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
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!