused chocolate cake with this frosting, a chocolate drizzle and strawberries on top. Thank you 🙂
Mesheala – As long as the chocolate ganache isn’t warm/hot, it should be fine. Good luck!
Hi! Had to stop by and tell you how well the recipe turned out for me. I read every comment and was a little terrified to try it. I saw comments saying it was a disaster to make in advance, so I got up extra early the day of the birthday party to make a batch. I doubled the recipe since I wanted to fill and cover a 5 layer cake. HERE is a tip! (I didn’t do this) since I doubled the recipe, it took three hours to come to room temp. And that was with me cheating and putting in the fridge for part of the time. I think if I make it again, instead of putting the cooked base in the mixer bowl to cool, I’ll spread it in a 9×13 baking dish or something similar. It took wayyyy to long to cool down in the mixer bowl. I should’ve trippled it, but I skimped on the layers and it was the perfect amount and looked lovely. Taste was good too. And for anyone wondering, it held up at room temp perfectly alllll day. And I put the leftovers in the fridge and there was no separation or anything. Still tasted great, but definitely not as fluffy. Next time I will make the frosting the night before and cover it and let it sit a room temp until I’m ready to use it. Thanks for a yummy alternative to buttercream! Oh! And it was perfectly pipable. Even without letting it sit to thicken. 🙂
Good heavens this stuff is amazing! Arianna wanted a chocolate cake for her 4th bday and so I did your chocolate cake with this frosting and it was utterly amazing! It’s funny because I got out some left over canned frosting from a bday party and told Kevin to try both and we were both just surprised at the fact that the canned stuff tastes like straight sugar/corn syrup…there is no other flavor. This stuff is so much better. And I did use it to pipe some swags on the cake and it worked great just tossing it in the fridge for 15 minutes or so. So so soooo yummy! I will have to go the extra step now for all my cakes, as I don’t think any other frosting will compare. Thanks Mel! 🙂
Hi Mel, how long we can keep this frosting in room temperature?
Cakeholic – This frosting doesn’t hold up well to extremely warm temperatures, but at cool room temperature I would say it is fine for up to 8 hours.
I made this frosting today to top a chocolate cake. I used caramel extract rather than vanilla. This is by far the best homemade frosting I’ve come across and very easy to make. This will be my go-to frosting from now on! I did not use a strainer nor did I have any lumps. Awesome, thank you for the recipe 🙂
Thank you so much of posting this recipe! I have made 2 batches now and it was a huge hit 🙂 I am not a fan of frostings at the supermarket, they are much too sweet, this is a very fluffy, buttery bakery-like frosting, and I love it!
I left my mixer going until I was happy with the consistency, and did not use a strainer in my boiling process and no problems here.
Once again THANK YOU 🙂
Hi, Mel. Should the milk be room temperature?
Hi Dee – I usually use milk straight from the refrigerator.
I made this frosting last night for cupcakes. It was delicious. Sadly, I didn’t frost them all last night and missed the “caveat” at the bottom of the post. That means that when I just let the icing come back to room temperature and rewhipped….nothing but separation. Oh well! I’ll just tell everyone to close their eyes and enjoy! 🙂
I just tried making this but it curdled. I dont know why.
This has been around since i was a kid. It is known to me as Mock Whipping Cream, a friend of my Dads would make this for my brother and me when we were little, When i started cooking i got in touch with her and go the recipe, it is to die for!
Alright, I’m sold.
I love that you throw everything together, even the sugar so it melts.
Going to give this a go with some test-baking I’m doing for my hubby’s bday.
Thanks!
BTW – Don’t forget to enter in my foodie giveaway. There’s still time!!
Made this last night and it is everything it claims to be. I stopped making buttercream and eating buttercream frosting a long time ago because I can’t stand the sickly sweet, greasy, gritty, taste of it. This frosting was mild in taste, light, and fluffy!! I used salted butter, and halved the recipe..amazzzing!
Also, this recipe wasn’t quite enough for a 3 layer cake. It would have been fine for a 2 layer but I think for a 3 layer I will make one and a half times the recipe.
I made this today to go on Strawberry cake and it worked so beautifully! I had also tried the Tasty Kitchen’s “Best Frosting I’ve Ever Had” recipe and, while I liked the flavor, the consistency wasn’t what I wanted. Then I found this recipe and the flavor is pretty much the same but the texture is just divine! It manages to be so light and fluffy yet creamy and silky all at the same time. When I first tasted it I thought it was too sweet and I went back to check the recipe and make sure I put in the right amount of sugar. That’s when I noticed that I had forgotten the salt! So I put in a good sized pinch of salt while I was letting it sit for an hour before frosting my cake. I made sure to mix it well with my spoon and it dissolved and mixed in beautifully. That little touch of salt took away the cloying sweetness and left it at just the perfect amount.
I like to frost my cake while it’s still frozen and then stack my layers and let it thaw several hours before serving. What do you think of that? I actually won’t have time to wait for a reply, but I’ll let you know how it went.
In case she doesn’t get to your answer in time, yes, it will melt if too hot, and no, it doesn’t crust over.
Hi! I see that this has been posted over two years ago but I luckily came across it and can’t wait to try it. I’m wondering, by the way, if it melts on humid summer weather? Or is this one of those crusting frosting/icing recipe that hardens? 🙂 I am looking forward to hour reply ! Thanks so much for posting this !
Hi Mel,
I was very excited when I found this version of the recipe, but I am a little sad over how it came out… I tried the tasty kitchen version and it came out really fluffy and good and tasty, but I didn’t like that the sugar didn’t completely melt and you could still feel it. So i tried this one, but i think i like the other version better.
What i didn;t like about this version is:
1. i can feel the starch flavor quite a lot and if also give a floury texture. It might be something that i am not used to because we rarely use cornstarch in anything…Can I only use flour and no corn starch at all? If yes, how much?
2. after the mixtures cools it becomes very very hard. i could barely beat it and the finished frosting was a little less fluffy. Maybe i let it boil to much? After i took it off the stove, it had a caramel like consistency and i thought it would be ok like that, but then it got extremely thick…
3. i absolutely hate butter creams and from where I am from (Romania) they are not very popular (maybe this is why i don’t like the taste)…. so i was hoping it would not have such a buttery taste, but it did… Can I use less butter? The thing i loved most about the tasty kitchen version was that it did not have such a strong butter flavor…
I will try it another time, maybe this time leave it a little less on the stove and perhaps use only 2 sticks of butter?….
Hi Cristina, sorry this didn’t work out for you. I haven’t tried any of the changes you suggested so if you want to omit the cornstarch or decrease the butter, you’ll have to experiment. Also, the base of the frosting (that you cook on the stove) should still be very soft and mixable after it cools. If your mixture was a caramel consistency and very hard, it sounds like it may have cooked quite a bit longer than it should have. It should just bubble and thicken before pulling it off the stove. If you really don’t like buttery frostings, this may not be for you. The finished frosting is very light and buttery. Good luck if you decide to experiment!
My Grandma used to make this all the time. She called it ” 7 minute frosting.” The whole family loved it; and she passed it down through the generations, and still going.
Just made this and OMG! So good! Hope it makes it to the cake.
Im not much of a cake eater, and when i do eat cake, i scrap most of the frosting off the cake because i just dont like it. My 2 1/2 year old wanted me to make chocolate chip cookies but i had no chips to make them so i made a cake instead (from scratch, boxed cakes taste like poo) so after i made the cake i decided i might as well make frosting too. I didnt quit have enough flour for this recipe so i just guessed on the measurements for everything. I also didnt have a strainer so after i mixed the firat ingredients i just slowly poured the mixture into the saucepan and avoided pouring in (most of) the thick part of the mixture. But even after all that, the frosting turned out amazing! Though i wpuldnt advise eating too much cause it made me feel a little sick. Also, after my first piece, i put the rest of the frosted cake in the fridge and had another piece the next day, and it was even better after the frosting got stiffer. Its not too stiff, but perfect texture in my opinion. Best frosting ive ever tasted! And im very picky! Oh, and im also terrible in the kitchen! (Sorry if this is a duplicate post, im doing this on my phone and its acting up)
Im not much of a cake eater, and when i do eat cake, i scrap most of the frosting off the cake because i just dont like it. My 2 1/2 year old wanted me to make chocolate chip cookies but i jad no chips to make them so i made a cake instead (from scratch, boxed cakes taste like poo) so after i made the cake i decided i might as well make frosting too. I didnt quit have enough flour for this recipe so i just guessed on the measurements for everything. I also didnt have a strainer so after i mixed the firat ingredients i just slowly poured the mixture into the saucepan and avoided pouring in (most of) the thick part of the mixture. But even after all that, the frosting turned out amazing! Though i wpuldnt advise eating too much cause it made me feel a little sick. Also, after my first piece, i put the rest of the frosted cake in the fridge and had another piece the next day, and it was even better after the frosting got stiffer. Its not too stiff, but perfect texture in my opinio. Best frosting ive ever tasted! And im very picky!
My great-grandmother called this Mock Whipped Cream which more closely describes it than frosting. My family has been making it for over 100 years, so it’s an old recipe! I can’t imagine how they did it without an electric mixer! She’d heap it onto a dark chocolate cake, very yummy!
I’ve made this icing for years, my recipe was called “French Cream Icing”, I really can’t remember where/how I got it. I use it to frost angel food cake.
the recipe that we used when I was a child was:
equal amounts of:
Milk, flour, butter, crisco beat together about ten minutes until it all comes together and looks like whipped cream, add a teaspoon vanilla extract. A 1/2 of each will frost a two layer cake or a 13×9″ pan.
Hii, the frosting tastes amazingg but when i use it on cupcakes it melts! I’m in distresss. Please help?
Nirmal – this frosting is fairly delicate meaning it needs to be kept cool and won’t fare well in hot temperatures so try keeping it cool and see if that helps.
Hey Mel, Faaaaantastic frosting. I made the chocolate version to top brownies and it was utterly perfect. I doubled the melted chocolate (on accident—i forgot I was halving the rest of the recipe) and it was perfect! I will double it every time now. Thanks a million. Love love love your site.
Can I add food coloring to this icing?
Annie – yes, you sure can!
I was wondering if you could share the frosting technique you used on this beautiful cake…you know for those of who are less than novice in the baking department.
Amy – it’s been a long time but I’m pretty sure I just used my small offset spatula and swooped the frosting into swirls. Pretty low key and super easy!
Hi, Im in love with swiss merangue buttercream, but am excited to try this. pls tell me( if you can,) how long can this buttercream stay outdoor. Im in singapore and wonder if this can withstand the humid weather here.. Not that I plan to bake the cake under the sun, but good to know if it can be left out for a while without me being worrying abt it melting. thanks. lina
Lina – this is a delicate frosting that won’t hold up super well in extreme heat so I wouldn’t recommend letting it sit out in the heat (75 degrees or above) for longer than an hour.
I feel so out of the loop! I only discovered this recipe earlier this year when a friend of mine requested it on a cake I will be making for her.
I tried it out the first time as written with great success; it turned out just like it was supposed to.
I am using the frosting on a wedding cake in a few weeks and due to the comments, have decided to make the frosting the day of the event in order to give it the best chance of holding up. I tried a few days ago to make the roux the night before and let it cool in the fridge. I then gave it several hours to come back to room temperature before whipping in the butter. The final product was not as good as the first try – the butter did not incorporate as well. I can only think it was because the roux was too cool still.
My question is this: do you think I could make the roux the day before and then, instead of refrigerating it, just letting it rest at room temperature until I am ready to whip it up the next day? Would the roux spoil? Do you have an recommendations?
Hi Ruth – instead of letting it sit out overnight, do you think you could refrigerate the roux and then pull it out a few hours before you want to make the frosting so that it comes back to room temperature? I’m kind of a freak about food safety and don’t like to let milk products of any kind sit out overnight, but having said that, as long as your house isn’t really hot, the roux should probably be ok sitting at room temperature for a short amount of time (as long as it isn’t a couple days).
Looking for a great recipe for my son’s wedding cake. How is the consistency of this frosting? Will it work well for that?
Hi Tami – I hesitate to say yes without knowing what kind of cake you are making and what consistency you are looking for. The consistency of this frosting is very light and creamy.
Mel! I have been looking for this recipe for years! I remember my mother made this on her Red Velvet cakes when I was a little girl. Your photo looks just like I remember it. I lost her recipe & all I could remember is that it had flour in it & that she cooked it on the stove. I think she might have used a double boiler. She always used it for my birthday cake as it was my favorite! Not too sweet! I laughed at all the comments about how do you store the left over cake? Or not needing that much frosting….Really? We never had too much or any left overs!
Cristina – I have made this frosting milk free since I am allergic to milk. It turned out great. I assume you could use shortening and/or margarine instead of the butter but I would make sure you add some other flavor such as bit of orange or lemon rind to jazz it up a little.
I find that the trick to substituting milk or cream is to use something that has a great flavor. I substitute coconut cream/milk mixed with some water or a little soya milk. Too much soya milk gives it a strong bean taste so I prefer more coconut milk.
I also made a homemade vegan coconut pudding with 1 T cornstarch, 2 T Birds Custard Powder, 1/2 c sugar along with 2 T margarine or shortening and 1 tsp vanilla. I mixed in this thick pudding into the frosting to reduce the greasy taste and make it into an amazing frosting. You have to make sure to keep the frosting cool if the weather is really hot or it gets a little soft.
I hope all the readers can try out some of my suggestions and a big thanks to Mel for sharing the original great “magical” frosting recipe.
Thanks for your help! As you said, adding the butter helped a lot to get rid of it, and it tasted just like raw cookie dough, which I love! I used the Piña Colada oil by Lorann to flavour it and fill and frost a cake and it’s been a HUGE hit!! Also, it didn’t melt or “de-puff” even after a 2-hour travel by car, which is quite awesome considering it’s about 100F here in Spain. Thank you SO much for this recipe!!!
I found your recipe a few months ago and I’ve been meaning to stop by and leave a coment. The first time I made it I knew I was in love! I have made it dozens of times since then and everyone loves it as well. I have also made the chocolate version and I went a little crazy and made it in caramel, cheesecakes, white chocolate, lemon and lime flavors! Thank you sooooooo much for posting this!
Hi, did you add cream cheese to this frosting? when and how can you please guide me a little? 🙂 thanks.
No, this frosting does not have cream cheese.
Thanks for the recipe! I’ve been looking for something like this for years!! Just one question… I made the flour-cornstarch-sugar-milk mix yesterday and I got a nice, thick cream, but it still tastes a bit of raw flour? Is that normal? Should I boil it longer?
Daniela – you can try boiling it longer to get rid of some of the flour taste but adding the butter at the end will definitely make it taste more like frosting. Just keep in mind, this has a bit of a different taste and texture than every day buttercream.
Mel!!
I made the most incredible cake yesterday! I must tell you all about it. I used your chocolate cake recipe and it made 3-8 inch layers. I cut each layer a little less than an inch with my horizontal cake saw thingie. I made a ganache filling by taking a bag of ghirardelli semi sweet choc chips and pouring 1 3/4 C just boiling cream over them. Wait 2 mins. Stir in slowly and thoroughly. Refrigerate 3 hrs. Take out an hour before youre ready to use. Spread this thickly between the cake layers. More than 1/4″ but less than 1/2. Finally frost it with your Magical Frosting. I scraped a vanilla bean in the frosting cuz I’m crazy that way. This cake is not from this world. I don’t know where it’s from but I’ll be moving there as soon as I find out! I have dreams about it.
I am making a cake for my daughter’s birthday tomorrow, can I make this frosting tonight and let the complete product sit in the fridge until I need to use it tomorrow?
Kim – the finished, whipped frosting was runny?? If so, it might be that the frosting base wasn’t quite cool enough.
HI! I feel like I’m missing something since most everyone seems to be over the moon about this frosting. I made it yesterday and I have to say I was disappointed. I didn’t have any problems with the recipe, it seemed to whip up just fine. The texture was nice, but the flavor was a little too floury/cornstarchy for me. My brother said it reminded him of raw cookie dough. Not horrible, but not what I’m looking for in frosting. It does seem to taste better the next day, which is unfortunate since ideally you are supposed to use it shortly after making it…
That’s interesting – wonder if it was the butter? Mine was very buttery – seemed to settle in after being in the fridge over night and then was PERFECT…did you use real butter? weird question maybe – or maybe it wasn’t cooked quite long enough?
Cindi – Yep, I use real butter.
I made this today for my daughter’s birthday cupcakes. I followed your directions… brought it to a boil over medium heat until it thickened and let it cool to room temp. Sadly, it did not work out for me. Soooo runny. Any suggestions?
Could soy milk be used instead of regular milk?
The frosting is not too sweet using the above standard recipe but it does have a strong buttery taste. I think it is a great recipe because of the flour to make it less sweet and with a light whip to it. I modified the recipe to by folding in a little bit of a homemade milk-free coconut vanilla pudding made extra thick (a little more than half of the liquid that the recipe called for – 2 1/2 cups reduced to 1 1/2 cups). I also added about 1/4 teaspoon of gelatin dissolved in a little cold water and then heated in a bowl over hot water to make it smooth (next time I may increase the gelatin to 1/3 or 1/2 teaspoon).
The result was fantastic, I got a nice light frosting with a slight buttery taste that becomes firm when chilled and becomes soft when let sit for 15 minutes before indulging. I also added a few tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice and a little finely grated orange rind which gave it a very mild orange taste which went great when I topped my dairy-free homemade moist carrot cake.
I got a great frosting with a lighter sweetness and lighter buttery taste since I added a little of my thick homemade coconut pudding. I think everyone should try this recipe and experiment a little like I did until they find the taste that they are extremely happy with.
enjoy
I look forward to trying this recipe since I do not like cake frosting that is too sweet. I am thinking of making this recipe and then folding in a little bit of a homemade milk-free coconut vanilla pudding made extra thick. I am hoping for a frosting that has a slight buttery taste with a low sugar moist pudding like consistency.
Cristina – I would suggest substituting the milk with coconut milk and a about 1 or 2 Tbsps of sugar to make up for the lack of sweetness. If you do not have enough coconut milk for 1 1/2 cups, just add water to make the same amount of liquid. I am allergic to two of the three proteins in milk so always bake without using milk. I prefer coconut milk more than soya milk because the end result tastes better.
Thanks, Mel and Lien, for the lemon help. I used 1 C. Milk and 1/2 C. lemon juice in the initial cooking phase. It was wonderful! My husband didn’t think it was sweet enough, but my dad and I couldn’t stop eating it. I loved not having the taste of powdered sugar in my frosting.
It also dyed just great for the turquoise bat cake. (Thanks for the cake design idea, too.)
I am wondering, does this frosting dye well? I’m making a lego cake for my son’s birthday and I’d like to use this frosting – however I need the frosting to be yellow, blue, red, and green…can you dye this frosting? Thanks!
I’ve made it into lemon frosting by taking out a few tablespoons of milk, waiting until the mixture thickens, adding lemon juice, whipping up, then adding zest and pure lemon extract. Worked beautifully and tasted divine!
I see that this is an old post (with a TON of comments!) but I wanted to let you know I made this frosting today and it was ahhhmazing. The texture was very similar to the chocolate frosting found in this recipe (my FAVE chocolate frosting)- http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/brownie-batter-chocolate-fudge-cupcakes.html
Glad that now I have a to-die-for vanilla frosting recipe too! Instead of vanilla I tried almond extract, but I think for my daughter’s birthday on Sat. I’ve decided to do the original vanilla instead. 🙂 Thanks!!!
Mel, my sister-in-law, Bonnie, put me onto your site. I LOVE it! Question about this frosting: Do you think I could substitute 1/2 cup of the milk for lemon juice? I really like a frosting with flavor (i.e. browned butter frosting, or lemon and coconut—you HAVE to try adding coconut oil to your frosting recipes sometime. It’s delicious! I use it half-n-half with butter. And have you ever tried browning your butter for chocolate frosting? Wow! It does change the fluffiness aspect, though.) Anyway, I’d like to make a lemon frosting, but I was really excited to try this recipe. What do you think?
Hi Natalie – I love Bonnie! Thanks for the note! I know there are a ton of comments on this recipe but I know someone else made lemon. I don’t think they subbed out the milk instead they added lemon zest in at the end. It might be worth reading through the last few comments because I’m pretty sure it was recent and I could be wrong. Good luck! Love your other tips!
This is very similar to the recipe my Grandma made and I was so glad when I found it again. It’s the frosting I use on my Red Velvet cake (not a huge fan of cream cheese icing) and I have always gotten rave reviews.
Fabulous frosting! I found the cooked portion of the frosting extremely easy to make in the microwave….I cooked it at 50% power and stirred it every couple of minutes. This was perfect on top of the favorite chocolate cake recipe!
What cocoa powder did you use, Dutched or regular? Could a dark cocoa make the chocolater version darker or have you tried it before? Thanks.
Ela – I’ve used both with good results.
Mel, I was wondering if there is a way to incorporate coffee into this frosting recipe without cocoa. Would love to know if you’ve tried or if anyone else has tried. I don’t know if using brewed coffee in place of milk would work…might not thicken. ???
I have not tried coffee, but I did use Chai concentrate once (Tazo brand) to make a chai spiced icing and it turned out amazing!
I finally made this after looking at it, for I think, since you posted it. I made it exactly as you have it and it turned out awesome. Mine didn’t come out as fluffy as yours but I piped it onto my cupcakes (I turned your cake into bite-sized portions) and it still has to be the very best icing ever. It doesn’t look like anything special, but wow, it is. I don’t know if I will ever want another recipe again.
I cooled the frosting in an icebath while stirring.. it worked like a charm and cut out a lot of time! This is hands down the BEST frosting I have ever eaten!! I had it with your chocolate cake, nutella filling and topped it with fresh strawberries! mmmmm
Did anyone else have issues with it being too runny? I had to use margarine as it was all I had on hand. Could that be a reason? Other than that it was amazing!!! Love the flavor!
Lanaya – margarine does not produce the light and creamy result in this frosting that butter does so that is most definitely the issue.
I’ve tried the Tasty Kitchen version before, with no problems what so ever. I’ve tried your version yesterday, but it was too sweet for me, and the finish icing was separating a little bit. Good enough for spread icing, but not piping.
For the second batch, I forgot to put in the sugar with the flour mixture. So I decided to make it a la Tasty Kitchen and gave it a little tweak. After I creamed the butter only, for 30 seconds, I put only half of the granulated sugar, then the flour mixture. After it was fluffy, I substitutes the other half of the granulated sugar with icing sugar, then whipped it again until it’s very fluffy. The consistency was much stiffer…great for piping. The butter did not separate at all.
You should also try to use Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder. It’s amazing, I love the above so much better than regular.
Mel- this frosting is to die for! my question is would it stand up to a layer cake? is the frosting too light that it would not support a top layer on it? also how to make the chocolate frosting darker in color?
thx!
Hi Lisa – actually, I use this frosting for layer cakes most of the time. It holds up beautifully! Not sure on the chocolate frosting – try using a combination of unsweetened chocolate (it will darken the frosting more than milk chocolate) or maybe even try adding some cocoa powder.
I have been wanting to try this for a while and I finally found time. I have read several comments of what the consistency of the flour mix should look like cooking and when it’s ready to place in clean bowl and cool. My question is, what is it suppose to look like after it has cooled before you add the butter and vanilla? I’m a little worried mine is not quite right.
Michelle – it should look like a thick pudding.
I am going to make a Minnie Mouse star piped cake. Do you think the chocolate version would turn to a black with black food coloring? I can never make black frosting. Ugh
Krista – you stand a better chance of getting black frosting starting with a chocolate base so it’s worth a try. Make sure to use good-quality gel coloring (my favorite brand is Americolor).
I know someone in the earlier posts asked whether it needed to stay chilled and you recommended putting it in the fridge. However, I’m planning on using this frosting on several dozen cupcakes that will not all fit in my fridge. Is it possible to leave them covered on the counter over night or will the frosting melt?
Tiff – the frosting won’t melt unless your house is unusually warm but at cool room temperature (anywhere around 70 degrees) and you should be ok to keep them covered at room temperature.
Hi! Great recipe, thanks. By the way, I used coconut milk ( I live in the Caribbean) and it made it totally super amazing. Also, I kept the extra, (there was lots) in a tub in the fridge and totally used it for a couple days, I just didn’t re-whisk it at all, just let it warm up a bit then it was smooth enough to spread! Super frosting.
Wow! This was definitely worth the extra effort. I made this for some cupcakes today, a double batch of vanilla and a single batch of chocolate (using dutch-process cocoa and bittersweet chocolate) and it was amazing. I piped it onto my cupcakes using a 1M tip immediately after the five-minute fluffing, and they are beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing. I cannot wait to share these cupcakes with our graduates tomorrow at church.
After cooking the sugar/milk mixture, I spread it in a glass 13 x 9 pan so that it could cool quicker with good results. It cooled quickly and whipped up beautifully. Wonderful frosting!! Definately a great change from traditional frosting!!
I have been baking professionally forever and always use Italian meringue because I don’t like the powdered sugar stuff. This was SO easy to make and delicious. Next time I am going to decrease the butter to two sticks instead of three, it was a little to much buttery for me but I think with decreasing it to two sticks would make it taste identical to Italian Meringue without the trouble of boiling water/sugar and the difficulty that comes along with making Italian meringue. Wonderful recipe!
is the butter salted or unsalted?
Denise – I use salted butter.
i love the recipe!!! sounds amazing!!! is there any way i can replace the butter with any thing else??? cant have any butter what so ever..
Chad – nope, I’m afraid there aren’t any substitutions for the butter. It just wouldn’t be the same. Sorry!
i made this to frost for my son’s chocolate cake, and my dad who never liked ANY frosting/buttercream said he loved this. Not overly sweet nor greasy. Thanks for the recipe! I coloured my frosting after crumb-coating and left it in the fridge whilst waiting for the crumb-coat to harden. At first the frosting came out all grainy and separated when I took it out of the fridge, but became smooth again after whipping. Loved this!
this is the frosting I grew up with we all called it “The Good Frosting”. so happy to know that the recipe is out there. I have no idea where my Mom got the recipe from but she used it for my 1st birthday and every birthday after that until she died.
It’s FANTASTIC!!!
I made it last week and it was far more delicious than expected 😀
Today I wanna try the chocolate version but I have a question: when do the melted chocolate has to be added?
Hi Angela – instructions for the chocolate version are below the recipe. It tells when to add the cocoa powder and melted chocolate.
Will this stand up at a County Fair??? I have to use it in a double layer cake, so I assume I have to find a *from scratch* very light chocolate cake being the frosting is very light???? The cake would be sitting in the fair building overnight until judging the next day. Temps could not fall below 80 degrees. PA in August. I would love to use this delicious frosting.If anyone could suggest a good lightweihht choc cake
???
Thought I’d just pop back with a couple of comments now that I have finished my frosting, and indeed my cake!
Firstly, the chocolate version of this frosting is absolutely DEVINE, My OH loved it so much that he polished of the several spoonfuls I had leftover straight from the bowl! He is looking forward to me trying out the vanilla version very soon. I have to admit I initially thought that although it had a lovely flavour there was something about the taste that was a little bit… lardy? To combat this I added in a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice (I would have tried extract if I’d had any in the cupboard) and it really did the trick – it just gave a very slight tang, kind a cream cheese flavour just without the actual cream cheese!
Secondly, I took a chance on using it under fondant and it worked totally fine!
I have to thank you Mel for bring this frosting into my life, and my OH’s!
Mel, I just wanted to say that I think it’s amazing you posted this in September of ’10 and are STILL responding to comments. You are awesome!
My first icing adventure is currently in the cooling stage 🙂 I read over all the other comments to avoid asking a duplicate question (I apologize if I missed it somewhere) and I was amazed that no one has attempted/asked about a peanut butter version of this? Could you possibly substitute a bit of the butter for peanut butter? I made my first from scratch chocolate cake and PB frosting seems the perfect fit. In a bit I guess I’ll see how this adventure turns out!
Hi Rachel – after all these comments and yes, I think you are the first to ask about peanut butter! Great idea (may have to steal it) although I think I would add it in addition to the butter and not take out any of the butter. The frosting really needs all that butter (and yes there is a lot) to stabilize and fluff. But I think after it has whipped most of the way, you could definitely add 1/2 cup peanut butter or so to the mixture and whip.
Eek! I totally should have read the comments first… my flour mixture is now cooling ready for use tomorrow and I was intending on using this under fondant for a decorated birthday cake but now I am concerned that it won’t be suitable. Has anyone had any success (or otherwise!) using this frosting under fondant? Wondering whether I need to be hunting down a last minute alternative!
I have tried frosting twice and I can not get the milk mixture to thicken like you describe in the recipe, it said it is suppose to become difficult to easily whisk. I follow the recipe exactly. Do you have any idea I love the taste but it wont even hold a Rosette. hope you can help me thanks
Tonda, without being in your kitchen with you, I have no idea why your frosting isn’t thickening. Are you cooking it long enough?
It should be hot enough to bubble and thicken.
I made this recipe today, and it is divine. I divided the cooled napalm into 2 bowls before adding the vanilla and butter. I made one as specified here, and the other I replaced the vanilla with banana extract and a little yellow food coloring. Wow, that tasted good. Also, I took the finished vanilla icing, about a cup of it, and whipped in about 3 tablespoons of a honey-whipped peanut butter. I’ve never tasted anything so good! It mixed in very well.
The net result: Elvis Cupcakes. Chocolate cake, peanut butter cream filling, and banana icing on top. Long live the KING!
It looks quite tasty 😀
I’m trying it tomorrow.I will let you know how it comes out.
Have a nice day.
I just made this frosting and was so sad when it separated. I believe my batch is beyond repair. I refrigerated the base for a couple hours while I left the house and let it sit out for over an hour to get back to room temp. I let the butter sit out at the same time. I really thought is was the right tempature but it was sooo oily and lumpy when I added the butter. I whipped it for a full 5 min, too. The only thing that I can think of that I must have done wrong was use butter from a tub. Since you said 24 T. I thought it was okay to use a spread. Very sad day because I was eager to try it with your unbelievable chocolate cake.
Hi Emily – yes, it is most definitely due to the butter spread which is much different than butter (usually more oil and water). Sorry it didn’t work out for you. Usually I’ll indicate in the notes above a recipe if other ingredients can be subbed for the ones called for in the recipe.
Initially after making this frosting and tasting it I found it wasn’t a lick the bowl kind of frosting that I liked. Had hubby taste and he liked as he said it wasn’t sickenly sweet as his preference is for more plain cakes such as pound cake. I decided after making it that I would frost the white texas sheet cake. On the cake frosting was phenomenal. Everyone who had some loved it as I did. Could not stop eating. Thanks for a great cake frosting.
It’s 24 ounces or 340 grams. There are tons of conversion sites on the web.
Excuse my ignorance but how much is 3 Sticks of butter in grams please ?
This is the best frosting I have ever made. I fixed a chocolate cake using the recipe for “making a box cake taste like it came from the bakery,” then frosted it using this recipe and my husband loved it …. Not only loved it, but has asked me to “bake THAT” cake again and again!
For all those who are asking, I left the cake out with the icing on top for 15 full hours on a dry and cool day (around 25 degrees Celsius in Hong Kong) and it didn’t melt…tasted delish!
I made this to frost a chocolate/strawberry layer cake for my Dad’s birthday the other night and you’re right. It’s Absolutely. 100%. Magical. (It was so good nobody could believe that I actually made it) Thank you so much!
I was a little unsure of this frosting recipe as I was making it but it turned out great. I should know that I can always trust one of your recipes!
I was wondering how well the frosting holds up, and also would I be able to substitute the butter with shortening?
Stacey – this question is answered already in the previous comments but no, you shouldn’t substitute shortening.
Like most of you, I don’t care for frosting. I want to like it but I’ve made so many frostings and they all disappoint. There are so many good reviews for this one, I’m excited to try it but does it have a strong butter taste?
Shauni – yes, you can definitely taste the butter in this frosting.
any suggestion on how to make a coffee flavoured of this recipe?
Can you use margarine instead of butter…don’t have enough butter in house…just wondering.
Laureen – no, margarine wouldn’t work out in this recipe. It really does need to be butter.
Holy smokes, it worked! I got fluffy frosting and it tastes AMAZING!!! I’m no cook or baker and I was able to do it! Thank you so much!!
I followed your recipe exactly except I scraped the seeds from a vanilla bean and whisked them into my flour mixture. I made it yesterday to frost a chocolate cake I was taking to a dinner party last night. The hosts are friends that own one of the best and busiest restaurants in town – he is the chef and an incredible one at that so I was a little nervous. I knew it was awesome when he kept slicing small slivers of the cake and eating them while we were finishing our wine after dessert. All four of us LOVED this frosting and I will be using the recipe for years to come. Thank you!!
Have you tried piping it yet?! My daughter’s birthday is coming up and I’m looking for an alternative to buttercream!
I just made this frosting after having it bookmarked for several months. I substituted 1 8oz block of cream cheese for 2 of the sticks of butter and let me tell you! This is the most amazing frosting I have ever tasted! I made the chocolate kind, and it was delicious even before I added 5 oz of room temp melted semi sweet chocolate. I just want to go eat this frosting with a spoon! I will have a tough time buying frosting now. The only con is the time it takes, but it is so delicious I really don’t think it matters.
Girl – You are in the wrong business – you need to be in sales! I fell for your claims on this one, the best/magical frosting, but I’m not sure I haven’t been swindled. I think this one needs a tutorial and I must say that the build up of your previous disasters with The Pioneer Woman’s frosting did nothing to bolster my confidence – yikes! I have a frosted chocolate cake (your Ultimate!), but it sure isn’t pretty. The frosting looks a little curdled and I was scared to death of doing something wrong (have you seen the price of butter!?), so I followed your directions to a T. My question is this…can this frosting be overbeaten? If not, then I could maybe have whipped it some more. Pictures of the different stages would be helpful because, although I do trust you implicitly, it was a leap of faith to follow through. Here’s to it tasting better than it looks!
Tabitha – I’m really not sure the difference – this is the only recipe I’ve made that is a flour-based frosting.
Hi! I’v been hunting for a good frosting recipe and other similar ones w/flour beat the sugar and butter then add the milk/flour… What do you think the difference is? Iv never tried either
Mel, I just made this frosting today and piped it on my son’s birthday cupcakes- it turned out truly magical!! I am so thrilled I found it through your blog, since nobody in my family is a big buttercream frosting fan! Thank you! Thank you! I just posted your recipe on my blog and linked it back to you. Forever grateful! It is perfect! Looking forward to trying the chocolate version next! 🙂
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 tod