The Best Frosting {a.k.a. Magical Frosting}
This magical frosting is simply the BEST frosting ever. It requires a bit more planning than every day buttercream, but the results are worth it.
I am rarely left speechless {if you are my husband you are seriously nodding your head right about now}. I like to talk {husband still nodding}. To dissect the details of important matters, such as great toenail polish and food {husband falling asleep}.
However, after taking a taste of this frosting, I was left completely speechless. No words. None. Just absolute, incredible tastebud bliss {husband shocked into silence himself}.
The Best Frosting of My Life
It is the best frosting I have ever tasted in my life.
You might have seen the phenomenon of this type of frosting swirling around. I tried the Tasty Kitchen version (highlighted by the Pioneer Woman) twice, and both times it was a disaster. I had given up on the so-called miracle of flour-based frostings until I saw and made this latest version.
It left me weak and trembling.
And do you know what tops it all? There is a chocolate version. Oh, heaven help me.
I slathered this frosting on the most decadent cake I’ve made to date (posting tomorrow!) and I can’t begin to describe the magical web of fluffy, creamy sweetness that is beholden in this frosting.
I am a self-professed frosting hater, which makes my testimonial of this frosting all the stronger. I abhor the greasy, filmy, overly-sugary taste of traditional buttercream. Even the adventurous seven-minute/marshmallow frostings of the world leave me wanting.
But this frosting…well, it belongs in The Best Recipe section no doubt about that.
My search for the best frosting is over.
I’ll be honest, it is a little more work and requires a bit more planning than throwing butter and powdered sugar together in a mixer but I’m promising you here and now that the results are worth every minute.
The real issue now becomes making sure any of this frosting actually makes it to the cake before being inhaled by my little lips.
One Year Ago: Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
The Best Frosting {a.k.a. Magical Frosting}
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (36 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups milk, I use 1% or 2%
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) butter, cut into 24 pieces and softened at room temperature (I use salted butter)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium saucepan and pour the milk mixture through the strainer into the saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and is thick enough that it starts to become difficult to easily whisk. This could take anywhere between 5-10 minutes, depending on your stove, heat, etc. It should bubble quite a bit at the end (be careful of the splatters) and thicken considerably.
- Transfer the mixture to a clean bowl and cool to room temperature – this is extremely important! If it is even slightly warm, the frosting won’t beat up properly. I refrigerated my initial mixture overnight. If you do this, make sure to pull it out in time to let it warm back up to room temperature. If you try to proceed with the rest of the recipe and the mixture is too cold, the butter won’t absorb into the frosting like it should.
- Once the frosting is completely cooled to room temperature (it should have no hint of warmth at all!), beat the mixture with the vanilla on low speed until it is well combined, about 30 seconds (a stand mixer will work best for this). Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat the frosting until all the butter has been incorporated fully, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and let the mixer work it’s magic. Beat the frosting for five minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Let the frosting sit at room temperature until it is a bit more stiff, about 1 hour. I suspect if you chill it for an hour or so, it would be stiff enough to actually pipe with instead of frosting with a rubber spatula.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Country Oct/Nov 2010
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 have frozen a cake for a week with this frosting and it tastes just as good as when it’s fresh, once thawed.
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
Ran into the same issue, it will seem like copious amounts of butter, but you have to keep whipping it, the overwhelming buttery taste will subside.
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!
Do you just stir in the powdered sugar, or whip it just a little longer after adding it?
Thanx so much,
~ Crystal ❣️
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 🙂